I came into the FBI a few years after the era of the Model 13. I've always wanted one, and the closest I've come is a 3" Model 65. Not the same though.

Yesterday I wandered into my local Sportsman's Warehouse. It was a Gander Mountain for a while, was empty for a while, and has been a Sportsman's Warehouse for a couple of months.

They had very few used guns, but then a couple dozen butt-ugly rust bucket guns showed up, priced as if they weren't the dregs of the gun world. There was a 2 1/2" Colt Diamondback .38 that had ZERO finish, homemade grips, and a price of $1299.

A new batch of ugly sisters had arrived. Second row, fourth from the left, was this Model 13-3.



Marked at $399, but it did come with rust and a busted hammer spur. I'll cut to the chase - $285, and they sold me 100 rounds of Federal ammo for the early panic price of 24 bucks a box.

The other side:



The worst rust:



The truncated hammer:



The counter guy said "corporate" just sends them these guns. He had no idea where they came from, but he said they were uniformly rusty. He said they try to buy local guns, but they wouldn't have bought a single one of the corporate arrivals (including mine) if someone walked in the door with it.



The good new is it works great. The DA and SA pulls are very smooth, the bore and chambers are clean, and nothing seems badly out of kilter, except it looks like the last owner used the back door of a dead goat for a holster for a couple of years.

So, what to do? I cleaned it and it is currently in the 50/50 acetone and transmission fluid bath.



I may add a BK grip adapter, load it up, and keep it in my truck. I guess it depends on how it comes out.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

sigp220.45: Please keep this thread going. It will be a digest for those who are rehabbing old S&W's

I look forward to seeing what you can do with this gun. Good luck!

Jerry

Yeah my local sportsman’s warehouse got in a few dozen rusted beat up smiths too. More than owning one I’d love to know where they came from.

There were some uncommon models but they were high priced and in very poor condition

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-Matt

Cool! I would have dropped $285 for it.

I’ve never seen a SW with used guns. If I found a 3” 13-3 in that condition I’d bead blast it and send it to H&M for black nitriding.

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213th FBINA

Bet it will turn out nicer than you think with some TLC.

Would guess they are insurance company recoveries after flood damage. Hard to imagine huge numbers of rusty guns coming on the market all at once outside of some type of natural disaster.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Finally found my 3" round butt to park next to my 4" nickel. Both dash 2s.

Yours just needs a good home. Looks like she's in good hands. Love the Model 13s!

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That gun is well worth a good cleaning and a very good aftermarket coating. I have a M57 that has been hard chromed with a soft finish. It looks great even though it isn't a stock coating.

Good luck with it.
Steve

I was in a gun store today, North of Pittsburgh a few miles, and I got some real bad sticker shock! I always gravitate to the used wheel gun cabinets, and there were a couple S&Ws & Colts, way cleaner than what you have, but far from nice; just shooters...maybe. All were priced in the 4 digits. Couple newer single action Rugers were close to a G.
I suppose for <$300, in this market, if you can clean that one up you'll have a decent fishing gun. If it shoots straight & reliably, that's half the battle. We have a million bridges in this area. A rope & a good magnet is bound to bring up something like that. Good luck with your cleaning.

I also would have bought it. However, I would have bead blasted it and then parkerized it.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

It's not the saddest Model 13 because it has a home. I too would have snatched it up. Perfect candidate for a bead-blast blue. Did that with a ragged Model 28-2 a few years ago and turned out great. Good score.

I'd opt for the Ft.Pitt or Liberty Bridges.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Hey, sig, your 13's going to be fine.

You might recall I grabbed a similarly appearing 3" Baby Chiefs Special a few years back and treated it to 30 days in the same "bath water" you're using.

It came out great, minus a lot of blue. I used bronze wool after the bath to polish off the stubborn rust.

Please keep us up on how your project goes.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

Even as rough as it looks I wouldn’t have hesitated to buy it at that price. Years ago I bought a 19 snub in about the same condition for less than $300 out the door. It actually shot really well. I cleaned the rust off and applied some cold blue to the worst spots. It ended up hidden in the trunk of my gov’t car for a couple of years. During the panic in 2013 I sold it for $599. I sorta wish I had kept it.

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Wheel guns are real guns.

It took me about five years to find a 13-3 3". I paid more than that for it, but of course it was in much better shape.

The point being that since it's working fine, cleaning and restoring are likely not going to be all that hard. I don't know what rebluing would cost, but likely more than you paid for the gun.

That's a good knock about revolver at a decent price.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

I would love to find a project like that. Unfortunately when i find them the owners think rust is worth about the same as gold.

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The best I can with what I got

I like it!

