I got one of the revolvers I never wanted to receive. (Pic added)

As another who lost his father due to cancer, allow me to pass along my sincere condolences as well. My father had a variety of firearms that I have, and they go to the range from time to time, and the memories that kicks off is great. That said, I also have a "church key" that he gave me towards the end, and for some reason, it means as much, if not more. I use it to crack open a cold beer "with him" from time to time.

Keep your memories and share those stories with your family. He stays alive through those tellings.
 
Thanks everyone. Your support really does help. Good people here.

Back to the revolver. I was testing trigger pull and hammer tension this evening. I was getting about a 2.5 lb single action and a touch over 7 lbs double. Smooth as silk, but my hammer pressure was only about 2.5 pounds. I suspected that the mainspring was not giving enough force to reliably set off primers. The whole Power Rib/tension screw issue. I had a bag of 30-06 I was decapping to wet tumble so I grabbed a spent primer. After removing the anvil and cleaning it up I popped it between the tension screw and the mainspring. DA is now 9.8lbs and hammer "pull" is now a little over 5lbs. Smith says a hammer of a 357 needs to be able to lift a 3l5lb weight without moving. I think I'm there. SA is now 2.8lbs.

I'm planning on taking it to the range this weekend as we are having some beautiful "early fall" weather. Fall was dad's favorite time of the year. Mine too. A relative has a "soup over the fire" cookout coming up that dad always loved to go to. It'll be a little different this year.
 
December 12th of 1992 my father bought a new Smith 686-3 6 inch. The revolver was on dad's hip quite a bit around the property.

Unfortunately my father passed on Tuesday evening. Cancer is an insidious disease. Watching someone I care about slowly die is one of the most difficult things I've ever had to deal with.

My mother gave me dad's revolver last evening. Still had the box, paperwork, and the receipt. Dad had kept it pretty clean but I don't think he'd done anything to it since the last time he'd fired it. I gave it a good once over last evening with a cloth and bore snake. I noticed the cylinder was dragging when I had it open. Honestly with all the lead rounds we ran through it in my "punk teenager" days, I'm not surprised.

Being that I couldn't sleep well this morning, I decided to brake it down and give it a proper cleaning. I'm pretty sure the side plate hadn't been off since the factory. I removed the crane and cylinder. I removed a decent amount of grime and oiled everything up nicely. The cylinder spins smoothly now, like it should. I remembered that I had a Wolff spring kit in the parts stash. It's now equipped with a "Power Rib" reduced power mainspring and a 14lb rebound. Everything looked really good on the inside. Surprisingly lacking in grime, and the side plate was very tight. All back together now. I'll probably Murphys and lemon oil the factory Targets this weekend. I've got to go to the funeral home later this morning.

I'll take and add some pictures this evening when there's better light and I've got more time.

ETA - quick pic added.
Sorry for your loss, my Dad was my best friend, and we were always close - he didn't have many guns but he always encouraged my shooting and he was a fine shot with rifle and pistol.

I have his 1911a1 which I will cherish 'til the day I die, also his M1 Garand which we qualified for and bought from the DCM (not the CMP).

Riposte
 
I'm sorry about your father. Cancer is a cruel, vile enemy. It takes too many away from us.

A gun that he held, carried and used is a treasure. One Christmas I gave Dad a Model 70 Featherweight. He used it and I never thought about the day he wouldn't. On our last trip to the gun range, he shot it a bit and asked me to take it home and clean it. When I said I'd get it back to him shortly, he just said hang on to it for a while. It was his way of giving it back to me knowing he'd not need it again. I have some of Dad's and Mom's guns, and Grandpa's. They will never leave my custody while I'm here.

Your treasure will remind you of your Dad in ways you probably haven't yet experienced.
As I always say keep all of your guns in your families if possible. I have 6 grandsons aged from 18 to 17 months old. I'm 76 now and will never see the youngest grow up but I'll leave 8 revolvers 2 semiautos and at least 10 semiauto rifles and 1 shotgun. How they divide them will be a mess but at least they stay in their families. We had two daughters and only one granddaughter so they get my wife's jewelry. Also have about 300 knives to divide among them. My condolences for everyone's losses of loved ones. Thanks S&W forum.
 
This year, the 22nd November I will turn 75. On the 16th of November 2024 Pop passed from complications of double pneumonia at 103.5 years age (born 5/8/1921). This will be my first year without him. He flew through 88MM anti-aircraft fire over Berlin Germany on the first daylight air raid there in March of 1944. He lost his father before he turned 24. My moms father only lived to 55 and died when I was 7. Pop never had much use for guns, having been the target of 500 88s over Berlin and other missions where the concentration was lower. He and his copilot were the two of the original group of 16 pilots and copilots to come home after 30 missions. Last one was D-Day 6/6/44.

The bestest Pop that ever lived.

