It really is a mutt

[Daniel Howe]

Near as I can tell its a 1905 4th change that did time in the British Indian Army. Cylinder and extractor star have one guide pin, should have two so it even has the wrong parts LOL. None of the serial numbers match so no collector value. I got it as a non shooter so I don't have lots of money tied up into it. Think I will fit it with a .38 Special cylinder and have it refinished. Then I'll have a nice shooting and good looking .38. Any recommendations on a good place to send it? Waiting for a factory letter to tell me if it should be blued or parkerized. that way I'll have a good shooter with the correct finish. Looks like black spray paint on it now.

 

[alwslate]

If you want a nice shooting and good looking .38 buy one. Don't pour
money into this thing.

 

[merl67]

Alwslate is correct the money it would cost to refinish would out strip the value of the end product. For around $350-400 you should be able to find a nice looking S&W 38spl

 

[austintexas]

The black spray paint was called stoving by the British, I have one that the paint is so thick that you can barely see thr S&W logo and writing on the barrel.
SWCA 892

 

[mtgianni]

If you just want a shooter and can live with the finish fitting a 38 cylinder may get you some value. If you need it refinished, use it for a wall hanger and buy a shooter.

 

[gordonrick]

What is non-shootable about it now? Assuming the cylinder is .38 S&W as well and the timing is OK...

Maybe I'm missing something. One of my favorite "shooters" is ugly as sin and had suffered some past indignities after the war. Buy some .38 S&W and have fun with it. Not questioning your judgement, but if you were looking for investment value, I'm not sure why you bought it in the first place.

If the cylinder is in good shape and hasn't been reamed out to .38 special like so many have, you could probably work out a trade with someone on this forum who is looking for an unmolested .38 S&W cylinder. Keep in mind the barrel will be a touch larger than .38 Special as well so accuracy (in theory) would suffer. I doubt it would matter for most of us though. Maybe swap gun for gun?

 

[Daniel Howe]

What is non-shootable about it now? Assuming the cylinder is .38 S&W as well and the timing is OK...

Maybe I'm missing something. One of my favorite "shooters" is ugly as sin and had suffered some past indignities after the war. Buy some .38 S&W and have fun with it. Not questioning your judgement, but if you were looking for investment value, I'm not sure why you bought it in the first place.

If the cylinder is in good shape and hasn't been reamed out to .38 special like so many have, you could probably work out a trade with someone on this forum who is looking for an unmolested .38 S&W cylinder. Keep in mind the barrel will be a touch larger than .38 Special as well so accuracy (in theory) would suffer. I doubt it would matter for most of us though. Maybe swap gun for gun?

I had to replace a broken main spring and hammer block and stone the hammer and trigger sides to remove some burrs. Functions fine now. Is still chambered for .38/200 I don't currently reload any .38 just the .38 Special +P. I could get a cylinder cheaper than new brass to reload. Willing to trade if somebody wants an untouched 1 pin cylinder. Wanted to get it refinished simply because its ugly. Not looking to make money on it, just give it some respect and have fun with it.

 

[merl67]

When you say serial numbers do not match are you saying the number on the grip butt doesn't match cylinder, barrel grips ect. The numbers on the yoke and area bhind it on the frame are assembly numbers they wont match the serial number on the butt. You may already know this though.

 

[Schram]

I don't think it looks too bad as it is. A set of dies and 100 pieces of brass is going to be cheaper than a new cylinder.

If you just want a project...go for it. I've done plenty of such projects (mainly Krags) where there was no financial feasibility to it, but I enjoy the process.

 

[Waveski]

Looks like that old Smith has already been abused by a buffer - just look at the side plate seam and the faded S&W emblem. There really isn't much left to refinish.

Shoot your mutt as is ; take the money you are considering pouring into it and buy another gun.

 

[Bob L]

I have one very similar in the looks department and you just need to see that it has a lot of experience and take it out and enjoy it.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

I have a .38 Special Navy-marked Victory that was about the same as yours, finish wise. I wanted to restore it to the approximate finish condition it should have shipped with. So, I got a Parkerizing kit from MidwayUSA, bead blasted and Parked it for around $100. You can actually do it for a lot less if you use the manganese phosphate out of alkaline batteries (see Youtube). I think I did ok.


Before

After

 

[Art Doc]

If you enjoy working on projects then have at it. If the objective is to have a dent revolver to shoot then my advice is always the same. Buy what you want. Cheaper, easier, faster and more satisfying.

 

[gordonrick]

Nice park job, Guy! I've got an old dog that would be a prime candidate for that or maybe a rust blue process.