The City of Columbus, OH used to take their confiscated guns and drop them into the City reservoir near the dam, where it was the deepest. I've heard enterprising individuals would go out in a boat and drop a large magnet into the area and pull up guns. Supposedly the City got wise and stopped doing that.
San Francisco used to take barges loaded to the gills with guns and drop them in the Bay.

Cool gun, can’t wait to see outcome.

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- Post No Bills -

I bought my 3" Model 13-3 for $200.00 many moons ago. I had people following me around at gun shows begging to buy it or at least to promise to call them if I changed my mind. Last year I gave it to my son-in-law.


Sent from my SM-A516V using Tapatalk

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

Doesn’t anyone re-blue firearms anymore? That revolver would be beautiful if restored to its former glory.

That one would have been a firm "oh, h-e-double toothpicks no" for me too. I know the scarcity of the 2 1/2" Diamondback's, but with the original finish and stocks gone and who knows what Bubba might have done to its innards, that's just way too much $.



And to think that such a piece would have fetched less than that two years ago. Still, you are not in too deep for $285 for a 3 inch Model 13. That one is in rough shape. See how it cleans up, but if it is pitted, then this one might look good in a bead blasted, blue finish.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

That would be a good one for a refinish in stages. I like the idea of cleaning it up all you can then applying cold blue. Finish off with a coat of wax and see how it looks. For just a few bucks, that may be plenty good enough. You will have a no worries gun that shoots great. That's well worth what you paid.

You can always go the professional refinish route down the road. But then the question is why didn't you put all that money into a better condition gun to start with?

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You're shy a few manners.

I think you got a good deal on a great gun and finished it off with pre-panic ammo prices. I suspect 100 rounds of that ammo is going for twice in most places. The screw heads look unmolested to my untrained eye. Are you planning on taking the side plate off to look at the internals?
Congratulations on picking that one up. I would have grabbed it in a second at the price you paid.

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Patriots Forever!!

Please show us the end result when you finish.

At least the OP's gun is "savable"! Looks like a great buy for under $300 and with ammo too.

Not like these beauties pictured below...I'm thinking even bead blast and welding won't bring these guys back from the dead.

The de-milled and police dumped guns were supposedly drug up by a teenager out with his submersible metal detector looking for treasure.

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Charlie B
SWCA#3083, SWHF#570

But, are you gonna shoot it??

The question we ask for all safe queens...

Robert

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

I'd contact S&W with your story and see what they would charge a LEO to put your "dream" gun back original.

Nice! You checked it and it worked fine. Outside needed work which you are doing, you should end up with a decent gun when done.

It may not be a 10 like on the Bo Derek scale but it will be something you prize.

Years back (mid 70s) I bough for a very good price a beat up model 15 2''.(a cops gun) Mechanical s were real good and the gun was quite accurate. Did some work but not to the level you are doing.

Have fun and keep us in the loop!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

$285??? I'd pay that too.

I'm sure it'll look a lot better when you're done and make a great worry-free shooter/carry gun. There's something about a 3" fixed sight .357 that screams "all business"!

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"I also cook."

Sounds like you have the knowledge and skills to at least partially revive that M13.

If it had been me, I would have bought it also but would probably have had to send it out for a professional job.

Good luck and please post some after pictures.

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Frosty
S&WCA # 2816

Not that many years ago, many revolvers were coming in to the US market as surplused goods from other countries. Many of the revolvers looked not too far off from the appearance of yours. Kinda like they were begrudgingly carried for years and then tossed into a steel drum somewhere for storage.

Good rescue - that'll be a fun project. Glad you found it.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

Good buy.

Scrub off the rust, get used to the truncated hammer, and shoot the snot out of it.

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Only a cold warrior

I'm amazed and in disbelief. This must be the 1st thread re reviving an externally beat-up revolver where no one has mentioned the word "character" and suggested to leave it in its present state. The prices of the other revolvers were way out of line but, then again, my LGS showed me a page from a national distributor's website. There was only one revolver available...

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

P.S. In the consignment case of the LGS, there was a Glock 26 whose slide was in deplorable condition, completely bereft of finish. The owner had it priced at $500.

Nice find and great project gun!! I would have jumped on the deal too.

I always wondered how a model 13 3” would look really good with a case hardened frame and blued barrel and cylinder. This seems like a great candidate for that.

Cheers,
686PC

I woulda been all over that! Nice catch.
Clean it up, apply a home blueing job and enjoy.
Who doesn't love a 3" K-frame?

2 years ago, I saw a Model 10-8 that was pretty rusty. $200 out the door. Fully disassembled, submerged in ATF for a week, and scrubbed with 0000 wool. Looks much much better. Brought it back to the shop to show the owner and his eyes narrowed and he said “guess you got a good deal, then”.

I’m sure that gun will look far better. I see the main spring. Did you pop the side plate and fully disassemble it? Gotta think there’s rust behind the parts inside. I’d also fully submerge the gun. I’d also submerge the grips in acetone overnight and then apply some boiled linseed oil once a day for 4 or 5 days.

