NO! Not something I's recommend. You will NEVER get all the lube and old crud out and it will eventually collect dust, debris, crud and cause more harm than good. Definitely not the way to go!
Either bring it to a competent GS or at least someone who is an expert at taking a S&W down and reassembling it. It is not a difficult task and does not take long as long as one has the knowledge and a few proper tools. Clean and lube it properly - you will thank me in the long run! No need to bung up a nice new (to you) gun. The whole process should not take more than 45-50 minutes and as long as there are no other issues should not cost that much.
Absolutely!
The previously described simple methods will only get 95% of last 65 years of accumulated crud out of the action, So 60 years from now it will be right back where it is now, all crudded up. Maybe even as soon as 50 years from now, and it will probably be even worse.
No, you absolutely MUST buy a set of specialized gunsmith screwderivers and tools, and then teach yourself how to disassemble and reassemble a revolver. OR you can pay someone else another $100 to do it for you.
That is ABSOLUTELY the only RIGHT way!
Nah - there's always more than one way to skin a cat...
FWIW, I have tried it both ways. Full disassembly and "the big soak".
I've had to pull the sideplate on a gun that I "soaked" when there were other issues inside that couldn't be resolved by cleaning alone. When I pulled the sideplate after a 2-week soaking followed by a good compressed air-blast there wasn't much of anything left to clean out of the lockworks. A couple of weeks in the ATF/acetone solution did a pretty nice job of getting rid of the old oil and accumulated crud.
If you have the tools and the skills, the disassembly method is the more thorough approach and your revolver will almost certainly end up with more squeaky-clean internals.
BUT for those who aren't so mechanically inclined and don't already have the tools, the 50/50 ATF/Acetone bath method is a viable alternative.
The 50/50 ATF/acetone soak is also a good way to deal with light surface rust - a.k.a. rust "frecKling" - that the OP's revolver seems to exhibit. After a good soak, a bronze wool rubdown will minimize the finish issues that I am seeing in the OP's photos.
But that is just my experience, and that's all I was trying to say.
JMO and as always, YMMV...