I am sure you feel the same way about your Pop as I did about mine.
His suffering is over, so is my Pop's, hope they are toasting their lives well lived in a better place that none of us is capable of understanding.

God I wish I could get his 45, but he threw it overboard in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on the troop ship coming home. Treasure his gift to you and enjoy knowing his hands touched that beautiful gun.
 
I remember 12 years ago getting back the M65 that I gave Dad in the '90s. Not what I wanted for sure. Aug 28th was Mom's B-day and the first anniversary of her passing. It was a rough day. Very sorry for your los

December 12th of 1992 my father bought a new Smith 686-3 6 inch. The revolver was on dad's hip quite a bit around the property.

Unfortunately my father passed on Tuesday evening. Cancer is an insidious disease. Watching someone I care about slowly die is one of the most difficult things I've ever had to deal with.

My mother gave me dad's revolver last evening. Still had the box, paperwork, and the receipt. Dad had kept it pretty clean but I don't think he'd done anything to it since the last time he'd fired it. I gave it a good once over last evening with a cloth and bore snake. I noticed the cylinder was dragging when I had it open. Honestly with all the lead rounds we ran through it in my "punk teenager" days, I'm not surprised.

Being that I couldn't sleep well this morning, I decided to brake it down and give it a proper cleaning. I'm pretty sure the side plate hadn't been off since the factory. I removed the crane and cylinder. I removed a decent amount of grime and oiled everything up nicely. The cylinder spins smoothly now, like it should. I remembered that I had a Wolff spring kit in the parts stash. It's now equipped with a "Power Rib" reduced power mainspring and a 14lb rebound. Everything looked really good on the inside. Surprisingly lacking in grime, and the side plate was very tight. All back together now. I'll probably Murphys and lemon oil the factory Targets this weekend. I've got to go to the funeral home later this morning.

I'll take and add some pictures this evening when there's better light and I've got more time.

ETA - quick pic added.

PQcfQnU.jpeg

That's a beauty, I'm very sorry for your losses I think I know how you feel!
 
December 12th of 1992 my father bought a new Smith 686-3 6 inch. The revolver was on dad's hip quite a bit around the property.

Unfortunately my father passed on Tuesday evening. Cancer is an insidious disease. Watching someone I care about slowly die is one of the most difficult things I've ever had to deal with.


My sincere condolences for your loss.

I lost my dad in 2010 & I think about him every day. :cry:
 
Sincere condolences! Deep loss is the price we pay for strong bonds. We'd have it no other way. My folks are long gone. My first Brother was my hardest. He was like a Father figure, Brother and Best friend rolled in one. Was a year before I could think of about him with more good memory than pain. It was a good discovery to find I could laugh again and appreciate the memories without being stabbed in the heart.
 
Many of our parents lived through the great depression. When I was young that's all they talked about. My father's family was very well off Pampa owned a string of apartment houses in Tampa, their car was a Pierce Arrow limo. The stock market crash ruined them. I have photos of them coming out west in their Limo, wearing very expensive clothes and hats but without a "Pot to Pixx in or a window to throw it out of" as they used to say. I doubt if America could survive another situation like that. I lost my Dad at 67, I'm now almost 81.
 
December 12th of 1992 my father bought a new Smith 686-3 6 inch. The revolver was on dad's hip quite a bit around the property.

Unfortunately my father passed on Tuesday evening. Cancer is an insidious disease. Watching someone I care about slowly die is one of the most difficult things I've ever had to deal with.

My mother gave me dad's revolver last evening. Still had the box, paperwork, and the receipt. Dad had kept it pretty clean but I don't think he'd done anything to it since the last time he'd fired it. I gave it a good once over last evening with a cloth and bore snake. I noticed the cylinder was dragging when I had it open. Honestly with all the lead rounds we ran through it in my "punk teenager" days, I'm not surprised.

Being that I couldn't sleep well this morning, I decided to brake it down and give it a proper cleaning. I'm pretty sure the side plate hadn't been off since the factory. I removed the crane and cylinder. I removed a decent amount of grime and oiled everything up nicely. The cylinder spins smoothly now, like it should. I remembered that I had a Wolff spring kit in the parts stash. It's now equipped with a "Power Rib" reduced power mainspring and a 14lb rebound. Everything looked really good on the inside. Surprisingly lacking in grime, and the side plate was very tight. All back together now. I'll probably Murphys and lemon oil the factory Targets this weekend. I've got to go to the funeral home later this morning.

I'll take and add some pictures this evening when there's better light and I've got more time.

ETA - quick pic added.

PQcfQnU.jpeg
I'm truly sorry for your loss. I'm not looking forward to when my father inevitably passes. Cancer is a cruel, awful disease, full stop. Items pale in comparison to the person but I hope your (Dad's) 686 brings you some smiles over the years.
 
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