That is a tremendous find...to me at least while in "sad" shape it looks like it should be completely serviceable after some TLC...

If the gun is solid and I wanted something all-weather, I'd send it to Accurate Plating, have it bead blasted to even out the surface and then hard chrome... My daily carry 1911 was done by them in 2006 and after going on 14 years of daily carry still looks like new...

Congratulations of a great find...Bob

That gun reminds me of a Mickey Gilley song.

I wouldn’t hard chrome, bead blast, or parkerize that at all. The OP wanted one because he wanted an FBI type Model 13. Doing any of that ruins it. I’d clean it up as best as I could, use some cold blue on what was left after the cleaning, and then if I still wasn’t satisfied I’d sent it to S&W for a re-blue.

But I think a lot of the rust is gonna come right off in the ATF and we’re all gonna be surprised at the result. Provided the gun is fully disassembled and cleaned inside and out. Lord only knows what the insides look like.

By the way, I’ve pretty much reached the point of having any gun I really have a burning desire for. Sure, new toys are always nice but I pretty much have all my bases covered, but I do not have a Model 13 3” and I very much want one. I wouldn’t have even tried to talk the guy down to $285, and I’d have a lot of fun trying to revive that gun.

I'd've bought it, too. And if you add in what it would've cost to have that spur professionally nubbed, it was that much more a deal.

Now, you didn't solicit advice, but you know that's what we do around here, so here goes...

Other than the thorough cleaning and inspection you're already doing, and after confirming specs and function are sufficient, I'd do practically nothing to that revolver cosmetically or mechanically.

It's got history, mystery and character and -- by today's standards -- at a dirt cheap price. If there's any temptation in you to go down the rabbit hole of a restoration, small or large, I advise resisting it.

A little thing here or there -- some new springs, perhaps a small part needs replacement or fit, sure. But a big comeback I think defeats the value you've found and often becomes a bigger and less satisfying endeavor than if you'd either left it be and enjoy it for what it is or instead move it along and search for a better condition one at a higher price.

Same if you get 'er going and find something significant is off. Obviously it's a case-by-case call, but I'd again steer clear of the big fix if you should discover there's something out of whack you missed initially or couldn't have known until you really got into it.

You noted that the bore and charge holes are good to go, and that's both excellent and a little surprising given the extensive corrosion otherwise. A pitted bore provided it's not extreme can continue to work well and be accurate, but I'd double-check each charge hole closely -- pitting or damage at the shoulder or behind it can be a death knell for proper function, especially in a magnum gun.

Bottom line, buys like this I think are great finds if with just a little TLC they'll run, but can get away from you quickly if you chase gremlins or get ambitious.

No matter what, good job, have fun, and let us know how goes.

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Pickpocket

After 3 days in the bath, I took it out for a look and a rub down.

So far, so good.



The other side is still rough looking, but getting better.



The worst area is cleaning up ok. Looks to be a little pitting under there. The screw on the thumb piece won't budge yet.



Back into the dunk for a while.

I plan to keep this a low-buck project. I may replace the hammer if I find one cheap, but the little bit missing doesn't bother me. Gives it kind of a 547ish look.

I don’t know how this gun got this way, but I don’t think it was submerged. The bore and chambers are perfect. I haven’t had the sideplate off but the action feels great, too.

I appreciate the interest and I'll keep the thread going as long as I'm making progress.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

‘Twas bound to happen eventually....


Awesome project, I’m subscribed !

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- Post No Bills -

Nice project gun. Like someone said,Put a good polish on it,a cold blue,just to see how it looks. Might be pleasently surprised

Possible clues as to origin - in the bottom of the box was this Century Arms flyer, and the price sticker has the word “phaseout”.

No import marks on it anywhere, so if it did come from CAI it was acquired in the US.

Edited to add:

The CAI website has a Colt DS that looks exactly (condition-wise) like one at Sportsmans, and the part number format is the same as on my box.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

I would stick a screw driver blade in the thumb latch screw and heat it cherry red to try to loosen up the rust holding it together.

Old trick for that thumbpiece nut. Place gun on a solid surface left side up, insert screwdriver vertically and apply a twist. Using a light hammer, smack the end of the handle of the screwdriver. Take your time and be patient. Do this as much as necessary until the screw comes loose. It may take a while, but it will work.

Looking forward to the finished product!

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USMC 83'-87', NRA Member.

Looking good so far! Was this the SW in Colorado Springs? I stopped there when I had to go to Carson to retire. I was shocked at what they had in the case, but I would’ve bought a Model 13 at that price too. Can’t wait to see how yours turns out!

This works for stuck screws. Learned it from Aviation Metalsmiths that worked in the squadrons that I was in during my career.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.