RM Grip Restoration Quandry (Gun pic added post 9)

[Muley Gil]

To answere a few questions: This gun is Reg. # 4687, Shipped May 9, 1939. It is one of about 150 RMs shipped with a 5.5" barrel. I have wondered if Det. Milczarek arried a 1917 before and that is why he selected this relatively rare barrel length.

Henry took leave of the department to go to war, then returned to the department. He was a championship swimmer and held the record of 28 nonstop swimming in the gulf. There is scant newsprint on him as the Galvestong paper (and a lot else) was destroyed by hurricanes. The GPD ws gracious enough to search their salvaged files to find Henry's photo for me.

Henry died at a relatively young age of throat cancer. I have wondered if he was gassed during the war.

I have no ide how the grips campe to be cracked. I can see no evidence that Henry cracked a lot of skulls with his sidearm.

Yes, in the 30's and 40's Galveston was a pretty rough place. My grandrather was a visiting judge there off and on during those years. Lot of drunken sailors, gambling, prostitution and the like.

Poisonous gas wasn't used during WW II.

 

[arjay]

To answere a few questions: This gun is Reg. # 4687, Shipped May 9, 1939. It is one of about 150 RMs shipped with a 5.5" barrel. I have wondered if Det. Milczarek arried a 1917 before and that is why he selected this relatively rare barrel length.

Henry took leave of the department to go to war, then returned to the department. He was a championship swimmer and held the record of 28 nonstop swimming in the gulf. There is scant newsprint on him as the Galvestong paper (and a lot else) was destroyed by hurricanes. The GPD ws gracious enough to search their salvaged files to find Henry's photo for me.

Henry died at a relatively young age of throat cancer. I have wondered if he was gassed during the war.

I have no ide how the grips campe to be cracked. I can see no evidence that Henry cracked a lot of skulls with his sidearm.

Yes, in the 30's and 40's Galveston was a pretty rough place. My grandrather was a visiting judge there off and on during those years. Lot of drunken sailors, gambling, prostitution and the like.

A set of ivories would look nice for a bbq ;-) Interesting comment about the owners death. My grandfather fought in the Great War and died at 47 from throat cancer

 

[CH4]

Other than cleaning it, if you're gonna designate it as a safe queen, I'd leave it as is.

 

[ameridaddy]

Curt does indeed work magic, but somehow I find the warm, dark patina of that oxidized wood appealing - decades of honest use, not abuse. If it were mine, I would not touch them, especially with acetone which will strip the patina right out of the wood. The crack appears to run to the medallion hole. That round hole through the wood at the end of the crack should stop it from going any farther. Maybe buy some pretty magnas or targets if you want to shoot the gun, but I'd leave the originals untouched other than a gentle cleaning and waxing.

 

[S42N8]

Poisonous gas wasn't used during WW II.[

Thread hijack, but…

In the ETO, perhaps, though the Nazi use of gas agents on civilians (CO in the mobile gas vehicles and the infamous Zyklon B in the concentration camps is a relevant distinction.)

The Japanese used poison gas repeatedly, notably at Hengyang, which was the principle airfield used by Chennault's Chinese-American Composite Wing. (The CACW evaced Hengyang on 17 June 44 after the Japanese bombed the airfield, returning on the 22nd to bomb the airfield and deny it to the Japanese.). Hengyang saw mustard and Lewisite use. The 47-day Battle of Hengyang pretty much leveled the city, but a Pyrrhic victory for the Japanese, who lost between 19000-60000 troops vs 15000 for the Chinese. Not surprisingly, the Chinese estimate of 48K-60K is a wee bit higher than the Imperial Japanese estimate of 19K.

Japanese use of Poison Gas in World War II - Pacific Atrocities Education.

Battle of Hengyang - Wikipedia

 

[rct269]

For openers, I don't see an 85-90% gun----I see better. Maybe it's the pictures.

Bottom Line: If (IF!!) the grips match the gun, leave them alone. Beyond that, remember the old saying about making a silk purse from a Sow's ear----can't be done!

Ralph Tremaine

 

[M_conrad_0311]

Fantastic RM and history! I am in the camp of leave it as is for this one too. What a great piece of TX history.

 

[Oldbird13]

If, and a big if, I was going to glue the stock, I would use hide glue. Now own my Dad's carry gun and can't imagine altering it. The OP's gun looks great as it is. I would leave it be. Congrats on a superb acquisition.

 

[John Adams]

WWll and Poison Gas

As to the issue of poison gas being used in WorldWar II, in December 1943 the Germans sank 17 Allied ships in the Italian port of Bari. There were over a thousand American and British casualties. The John Harvey, a US Liberty cargo ship was carrying 2000 mustard gas bombs to be used in retaliation if the Germans used gas first. The air strike released liquid mustard gas into the harbor water and sulfur mustard gas into the air. Churchill and Eisenhower covered up the incident.Ironically, the lessons learned from treating the wounded led to the use nitrogen mustard to shrink cancer tumors. This was the begining of Chemo therapy.
Okay, now lets get back to talking revolvers.

 

[glowe]

. . . Bottom Line: If (IF!!) the grips match the gun, leave them alone . . .

I have no idea why poison gas comes up in this thread, but If those stocks do not match the gun, restore them. I do not mean serial number match, I mean matching the quality of the gun. That revolver looks like it has replaced stocks even though they likely number correctly. The reason is that typical stocks on a gun that is as nice as yours do not have dirty cracked worn stocks. It is not a family heirloom, it was purchased by the OP and some day it will be sold. In their current condition, I believe it would lower value as they do not come close to matching the condition of the RM.

 

[JH1951]

I have no idea why poison gas comes up in this thread, but If those stocks do not match the gun, restore them.

I agree with the "if" they match thought.
As for 'thread drift', Remember the old Thread Drift thread? We had penguins there too......

 

[M_conrad_0311]

I love mustard on my penguins. It helps to make it through large drifts.

 

[quinn]

The poison gas sidebar started when I posted that the owner, Det. Henry Milzcaerak, passed at a reletively early age from throat cancer, and I wondered if he had been gassed during his WWII service.

Like many of us posting photos here, I try to make my kids look thei best. This RM shows a bit more wear in hand than it does in photos.

Thanks for all the interesting comments.

 

[handejector]

This RM shows a bit more wear in hand than it does in photos.

Angles and lighting can do a lot to change how a gun looks. Looking close, I can see a lot about what you mean.
FWIW-
I would give the grips a light rub with my magic potion of 50/50 boiled linseed and mineral spirits. Put on a light coat and scrub gently with a soft toothbrush, dry thoroughly with paper towels. You can use a paper towel pushed by the brush to dry the grip. Keep moving to fresh paper as it shreds and finish by brushing off the paper lint after wiping the brush good and dry. Use somebody else's brush cause it tastes awful. I would probably leave the crack alone.