rog8732
US Veteran
Maybe a spray can of Summer's Eve?
Say what ?
Stinky Gun?
- Thread starter SuperGoat
- Start date
Say what ?
rog8732
US Veteran
I am puzzled that someone with "goat" in their forum handle would be bothered by something that smells.
And anyway; to get the REAL gunsmiths involved solving an S&W problem you'll have to show a picture of the stink.
And anyway; to get the REAL gunsmiths involved solving an S&W problem you'll have to show a picture of the stink.
I would rather it smell of goat than the inside of a coffin. A little hard to aim and wince at the same time.
Jack Flash
Member
It's been about a day now, have you separated the stocks from the revolver to isolate the problem? Have you attempted any of the suggested cleaning procedures? We want a progress report! 
The idea about putting the stocks into cheap ground coffee sounds promising. Maybe the same could be done for the case. Or baking soda? I sure wouldn't throw it away without first at least trying to clean it / de-stink it. There are all sorts of spray-type products to take dog smells out of furniture ...
The idea about putting the stocks into cheap ground coffee sounds promising. Maybe the same could be done for the case. Or baking soda? I sure wouldn't throw it away without first at least trying to clean it / de-stink it. There are all sorts of spray-type products to take dog smells out of furniture ...
Bad Ju-Ju.....................
I've owned several guns over the years that I either knew, or suspected, were suicide guns. They all shot just fine.
petemacmahon
Member
This is one of the most bazaar threads!! I suspect your revolver was recovered from a rotting owner! Open it and flush with oil like everyone else is saying. Separate it from the grips. See which one stinks in a few weeks. Do report your findings.
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Ray1970
Member
Thanks. I have two suicide guns. The first one had some family significance and it bothered me to own it at first. In fact, it stayed locked away for probably twenty years and I didn't look at it or touch it. Getting older made me realize that gun really was just an object in the event and that the action of the individual really can't be blamed on the implement that individual chose to use. Years later I had no problem taking possession of another fine firearm when nobody in that individuals family wanted anything to do with it.
I guess it's good I'm not superstitious.
Although, in a weird coincidence, both guns happen to be nearly identical Ruger Security Sixes. Maybe that model is bad ju-ju.
Walkingwolf
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Be careful with that screw, strip the head off, and it is for sure off to the gunsmith.
UncleEd
Member
If as some suspect blood or other matter is inside, usually that causes rust from body salts. Does the gun cycle OK. With a lot
of rust I would think not.
of rust I would think not.
Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
How are you "trying the baking soda"? Remember that sodium bicarbonate is moderately effective by reacting with (to avoid using too technical terms ) "odor particles" in the air and in a way neutralizing them and thereby the odor. It does NOTHING to the source of the odor, so whatever died inside your gun or attached to the grips and is decomposing there is still doing so. That's why people put baking soda in the fridge; it neutralizes floating odors, but the food still smells like food when you take it out.
Walkingwolf
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Bleach will kill the odors, but cannot be used on metal/blue. We used 1/10 bleach to clean bone cans on the slaughter floor.
If you have Kuhnhausen's "The S&W Revolvers, A Shop Manual", in the section on disassembly, page 38, it describes how to use a drill press to maintain pressure on the screw to prevent the blade from jumping out of the slot.
Things that smell dead should be buried
Walkingwolf
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Not only has he have to worry about that, he also has to worry about sheering off the screw head. I would take it to a gunsmith. A gunsmith can apply the right amount of heat without losing the temper to remove the screw safely.
Abbynormal
Member
In racing, we call a car in which a driver died a Hoodoo wagon. Yous gots a Hoodoo gun!
Jack Flash
Member
So now that it's separated from the stocks, does the revolver still stink? If not, there's no hurry on any further disassembly.
jsfricks
Member
Agreed, why risk buggering up the screws. Get you a can of Brake Cleaner, it should come with a straw, and spray thoroughly through the grip frame. This will clean it well. Then drop some oil in same location. Clean grips separately. If this doesn't work, do the next step and remove side plate. Let's get this done, we're coming up on a second page now!
