An N frame came my way, which I'm pretty certain is just bound up with old lubricants and needs a good cleaning in the guts. As luck would have it there aren't any gunsmiths near by so I fear I'm on my own---I ordered Mr. Kuhnhausens Shop Manual, a set of screwdrivers specifically for S&Ws from Brownell's, and a small plastic faced gunsmith's mallet. My intent is to remove the side plate, clean out the old dried lubricant or varnish (or dirt!) The best I can, lube sparingly according to the Kuhnhausen's manual and replace the side plate, nothing more.
It seems simple enough but I'm not gunsmith and I'm bit apprehensive about pressing forward.

In the past I have replaced a barrel bushing on a 1911, removed the stock and lubed the action of a Spanish O/U shotgun, and restored a 1917 Enfield, but I don't think the innards of a DA revolver will be as simple.
I was wondering if anyone has suggestions, recommendations or other tips to either inspire me to either go forth or abandon the notion and send it off to a good gunsmith.

You have the tools to do a simple disassembly and cleaning. Go slowly, follow the instructions and you should be fine.

If you are still not confident enough to remove the sideplate, consider this:

Remove the grips and flush the internals with a good quality aerosol gun cleaner. Cock the hammer and spray down into the area behind the sideplate. Watch the gunk flow out the grip frame. Give it another shot an let it set for a few minutes. Work the action, give it another shot and then follow with compressed air. Drip a little CLR in from top and bottom, work the action and replace the grips.

It's not the same as a detail cleaning, but I'll bet you'll see an improvement.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

The most ticklish part is the reassembly of the rebound slide and its spring. The rest is quite straightforward, requiring little more than a modicum of care and, naturally, a bit of mechanical inclination. Since you're already dealing w/Brownell's, they have a lovely specialized tool specifically for the rebound slide & spring in S&W revolvers.

Larry

Nothing more? ... shouldn't be too hard then.

You don't say exactly which N-frame you have?

If that's all you're going to disassemble it then the only internal part you have to deal with is the hammer block & getting it back in place to seat the sideplate.

After removing the grips & screws, when you rap to grip frame, with the handle of your plastic/wooden screw driver to remove the sideplate, the hammer block invariably pops out too, so you never get to see exactly how it was positioned before.

There's a pic in the shop manual that shows where it goes. I postion it up as high as it can go before reinstalling the sideplate.

Put the top corner tab of the side plate in first & then the right corner & slowly lower the sideplate trying not to disturb the hammer block, as it sits freely in it's position, lastly seating the left corner of the sideplate. Tap it down lightly with the handle of your screwdriver. Don't use excessive force. If it doesn't want to seat fully the hammer block may have moved & you'll need to restart again.

Unless you really need a strong cleaner I'd suggest using Rem Oil spray. It's a mild cleaner & a good light lubricant. Spray the innards liberly & let it sit for 15-20 mins before you repeat. Let the excess drain out &/or use some low air pressure to remove what's left, being careful to not disturb any parts, before putting it back together.

.

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Waiting for the break of day

Just don't pry on the side plate or you could have problems. Remove the side plate screws making note where each screw came from. Just rap the grip frame with the mallet and the side plate should pop loose. I wouldn't even remove any of the internals, just spray the gunk out of them, some very light oil on the contact points and reinstalled the plate.

My personal feeling is once you have the Side Plate off it surely would be prudent to learn how to disassemble and reassemble the guts. It is NOT a difficult task - go slow, take pictures, watch a few Videos, and you will be HAPPY you did! The great thing about Smith Revolvers is they are all pretty much the same under the hood, so once you master one, the rest are a piece of cake. Even if you never have any intentions to start Smithin' your own guns it's nice to know you are capable of cleaning, lubing and he basics.

watch a video such as Jerry Miculek's on replacing hammer & rebound spring. He does this as fast as he shoots.

1.) Most important: Soak sideplate corners in Kroil for a while. Let some Kroil run into gun action and wait a little. This is important to make sure side plate comes off easy.

2.) Turn side plate face down towards a thick towel

3.) Tap butt with back of heavy screw driver medium hard: Side plate will fall off

4.) Reassembly: Hammer stop needs to be pushed upmost, line up side plate groove with hammer stop and slide side plate upwards into notch, make sure hammer stop stays engaged in the groove. Lightly push side plate back into frame, use back of screw driver lightly tap, use screws to do the final way to lock side plate in place.

Father Joe,

In order of personal preference, I would

1. Go to Amazon and buy Jerry Miculek's DVD on this subject "Complete Revolver Disassembly/Reassembly" It's specifically for Smith & Wesson K, L, and N revolvers. I've watched it several times already (I have "CRS") and review it again before I do any serious maintenance work on any of my revolvers.

2. Search You Tube for a video. I may be mistaken, but I had heard or read that You Tube was trying to phase out these videos and they oppose our Second Amendment. If so, recommendation #1 above will still be the best solution.

I also have the Kuhnhausen book and the Brownell special tool.

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That's what we do!

There's a slight possibility that no bit in the small set Brownells sends you will be an optimum fit for one or another of the sideplate screws. If so, order more bits and WAIT. The sideplate screws are the hardest part of the entire process.

