Recent content by buff51

Anybody have an 1896 extractor they want to sell?

Thank you very much! That is exactly the kind of information you can't find in a book.

I appreciate your comments. I would not have touched the finish on this gun if someone hadn't already started sanding on it, leaving it scratched. I purchased it for $300 a few years ago. I will ask again if anyone knows if the ejector star on the early 1903 was identical to that on the 1896?

Question about Extractor Looking at David Chicoine's book Antique Firearms Assembly/Disassembly, it looks like the extractor is the same as the early Model 1903 extractor. Does anyone know for certain? Numrich has a couple of them. Jack First has the little screw that goes at the top of the...

Cleaning an Old Revolver

I own a triple-lock target model as well as a 1952 Martin 0017. I play the guitar several times weekly, but only shoot the gun once or twice per year.

The more I think about this gun, the more I come to believe it is a "lunchbox special." I always assumed it must have been very difficult to smuggle parts out of the factory. But this gun has no serial number, and no sign that it ever had one, nor does it have the Smith & Wesson trademark logo...

There is no number on the cylinder. The assembly number on the crane does not match the number in the sideplate. There is no evidence that there was ever a serial number on the base of the grip, or that the grip has been modified in any way. A very strange gun. I'm glad I didn't pay too much for it.

Yes, my First Model has the SN on the butt. Can you tell me if the number inside the sideplate is the same as what is on the butt?

No, there's nothing in the hole.

I also need a screw for the top of the sideplate next to the hammer.

There is no number on the butt. Here is the gun with my first model.

No, it is definitely a square butt pistol. Look at the photos.

Yes. Funny thing--the serial number on the barrel is 13531, but the frame and sideplate both have 4779 on them. Clearly, it is a 3rd model because of the shape of the grip, but the numbers on the frame are much too early. I managed to fix the double action issue by cleaning the double action...

Yes, I'd be interested in that target barrel. As for the double action, I believe the double-action sear on the hammer is worn, because the trigger does not pick it up unless I hold the hammer back just a hair. It occurs to me that this could also be caused by the rebound slide not holding the...