Centennial airweight Aluminum Cylinder

LouisianaJoe · Jun 13, 2012

I am considering purchasing a Centennial Airweight 38 Special. It was made in 1954. The cylinder does not attract a magnet so I am assuming the it is one of 37 produced as mentioned in the SCSW. I borrowed it to take some photos and I will share them here to see If someone can give me an idea of the condition and value. All numbers match including one grip. the pin on the squeeze is missing as is the spring that holds the squeeze out.

Thanks in advance for any help that you can give me.

Texas Star · Jun 13, 2012

Joe-

IF the price is adjusted for the missing parts and IF later parts will fit and you can obtain them, it should be a good collector's item, and I assume that you are purchasing with this in mind. A good gunsmith may be able to make the parts.

BUT... I would NOT fire it, even with standard speed ammo.

ar15ed · Jun 18, 2012

it looks correct (and in nice condition!) in the pics. the missing pin is no big deal, and the spring should be relatively easy to find and reinstall. but the matter of its being one of the original al cylindered guns is the big question. a correct gun would bring big money, quickly. i guess the first question should be whether the serial number is on the rear face of the cylinder. if it is, i would be a lot more brave! but, i would still be more comfortable with a letter from mr jinks, verifying its pedigree.

my main concern, without the letter (or the serial number)(or the WRONG serial number!) is that an al cyl might have been swapped from a much more readily available chief airweight.

i guess it all depends on the asking price! let us know if you get it! and especially if the number matches! it looks very nice in the pics!

ar15ed · Jun 18, 2012

and, as texas star said, don't shoot that bad boy!

phubai8 · Jun 18, 2012

That thing is awesome. I would like to know more about it. Please let us know what you can.

JudgeColt · Jun 19, 2012

It should be easy to verify if the serial number on the cylinder matches the serial number on the butt. If it matches, check to see if it looks unaltered.

While the gun, IF original, is too valuable to shoot, these alloy cylinder J-frames are not time bombs waiting to explode with the next shoot. They are safe with standard pressure ammunition. The unknown is the fatigue life of the cylinder. Without knowing the history, it is wise to not shoot it.

However, out of the thousands of alloy-cylinder Chiefs Specials that have been shot thousands of times, is there any hard evidence of the number of failures, or is it all unverified "gun shop commando" legand?

Malysh · Jun 19, 2012

You can make a replacement grip safety lock out pin using a small brad. A paperclip is not strong enough, I know because I experimented with one. If I remember I'll break out my 1954 Centennial Airweight and measure the pin I made. Try to get a measurement of the length of pin you need and trim the brad to that length. I used an original blued pin from my 1961 Mod 40 which I sold a few months back as a model for the replacement pin.
Then round the two sharp ends of the pin. If you like you can then blue the pin like the originals and you're in business.

I agree with Judge Colt that it would be best not to shoot an Airweight with an original factory cylinder but that it probably wouldn't produce a catastrophic explosion. However, I don't need to see a survey of guns like this that got cracked cylinders. The fact that the Air Force ordered all of their Aircrewman destroyed and S&W replaced aluminum cylinders as policy due to cylinder cracking, is enough to convince me it's wise not to shoot these variations aside from the value as a collectable gun. I don't care if a dozen or a gross of them cracked after firing, or how long it took to make the cylinders crack.

roger bartlett · Jun 19, 2012

If the sn. on the frame and cylinder match, GRAB IT ! Great condition, great find--Congratulations , Regards, Bart

Centennial airweight Aluminum Cylinder

LouisianaJoe

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Texas Star

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ar15ed

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ar15ed

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phubai8

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JudgeColt

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Malysh

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roger bartlett

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