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Originally Posted by ExcitableBoy
As a "mechanic and engineer", do you not try to keep crud and corruption out of the innards of any mechanical device during disassembly and repair?
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Certainly I do. But this isn't a question of keeping anything OUT of the action. Either the action is already as rust damaged as the outside of the revolver, or it isn't. Realistically, the gun was free and it's value at this point is NIL. If the hammer and trigger aren't rusted in place, then there is basically nothing to lose by cycling the action ONCE (after soaking it) to verify it isn't bound up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ExcitableBoy
Maybe like a flake of rust chipping off and scoring the finely fitted inner workings of a S&W revolver, especially if it has not been determined whether or not said inner workings are in good condition, by cycling the action?
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Being so mechanically knowledgeable I'm sure you also know that rust is so much softer than the hardened steel of the internal parts in question that ONE cycling of the action is NOT going to ruin anything. Particularly in the case of a revolver in as poor condition as this one. There actually isn't enough value there to worry about ruining it.
So, the gun isn't worth anything but, fortunately, that is exactly what the OP has into it. In its present condition it isn't even worth what it would cost to have a gunsmith work on it. If it turns out the action is frozen up with rust the money paid to the gunsmith would be a total waste.
Unless Mistress244 has the tools, patience, and mechanical skills to remove the sideplate herself, there is no way to determine if the action is in any better shape than the rest of the revolver - other than to pay a gunsmith to disassemble it (more $ than it is worth) OR to see if it will cycle.
If I had it in hand, I'd give it a soak and at least attempt to remove the sideplate. If I didn't have the ability to do that myself, I'd give it a soak and then see if the action is frozen up. If the action would cycle, THEN maybe I'd be willing to put the money into having someone who has the tools and skill take it apart.
Hence my advice.
Mistress244, if you have the right type screwdrivers, and the mechanical skills and confidence to try to pull the sideplate, by all means, follow Model520Fan's advice on how to do so. Otherwise I wouldn't invest a penny into the gun until I determined whether the insides are locked up by rust.
ExcitableBoy, if you can suggest an alternative way for a person who isn't prepared to remove the sideplate themselves to determine if the action is frozen up, other than spending more than the gun may be worth just to find out, please feel free to share. If you don't then let's dispense with arguing what is essentially a moot point, OK?