Inherited an introduction #19 357 Mag

[AtTheRange]

Hello All,
A friend passed away and I inherited a S&W 357 Magnum original introduction model 19; made 1957-1958.
The original owner was a LEO. It's probably had thousands of rounds put thru it. My friend probably didn't do much with it after he bought it in the 80s. You can imagine my frustration at trying to find parts.
There were some significant changes in the later versions. Like changing cylinder stop design and the ejector threads from right handed to left handed. I have yet to contact S&W directly to get questions answered.
in your opinions,
Is it a sacrilege to restore the finish or, should I justkeep it 'as-is' as an antique?
One cylinder only barely syncs when I gently pull back the hammer. At the very least, it will need an oversized hand installed and fitted. Would the ones made today be compatible?
There is also significant wear on the top of the cylinder stop. It was redesigned in 1962. Would a later model stop work?
There is a ring of pitting in each cylinder. Is this a problem?
The cylinder end shake play is currently at .001"
Finally, the ejector rod is so badly scraped on one side that, the diamond cut is gone. Could a new right-hand thread rod be found?

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! Don't bother with Smith & Wesson because they will not even talk to you about working on it. They consider it obsolete. The good news is parts are available from gunpartscorp.com AKA Numrich and Power Custom.

You'll have practically no one that will support you refinishing that gun. The reason is it loses any collector value if it's been modified. Changing out the parts that you want to change out doesn't make it modified. They are wearable parts and can be replaced without affecting the value substantially

Guy

 

[bgrafsr]

The finish does not look bad at all. The rings in the chambers are from shooting .38 Special lead loads and will clean up. (Use a Lewis Lead Remover kit, available from Brownell's). I would not worry about the end of the ejector rod, but you could use a very fine checkering file and clean it up if you wanted too.
Place a "want to buy" ad on the Forum for a replacement early cylinder stop.
An oversize hand will work if fitted correctly, but I would have a Smith gunsmith look at the ratchets on the extractor before going to an oversize hand.

Lastly, remove that horrid finish from the stocks. I believe Acetone would work for that.

 

[AtTheRange]

Numrich doesn't currently have the parts I'm looking for.
The ratchets on the extractor didn't look worn to me but,then again, neither did the hand when I had it apart. I thought about replacingthe extractor and rod with newer left-hand thread parts but, that would be justtoo easy. I haven't found an extractor(to date).
Thank you for the input on the lead remover kit. I thoughtthe cylinders were damaged. Whew!
Horrid finish on the stocks? The hand grips have beentampered with??

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Be careful with the lead remover. It will also remove the bluing if you get the solution on the frame, cylinder or barrel. If you have a small drill or Dremel tool, cinch up a brass brush and use that along with some CLP to remove the buildup. To make it easier, remove the cylinder from the gun by loosening the lower forward sideplate screw, open the cylind and pull it forward out of the frame. Don't put the screw back into any other hole than the one it came out of.

 

[minconrevo]

Looks like a reasonably well cared for older pre 19. The gunk in the cylinders in almost certainly residue from .38 Specials. Use a tight fitting brass core brass brush (gun specific) to clean. Maybe soaking the cylinder inside with some Kroil or a lead specific gun cleaner to loosen the gunk first.

If the cylinder stop is still working well leave it alone.

The mashed up knurling on the ejector rod is from using an improper tool to attempt removal. Brownells sells a special tool to remove these. You may need to call their customer service for the part number. My advice is get the special tool. Lacking tha,t a padded drill chunk might work. Based on your manufacture date, your rod has RH threads. Don't think these are available any longer from S&W however Jack First Gun Parts had some new old stock ones not long ago.

 

[handejector]

Be careful with the lead remover. It will also remove the bluing if you get the solution on the frame, cylinder or barrel.

A Lewis Lead Remover does not involve any liquids. It removes lead with a brass screen over an expandable rubber arbor.
Bought mine in the 60s.

 

[handejector]

What serial number range is your gun? Post it as K2600XX if you don't want to say.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Thanks Lee! I guess I was thinking about something else.

