Bargain or Bust?

[glowe]

An update to the story and the problem with the bent quill is not solved with some help on the gunsmithing side of this forum. By taking my drill bits one by one, I was able to find one that fit snugly into the bore of the barrel and another that fit well into the hollow quill. I was then able to compress them in the vise until I bent the quill upward. Kept it up until the quill was moved about a 1/16".

I am happy to say that the cylinder now closes fully in the frame with equal space between the top strap, bottom frame and cylinder. The cylinder is now free spinning and the center pin drops into the thumb release hole in the recoil shield. When I get the ejector rod from merl67, I should have an almost new short barreled 38 Perfected. i will post more images as soon as I complete all repairs.

 

[Hondo44]

Gary,

Bravo, glad to hear that. Good job!

Now we know the answer; it's a bargain!

 

[BC38]

NICE! Its especially cool to see that one saved since it is in such beautiful shape. Interesting that you had the exact previous experience to help you figure out what was wrong and how to fix it.
Kinda making lemonade out of some (previous) lemons. BRAVO!

 

[one eye joe]

I have gone over all these scenarios in my mind, but bottom line is whatever is or is not wrong with the gun, it will be ready for the gun range shortly after it arrives. So far about all I know is that it shipped in June 1911. I just do not run across 3 1/4" 38 Perfected revolvers, so am anxious to get my hands on it.

WTG, glowe. I'M PLEASED TO READ THAT ITS YOUR INTENT TO SHOOT THIS PIECE OF HISTORY. I WOULD BE EAGER TO DO THE VERY SAME THING, AT LEAST ONCE......

IMHO, YOU DEFINITELY GOT YOUR MONEY'S WORTH, IN THIS DEAL.....

 

[mmaher94087]

Wow, Gary, you beat the odds. Anyone else would have a broken quill. Great job!

 

[glowe]

Wow, Gary, you beat the odds. Anyone else would have a broken quill. Great job!

The reason why I chose drill bits for the project was that they are very brittle and will snap if lateral pressure is applied. My best guess was that if too much pressure was applied, the smaller bit would break and not the softer steel quill. Good news is that neither broke and with the ease of movement, I assume the quill is rather soft metal and easily bent without heat, which was another thing I did not want to resort to.

To me, the ability to move the quill lends credence to at least a couple possibilities as to why it got bent in the first place. Thinking also that the gun may have suffered its malady very early in life and tossed in a drawer not to be seen again.

 

[Hondo44]

Gary,

There's just no replacement for good ole' Yankee Ingenuity!

Great work!

 

[handejector]

Good for you!

I did not read this till now.
Another suggestion for next time-
I made jaws for my vise from a 1" oak board. They are covered in shoe sole leather.
I would have tried simply squeezing them back together in the vise. I would have been afraid the bit would mar the rifling. Barrels are not hard at all.

 

[glowe]

Thanks Lee. This was a problem that I did not want to jump right in like usual, but took the time to come up with options before I went to work. I polished the base of the bit and cannot see any damage. Since I had to raise the quill, couldn't figure out a way to engage the quill in a vise. To me, it looked like the top latch could have bent by using it to lift the quill, plus it extends beyond the quill. For those not familiar with the top latch of these top-break guns, see below.

I received the ejector rod from merl67 and installed it to find the revolver works exactly as it should, so a little Ren Wax and some sunlight, I will post some after images.

 

[glowe]

Sunny today, so I can show the repaired and polished 38 Perfected, so I took the revolver outside. Also, I thought for those who are interested in original factory finish details for this model, this one is a great example to show what is blued and what is left in-the-white.

One interesting note is that the bore and chambers are deep blued. There was apparently some final fitting that was done after bluing, since the extractor star and frame "ears" top and back are in-the-white.

Thanks everyone for your interest, thoughts, and help. I am happy to save this one from the parts bin as the auction company thought was going to be its fate.

 

[Kurusu]

You have found a true "time capsule" congratulations!

And thank you for sharing.

 

[Mitch_D]

Gary:
Thank you for the thoughtful & informative write-up.
And, congrats on the successful rescue.

I really enjoy the short barrelled Perfecteds...

 

[perryhd]

That is beautiful great job.

 

[Joe Canuck]

What a great place this is.