Soak it for a day or two in Kroil oil or transmission fluid, or break fluid or any kind of penetrating oil to help loosen the rust, (Kroil oil is best). Then try to push the cylinder release button. If the button goes forward, then GENTLY tap the cylinder to the left with a rubber hammer, but don't unduly force it. If the cylinder release button does NOT go forward, then don't tap the cylinder with the rubber hammer at all. In that case, you need to disassemble the sideplate from the revolver and find out what is holding up the cylinder release button from moving.

Also your ejector rod could be rusted at several points stopping the cylinder release button from pushing the inner ejector rod forward so the cylinder can release. Also your crane could be rusted where it pivots to swing out the cylinder.

Yes more info and a pic would help. If the rust isn't super deep, you might be able to file out any deep pits with a jeweler's file, then sand them, then buff them to a high polish, then reblue it or just keep it highly polished "in the white" like my S&W model 1917 snubby is.

Depending on how bad it is, and whether or not you want to bother putting the labor into it that it will take to bring it back to life, I might be interested in buying it. Got to see it first and of course you might want to fix it yourself and keep it.

It's not a S&W, but is an Uberti 1858 Remington with a conversion cylinder that I cleaned up, where someone had removed the blue finish with a chemical to try and make it look "antique", but all they did was mess up its looks, leave a slight chemical etching into the metal all over the revolver (Naval jelly?, not sure, but definitely something with acid) plus they let it rust up. I bought it off gunbroker for a pretty good deal considering it had a fluted conversion cylinder on it, and had to file out bad rust pits, then sand them, then buff the whole revolver out to a mirror polish. Still not done with buffing it, the loading lever and sides of the frame needs a little more buffing to get the high polish I want, but it is getting there and you can see the vast improvement in the before and after pictures.

Before pics.



At the top of this pic, you can see how deeply pitted the rust was in that section. That took a lot of very careful jeweler's file filing, to get to the bottom of all the small rust pits and still not mess up the contour of that area. I was lucky it didn't show after I finished it. Took a lot of sanding too after filing to get all the file marks out, plus a lot of buffing with rouge to remove the sanding marks. Time and patience is what it takes and lots of it. It is a project that extends over days, not a quickie weekender.


See how some chemical used to remove the bluing also etched into the metal slightly somewhat? She was a mess. Took a LOT of jeweler's file filing, then sanding, then buffing to bring her back.
I had to be very careful when filing the chemical etching out of the barrel flats to try not to round off the edges of the flats. That takes a steady hand when filing but isn't that hard, but that's not an easy thing to avoid when buffing on a buffing wheel, and they got rounded just a leeeetle bit, but not bad and you might not notice it, I barely can. That translates to a lot of buffing wheel vibration into your hands holding the part carefully while you CAREFULLY buff it trying to not round off the sharp flats on the barrel. Came out acceptable I think considering how much work it took to remove the chemical etching that was etched into the metal all over the whole revolver and conversion cylinder.


After I worked on it.

After jeweler's file filing, sanding and one initial buffing.








After a few more times buffing. (That translates to a LOT of time on the buffing wheel). Still not totally where I want it shine wise, since the loading lever and frame sides need a little more buffing, but it is getting there and I put it back together to take some "After" pics. But I will disassemble it again and finish buffing to my satisfaction (where it is like a mirror). Probably will leave it "in the white" like my snubby S&W model 1917.

Not too shabby now, but still not quite as mirror like that it will be when I am completely done with a few more times buffing it. Might even stick a set of fake ivory or fake mother of pearl grips on it just to set it off. She's a .44 as a muzzleloader percussion (.454 ball) but takes .45 Colt cowboy action cartridge loads (or my low power cartridge reloads I do) in the conversion cylinder.




That is what time, patience and persistence can do for a messed up revolver. But you have to have jeweler's files, wet/dry automotive sand paper of differing grits, and a buffing wheel and buffing rouge of different grits to get that done. Plus you have to have experience with filing, sanding and buffing. But it is possible to do and a very satisfactory feeling when you bring one back from a mess.






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