Guy

 

[bigmoose]

That revolver looks like it might have been reblued once already. Maybe the same time that the stocks were dipped in varnish. Better photos may tell.

 

[handejector]

I thought about replacingthe extractor and rod with newer left-hand thread parts but, that would be justtoo easy. I haven't found an extractor(to date).

Horrid finish on the stocks? The hand grips have beentampered with??

The extractor is serial numbered, so you don't want to replace it.


The grips have a heavy coat of varnish (I hope). If it is polyurethane, it is much harder to strip. They appear to be walnut, which is not correct anyway. It is fairly common for them to be replaced on a cop gun because the original Goncalo Alves grips were easier to break or chip.

 

[schutz5]

Looks nice!
Just clean it up and enjoy shooting it!

 

[AtTheRange]

What serial number range is your gun? Post it as K2600XX if you don't want to say.

The S/N is K3454XX
I don't suppose one of you can interpret it for me?
And you're right, the S/N is on the ejector. I did not notice that when I had it apart. Too busy examining the ratchets I guess.

 

[AtTheRange]

The extractor is serial numbered, so you don't want to replace it.


The grips have a heavy coat of varnish (I hope). If it is polyurethane, it is much harder to strip. They appear to be walnut, which is not correct anyway. It is fairly common for them to be replaced on a cop gun because the original Goncalo Alves grips were easier to break or chip.

Not original grips huh? Would they be after market or, just newer S&W? With the diamond on the handle, these would still be pre 1968; right? In the shape they're in, I still think they're prettier that the ones I've been seeing on the web. Most sellers are out of stock anyway.


Even if it is varnish, I wouldn't know how to properly refinish them after stripping. I've never stripped a wood finish. My experience is limited to new finishing with polyurethane.

 

[AtTheRange]

That revolver looks like it might have been reblued once already. Maybe the same time that the stocks were dipped in varnish. Better photos may tell.

How does one tell? If it was, it wasn't a touch up job.
Are you asking me to try and adjust the lighting for the photos?

 

[bigmoose]

I may have spoken out of turn..if so, my apologies. The S&W logo on right side looks a bit "soft" as compared to amount of bluing surrounding it. The screw holes may appear dished. It appears there may be a small amount of pitting under the blue on left side of frame near cylinder release.

Either way, a nice example of a great revolver.

 

[smith17]

I may have a spare rh thread rod but it will be a couple of days before I can check.
Ed

 

[steelslaver]

If the cylinder is locking up just before the hammer releases in double action it is good. Wouldn't take much more and trigger would bind before it released the hammer. The difference enough and to much is slight. I would check for end shake before doing any action work. How much does the cylinder move forward and back? If there is a significant amount as the gun is cocked the cylinder moves forward and farther from the hand so it can slide by the ratchet tooth quicker. A cylinder shim or 2 may be all it needs. If the the cylinder stop is engaging the cylinder and preventing it from turning it is fine. Some small amount of movement while in lock up is also acceptable. As the bullet leaves the chamber throat and enters the forcing cone it brings the chamber into perfect alignment. If there is excess movement it comes from peening in the cylinder stop notches (usually the far side, not the lead in side, as it stops the cylinder rotation). This can be peened back into place. It could also be slop of the cylinder stop in its frame slot.

But, don't go putting parts in it until it has been checked by someone who really works on S&W revolvers. Your post gives no information on your experience with them. Your thought of just replacing the extractor tells me you haven't got much as extractors very seldom work on cylinders they were not made with. Until the recent pinless design change the extractor and cylinder were match drilled as a set during assembly. The holes in one extractor star very seldom line up right on a different cylinder. Even a tiny bit of difference and it hangs up. I have had zero luck at it and I have a drawer full of various cylinders. There is a couple work around, but it isn't that easy. Someone with a small lathe and the right knurling attachment can redo the knurling the tip of your rod, BTW

More important is how does it shoot?

 

[Redwood32R2]

According to SCSW #4 your serial # is mid to late 1958 production.

 

[kbm6893]

Thanks Lee! I guess I was thinking about something else.

Guy

I bet you were thinking of the lead removal cloth that people use to remove burn rings from cylinders. That will remove blueing for sure.