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S&W-Smithing Maintenance, Repair, and Enhancement of Smith & Wesson and Other Firearms.


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Old 09-23-2017, 12:33 PM
ontargetagain ontargetagain is offline
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Default The ugly side of rust, reminder.....

Just wanted to share as a reminder a recent project. A friend of mine contacted me that his King Cobra was locked up and wondered if I would take a look at it. Said he could not pull the trigger to rotate the cylinder................hmmmmm I also know him to be a meticulous person and pays attention to details.




Wow! Even though this gun was stored in a case and saw little to no use I was shocked! Lesson for me is that a plastic case with foam and a paper towel along with rubber grips apparently is a moisture trap. They look a little ugly underneath.



The cylinder lock was froze up to the frame side and would not allow the trigger to move to drop the lock and move the hand to rotate the cylinder. All parts removed, the cylinder lock was polished to eliminate the surface rust, still left some minor pitting. Lubed up with some moly coat and currently is fine.

Just an FYI to properly store your firearms in a 'dry' environment and use proper anti-moisture protection offerings.
Still shiny on the outside on this one!





By the way, I still prefer the action on my Smiths to this King Cobra


Karl

Last edited by ontargetagain; 09-23-2017 at 12:41 PM.
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Old 09-23-2017, 02:01 PM
GeoJelly GeoJelly is offline
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Good post and good info. Livin’ in Virginia means lots of humidity eight months out of the year so I’ve also had some scary finds - but not nearly as bad as that Colt. Those damn gun and reel cloths just trap moisture - and stainless hand guns are the worst. Particularly on any bead-blasted or sand blasted areas. You may laugh at this – but I have found that a good coating of CLP, then packed into a plastic freezer bag minus grips, then into a soft pouch with a few desiccant packs works for at least two years. Those silicon cloths are bad juju!! As an aside, your friend can sell that King Cobra for a coupla thou and pick up three very nice Smiths!

Last edited by GeoJelly; 09-23-2017 at 02:47 PM.
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Old 09-23-2017, 03:23 PM
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While humidity is an issue, lack of it can be an issue too. Too dry and wood stocks/grips can crack. My safes run around 39 to 43% humidity, which seems to be within the range of preventing rust but not drying out wood. It's a little on the dry side, but not much. BTW, Amazon sells a humidity/temperature gauge for under $10. Google: "AcuRite 00613 Humidity Monitor with Indoor Thermometer, Digital Hygrometer and Humidity Gauge Indicator" by copy and pasting.
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Old 09-25-2017, 10:33 AM
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The first thing I'll always do after acquiring a new gun is to completely disassemble it, correct any flaws, de-burr, clean, lube and inspect it before shooting it. Even if the gun is Factory fresh, that is what I do. IMO there is no Factory employee that is as finicky and exacting as me and so I like to make sure.

The reason for starting my response with the above statement is because even finicky people can't see inside a gun and so they have no idea what the condition really is. Assuming can spell trouble in the future - - just because a gun is expensive, high end and looks good on the outside does not insure he same inside.

I have a friend who has many high end guns, seldom shoots them, but when he does, all he does is he wipes the outside with a Silicone Cloth - never ever cleans the cylinder, barrel etc. and never lubricates them. I've spent hours offering to help him, encourage him and instruct him - to no avail.

His guns are the ones that will exhibit the "looks great outside - but surprise under the hood" in the years to come.
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Old 09-25-2017, 01:11 PM
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I would have your friend buy a new cylinder bolt to replace that rusted one, and any other parts that were affected.

The reason being, all the internal parts on the MKIII action line of guns and later were made out of sintered steel and then cast steel in the King Cobras and others.

The surface hardening is very thin and you can't polish the parts. So I assume you removing the rust from these items, or the rust itself, just compromised the integrity. I've seen these parts in perfect condition break because of the material.

So I would replace every part that was rusted.

Last edited by iPac; 09-25-2017 at 01:17 PM.
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Old 09-25-2017, 01:47 PM
ontargetagain ontargetagain is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iPac View Post
I would have your friend buy a new cylinder bolt to replace that rusted one, and any other parts that were affected.

The reason being, all the internal parts on the MKIII action line of guns and later were made out of sintered steel and then cast steel in the King Cobras and others.

The surface hardening is very thin and you can't polish the parts. So I assume you removing the rust from these items, or the rust itself, just compromised the integrity. I've seen these parts in perfect condition break because of the material.

So I would replace every part that was rusted.
Thank you for that information, I will inform him of your suggestion, and begin looking for replacement part!
Karl
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Old 09-25-2017, 03:22 PM
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Thank you for that information, I will inform him of your suggestion, and begin looking for replacement part!
Karl
They are pretty cheap and designed to be drop in parts. Hopefully if it's just the bolt, that will be cheap and easy. If there's more, it still shouldn't be that bad. I just sold a bolt not too long ago for about $10-$15.

Although, the downside to "drop in" parts is getting lucky with the one you buy. It may not always work. So always good to have a return policy and that aspect worked out ahead of purchase.

When in good solid condition, these guns are known for their ruggedness and good utility performance. As are many guns made similar, such as modern S&Ws.

Last edited by iPac; 09-25-2017 at 03:23 PM.
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