New lunch pail gun BSR

[M_conrad_0311]

I pulled the trigger on the 4" BSR. Got it for $290. Brought her home and cleaned her up. What are the stocks that are supposed to be on it look like? How do I need to go about replacing the broken lanyard? Looks like it spent its life in a glove box or it may have spent some time in a lunch pail with all battering it shows. Now to find some 38 S&W ammo and send Mr Jinks a request for a letter.

 

[Hondo44]

Pretty nice catch for a decent price.

The stocks are the correct type. Remove the right side and check for a stamped serial that will match the gun #. If they match, they're the original stocks.

Remove the pin at the bottom of the grip frame to replace the lanyard swivel.

 

[M_conrad_0311]

Are the stocks supposed to have medallion checkered or non medallion checkered? Cylinder has not been converted for .38 special. Can I use an easy out for the remainder of the broken butt swivel and then install new, or is this a gunsmith job?

 

[Absalom]

Yep, that's definitely a crown-over-something acceptance mark, like I've seen on Canadian S&W's. The absence of other marks like South African or post-war British makes that plausible, even though it does not have the Canadian broad-arrow-in-a-C, but there are Canadian .455's without that, too.

The correct stocks would be pre-war small service stocks with medallion. See attached picture.

For an original lanyard swivel, check Gunbroker or ebay. I don't do the technical stuff, I'm sure someone can tell you about the installation, AFAIK it is pretty straightforward.

....
The stocks are the correct type. Remove the right side and check for a stamped serial that will match the gun #. If they match, they're the original stocks.
...l.

Jim:
The OP presented this gun in an earlier thread. The serial is 686841, much too early for the smooth walnut stocks.

 

[M_conrad_0311]

Hondo44 is the pin removed using punch strait out?

 

[M_conrad_0311]

I think I was looking on the wrong side for proof marks, found these on right side of frame.looks like I have a little rust to battle too.

 

[handejector]

Why do you call it a lunch pail gun?

Except for the grips, it looks like a righteous and very early BSR.
SO early that it has a true pre-war commercial finish.
People often say the early military guns before the various phosphate finishes were the pre-war commercial blue, but they were NOT.
The Factory very early on dropped at least the final high polish grit of the pre-war commercial finish. The finish on those guns look more like the finish on the WW I Mod 1917s.
Till wartime production, the finish on an M&P was the same as that on a Reg Mag.

 

[handejector]

The pin for the swivel is easy to punch straight out.
The stub might come out by tapping the butt with hard wood or a large screwdriver handle.
The swivel you need will be a mostly gray (case-hardened) color, not blue.

 

[codenamedave]

Hondo44 is the pin removed using punch strait out?

IANAH, but with the stocks off the pin should just fall out. If it's stuck in place with crud or what-have-you, a light push with a probe should do it.

Gun Parts Corp, formerly Numrich, has the parts, it's where I got mine.

 

[Hondo44]

Jim:
The OP presented this gun in an earlier thread. The serial is 686841, much too early for the smooth walnut stocks.

Thank you. The nicer finish should have tipped me off.

 

[M_conrad_0311]

Lee:
Only referred to it as a lunch pail gun to the amount of dings and scrapes that the gun sports, not that it wasn't a nice piece. I surely wouldn't have took her in if I didn't think she was good piece. Besides, it allowed me to use an old hand made lunch pail for a backdrop.

 

[handejector]

Dings and scrapes are normal for Brit/Commonwealth guns.
We're thinking they assigned people to the job of beating up guns.

 

[Hondo44]

Conrad,

It looks like the lanyard retaining pin has already been removed.

I don't recall ever seeing a swivel broken off like that. But no doubt it has wedged the remaining piece in the hole.

Smacking the butt may dislodge it with inertia as Lee posted. All little heat on the grip frame with a blow driver won't hurt the finish and along with the smacking may help break it loose.

But as you posted it may have to be drilled which will likely spin it in the hole which will loosen it and you maybe able to pull it out with the drill bit.

Worse case scenario, thread the hole and gently pull it out with the treading tap. Or if still stuck, remove the tap and thread a screw into the threaded hole and pull on the screw with pliers. Or clamp the screw in a vise and pull on the gun.

 

[Hondo44]

Lee:
Only referred to it as a lunch pail gun to the amount of dings and scrapes that the gun sports, not that it wasn't a nice piece. I surely wouldn't have took her in if I didn't think she was good piece. Besides, it allowed me to use an old hand made lunch pail for a backdrop.

These guns were treated like tools that one would just throw into the tool box when not using it like any other; a socket wrench or hammer, etc.

 

[M_conrad_0311]

Turns out, there was no pin, nor remnant of butt swivel, only years of crud. I think it might have turned into a diamond, had I left it in there another year or two. Thank you for the help. Hopefully I can obtain a new keeper pin when I order the butt swivel.

 

[reddog81]

FYI a lunch pail gun would typically refer to a gun that was put together with parts smuggled out of the factory one at a time in a lunch pail.

 

[DWalt]

SN looks like 686841, dating its probable shipment to be around March-May 1940. And at that time, the pre-war commercial Carbonia bright blued finish was still used. As were the silver medallion checkered wood grips. A letter will not likely tell you much information of value beyond the exact shipping date. It will probably show it was shipped to the British Purchasing Commission, New York City, and how many guns were in the same shipment. Due to existing U. S. neutrality laws at that time, the British had to pay for U. S.-manufactured weapons and war materiel in cash and were responsible for transporting it to England or wherever ("Cash and Carry"). Late in 1941, the Lend-Lease Act of 1941 took effect, which essentially allowed the U. S. to lease (really meaning "give") American war materiel to various allied nations. And did we ever.

"Hopefully I can obtain a new keeper pin when I order the butt swivel. "
It should be simple enough to find a piece of wire or a small nail, paper clip, etc., of the correct diameter which will work fine. You probably won't need to buy a pin if one is not included with the swivel. There were some minor differences in swivels depending upon when manufactured, but that's of no real concern.

 

[RWJ]

Here's one fairly close...

This is 685771, which coincidently, came from a shop in TN as well, about 1100 off yours; the grips should look like this:

 

[M_conrad_0311]

Gun Parts Corp, formerly Numrich, has the parts, it's where I got mine.[/QUOTE]
They had both swivel and pin for a mere $18. Thank you for the lead.

Sorry about misrepresenting lunch pail terminology, appreciate the insight.

Sounds like there is really no reason to letter this pistol, being it is pretty clear what it is and how it should be presented. Probably would not get that $75 back anyways.

 

[DWalt]

Sounds like there is really no reason to letter this pistol, being it is pretty clear what it is and how it should be presented. Probably would not get that $75 back anyways.

See Posting #4 of http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/515148-38-revolver-gift-help-identify.html
for typical earlier Pre-Victory BSR letter contents.