Thank you all for such expert advice! What a fine resource this place is.
I've got a lot to think about now.
The tip on using Kroil, the Miculek video and the Brownell's tool sound like worthwhile additions to my meager tool kit.

What do you guys think of the ultrasonic parts cleaner sold by Harbor Freight?

Father Joe,

There have been previous posts in either this sub-forum or the Lounge on the subject of ultrasonic parts cleaners. I do remember that at least one post from a forum member, who had actually used one, stated that there had been damage to the finish of his firearm.

If you use the "Search" function you should find the posts.

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That's what we do!

Thank you!

I would not bother w ultrasonic. Soak in Kroil good for a while, then spray/blow out with a good strong spritz of brake cleaner (careful, the gun will be totally degreased after that). Then blow out with air, computer keyboard can if you do not have a compressor. Then I change springs (wolf type 2 hammer spring and 13 lbs return spring similar as you see in Jerry Miculek's video about his spring kit). Then I spray the entire gun inside and out with Ballistol, then gently blow out excess with air but leave well lubricated, then side plate back on and done. Maybe a hammer shim from 'trigger shims' in Michigan if there is any rub of the hammer on the side plate. Now you can put a final coat of Renaissance wax on it to protect the exterior and give it nice shine. And Voila...a supreme shooter clean as a piggie.

Father Joe,
Once you get it in your mind to dive in, you will soon find it is not difficult at all and might even be pissed you did not do it sooner. A few things to avoid are:

1) DO NOT pry off side plate! Use a plastic/nylon hammer on the grip frame.

2) DON'T mix up screws.

3) DON'T force ANYTHING!

4) DON'T remove metal on parts.

5) DON'T clip springs.

6) DON'T over lube!

7) DO ask questions here IF you run into trouble or are unsure.

8) DON'T rush!

9) USE proper Hollow Ground screwdrivers to dis and re assemble.

The great part is when you master one Smith, they are just about all the same inside (some minor differences easily learned) so you can now work on all of them.

Here's a video (one of many on U-tube) to give you an idea of what's involved.

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Vietnam 1969-1971

Good advice from everyone.
I would add the recommendation that you look at the parts drawings carefully to identify where the small springs and plungers are. Dismantle that component inside a plastic baggie to catch the tiny part that can and will fly! Ask me how I know!
Scott

Just to save you one frustration, there is no need to remove the "hand" from the "trigger" when disassembling the S&W. If you do, the teeny hairpin spring inside the trigger cavity must be put back on the hand and you often need three hands to accomplish it. I just leave it attached to the trigger.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Now that is a great tip to follow! I would also chime in and say don't remove the cylinder stop and spring, that is one difficult bugger to get back in without losing the spring or damaging it.

The tool for removing the rebound spring is a good investment and certainly is helpful. Also note if and when you remove it if there is a trigger stop pin inside it I'm not sure if yours will have it but some do.
Karl

I think you mean CLP. IIRC CLR is mostly phosphoric acid.

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NRA Benefactor

Father Joe,

As others have suggested, learning to disassemble the gun will be worthwhile. After all, you might just end upwith another one (!)

If it's not really totally jammed up inside, you could just remove the grips, sideplate and hammer block and soak the action area overight in mineral spirits, then blow it out with compressed air and lightly re-lube. This may be sufficient.

Kroil is definitely worth having around, too. Not a bad bore cleaner as well.

A nice tip I got regarding the side plate screws was to get a piece of cardboard and draw an outline of the side of the revolver you were going to work on and then place a dot where each of the side plate screws are and when you remove the screw push into the cardboard at the appropriate place.

This was my set up when I deep cleaned the K-38. I still have the cardboard guide and have made one for my other guns as well.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Excellent idea. I've also found that a piece of magnetic sign vinyl, placed backside up is useful as a gun mat and helps to keep small screws and springs from wandering off.

BTW, I just had my 19-4 apart and it seems that the screw that goes under the grips is the odd one out; the other two seem to be the same. I still put them on the mat in order, though.

When I first stared working on them (early 80's), that is exactly what I did, After 3 or 4 times there will not be any reason to as you will know what goes where and you will be able to differentiate screws. When I take an unfamiliar gun apart I will still use that method if there are similar parts that might get mixed up.

I've taken the sideplate off of every used revolver I've ever bought. Some weren't so bad, some were nasty. All I've ever done was remove the sideplate and the hammer block will fall out, and then blasted the internals with NON-chlorinated brake cleaner, then blast all over the inside with compressed air, then very lightly lube. MAKE SURE you wear the black rubber mechanics gloves that you can find in auto parts stores. The medium weight blue ones will be eaten by the brake cleaner, and also
Make sure you wear shop glasses. Don't want to get brake cleaner in your eyes.

Also, use a q-tip soaked in solvent to clean out the hole in the frame that the cylinder slides into after you remove that. Lots of gunk
Always in there.

When you replace sideplate, there's a little nub on the top right side of the plate. That nub has to be inserted under the frame first, then just firmly
Press down, making sure you don't knock the hammer block off. There's a little channel on the back of the sideplate that the hammer block has to sit in. If the plate won't go back on, chances are the block got knocked off.