Looking to identify approximately how old this poor thing is. Been through the ringer. Appears to be either 38lc or 38spec.
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Old hand ejector ID
- Thread starter jbillyw
- Start date
Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! Looks like a .38 Military & Police, Model 1902 from around 1903. The grips are post WWII. Other than that, I'll let the experts offer their wisdom.
I like it! Is not the caliber marked on the barrel?
At that time, the cartridge stamp on the barrel read:
38 S&W Special CTG & U.S. Service CTG
to indicate the revolver could shoot either the then-new .38 Special or the military approved .38 Long Colt.
Well, it will shoot either of those cartridges with equal ease.
Welcome to the Forum. What needs repair? As for the gun, disassembly and cleaning each and every part may be all that is needed to put it back into service. It is not worth spending much money, since you can purchase better condition shooters for under $300 today.
The main issue could be excessive wear so you will have to be very careful in checking the operation of the revolver. Excessive movement in the cylinder when locked into the frame, not indexing perfectly with every trigger pull, failure of or sporadic primer ignition are all potential problems to explore. Check to make sure there is no hammer push-off issues, meaning the hammer should lock solidly in full cock position when used in single action mode. Last that I can think of is to make sure that cylinder assembly locks fully when closed, so one cannot push it open without the use of the thumb release.
One more issue to check for is to see if there are any cracks in the cylinder or the frame collar surrounding the barrel due to heavy loads that could have been used in the past.
The main issue could be excessive wear so you will have to be very careful in checking the operation of the revolver. Excessive movement in the cylinder when locked into the frame, not indexing perfectly with every trigger pull, failure of or sporadic primer ignition are all potential problems to explore. Check to make sure there is no hammer push-off issues, meaning the hammer should lock solidly in full cock position when used in single action mode. Last that I can think of is to make sure that cylinder assembly locks fully when closed, so one cannot push it open without the use of the thumb release.
One more issue to check for is to see if there are any cracks in the cylinder or the frame collar surrounding the barrel due to heavy loads that could have been used in the past.
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jbillyw, the action on your Model 1902 was rendered obsolete in 1905. It has a broken tang on the hammer which, IIRC, is pretty unique to that model. It can be repaired with micro-welding, but who knows what other problems the action has. The finish will require a lot of work to clean it up enough for a refinish. If you do all that, it will not increase the value of the gun, but it will be expensive.
That being said, if you want to clean up the gun and repair the action so it will be safe to shoot, that would be appropriate, IMO. Most gunsmiths won't work on it but there are experts here that can assist you in making it work again. Again, that won't increase the value but would make it functional as a shooter.
That being said, if you want to clean up the gun and repair the action so it will be safe to shoot, that would be appropriate, IMO. Most gunsmiths won't work on it but there are experts here that can assist you in making it work again. Again, that won't increase the value but would make it functional as a shooter.