Agreed, why risk buggering up the screws. Get you a can of Brake Cleaner, it should come with a straw, and spray thoroughly through the grip frame. This will clean it well. Then drop some oil in same location. Clean grips separately. If this doesn't work, do the next step and remove side plate. Let's get this done, we're coming up on a second page now!
I did do that to the grips, not with brake cleaner though, I used Ballistol. I still think it is coming from the gun though. I am going to try the side plate again today when I get back from the store.
jsfricks
Member
Brake cleaner will deep clean without having to open the sideplate. Ballistol won't like brake cleaner, you would need to use a small brush. I would spend the $4 and try the brake cleaner first. But that's me.
Jack Flash
Member
It wasn't exactly clear, but it sounds like the smell followed the revolver. So do the stocks and the case still stink? We need a full and complete odor update!
The case still smells but is alot less, and with the fact I had bought the case new right after the gun I think rules it out. The grips smelled less when removed and didn't look like they had anything on them but are a very dark tone so I bet they were on the gun when it got it's stink. I still think it is mostly coming from the gun itself. I will know more when my gunsmith opens it.
LC '92
Member
I'm with lamarw on this. Birchwood Casey cold blue smells terrible and the smell remains forever. It finishes the metal in a mottled chemical blue color and has a nasty sulfery, dead smell . A clue that this might be the case is the fact that you said it was worn. If it's Birchwood Casey, the smell will never go away.
rog8732
US Veteran
While it may at first seem a strange question; I wonder if the smell is apparent to others, or just you ?
Not trying to question your sense of smell, nor your veracity; but my elder father-in-law lost all sense of smell, as well as the ability to taste any but the strongest foods for awhile.
Stayed in that same condition for quite a while and when the sense of smell returned it was bizarre for a month or so. He noted instead of a neutral / blank smell it was the smell of spinning tires, faint, but definite.....Finally cleared on it's own, but his sense of taste remained poor.
Not nearly as interesting as your adventures with a S&W, and certainly I, like all the rest of us subscribing to this thread, want there to be something tangible inside that gun.
Earlier I seem to recall there was mention that metal could retain no smell. You only have to smell of a zinc bucket,a brass plumbing fixture, a handful of pennies, or a piece of pure copper to belie that opinion.
Not trying to question your sense of smell, nor your veracity; but my elder father-in-law lost all sense of smell, as well as the ability to taste any but the strongest foods for awhile.
Stayed in that same condition for quite a while and when the sense of smell returned it was bizarre for a month or so. He noted instead of a neutral / blank smell it was the smell of spinning tires, faint, but definite.....Finally cleared on it's own, but his sense of taste remained poor.
Not nearly as interesting as your adventures with a S&W, and certainly I, like all the rest of us subscribing to this thread, want there to be something tangible inside that gun.
Earlier I seem to recall there was mention that metal could retain no smell. You only have to smell of a zinc bucket,a brass plumbing fixture, a handful of pennies, or a piece of pure copper to belie that opinion.
Others that I have asked have also said the gun smells bad. And it is not a metal or gunpowder smell, it reminds me of this deer carcass that was rotting during the autumn over by where I used to shoot.
Here is a picture of what the insides looked like before cleaning. Also a photo of how someone chewed up the sideplate trying to get it off in the past, and then I took a picture of it put back together. The cleaning took the grime out of the grips which apparently was the only reason they had color. lol
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The discoloring and missing blueing shown in your last photo looks exactly like the finish damage on a model 15 suicide that I own. No pitting , just missing/discolored finish. Also the discoloration of the trigger is a match. I would post pics but am on the other side of the Planet at the moment. The suicide history creeped me out at first , but after shooting it became just another firearm to me.
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