The .38 HE Model of 1902 that I posted in a separate thread was pretty gummed up inside. I knew from the feel of the action that it needed a major cleaning, so after I picked it up today I tore it apart.
When I got the sideplate off, I saw lots of congealed oil with embedded fibers and dust, but not a lot of carbon residue. That is consistent with the other evidence that this gun was not fired very much.
In this photo, note the old style leaf spring that powers the trigger return. The rebound slide mechanism didn't come in until the Model of 1905.
When I got the parts out and cleaned up the frame, I was amazed to see how much smoother an interior the company produced a century ago. In the 1930s and 1940s (and afterward), frame interiors were left rougher where there was no chance of coming in conflict with a moving part.
And after I got all the assemblies cleaned and reinstalled, the whole gun looked a lot better.
Sideplates were sure different back then. Holes for some of the pins and studs are in different positions, and there is no slot for a hammer block.
With a few interruptions, the clean-up was about a three hour job. There was a lot of toothbrush and toothpick work involved.
When I got the sideplate off, I saw lots of congealed oil with embedded fibers and dust, but not a lot of carbon residue. That is consistent with the other evidence that this gun was not fired very much.


In this photo, note the old style leaf spring that powers the trigger return. The rebound slide mechanism didn't come in until the Model of 1905.

When I got the parts out and cleaned up the frame, I was amazed to see how much smoother an interior the company produced a century ago. In the 1930s and 1940s (and afterward), frame interiors were left rougher where there was no chance of coming in conflict with a moving part.

And after I got all the assemblies cleaned and reinstalled, the whole gun looked a lot better.

Sideplates were sure different back then. Holes for some of the pins and studs are in different positions, and there is no slot for a hammer block.

With a few interruptions, the clean-up was about a three hour job. There was a lot of toothbrush and toothpick work involved.