I am on a mission to save old S&W revolvers. I am buying guns in non-working condition, missing parts and just parts in general and makes some working guns.
These are model 1 1/2 32 rimfire S&W revolvers, some still incomplete but none was complete when I bought them. Three are fully complete and functioning shooters today.
Tim
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
Much satisfaction to be found in that.
Cognitive Dissident
Worth the time just for seeing them work again.
Ammo for them is rough to find ?? I would think.
Nope. Invest in a few reloadable .32 RF adaptors and you can shoot 'em for pennies. They do take a heeled-type bullet, so you will need a 299153 mould. A tiny amount of Bullseye, and a tin of "acorn blanks" and you're good. I've made a combination seater/crimper die for the Lyman tong tool, and I can reload 'em almost as fast as you can shoot 'em.
Cognitive Dissident
good on you. i picked up a broken pistol to fix up but it backfired on me, the needed parts cost more than than the pistol would be worth.
if you are ever being chased by a taxidermist, don't play dead
That never stopped ME!Originally Posted by rancher1913
Cognitive Dissident
True love..........That never stopped ME!
Now I lay me down to sleep
A gun beside me is what I keep
If I awake, and you're inside
The coroner's van is your next ride
If all else fails, there are these things called files. Personally, I'm building a machine shop in the back room. Benchtop machines, mostly. Moved another half a cubic yard of "stuff" out this past week, may have room to get to the mini-mill now. And the Atlas TH42 lathe. Possibly even the Lewis Shaper. I've got a couple of .32 RF Stevens boys rifles that need new breech blocks. One in .22LR needs an extractor fitted, too. Files, wet-or-dry sand paper, and a sheet of glass for lapping... There are lots of ways to do things, but remember that the guys who invented these things were often doing all the work with hand tools.
Bill
Accurate molds has a few different designs of heeled boolits meant for the .32 Long/ .32 Colt centerfires. They might be cheaper and will definitely be faster than looking around for long obsolete Ideal molds.
Robert
Good to know. With Jack Harrison slow-walking his production due to health issues, I'd better look into casting my own.
Cognitive Dissident
Good to know. With Jack Harrison slow-walking his production due to health issues, we'd better look into casting our own.
Cognitive Dissident
Yeah, some people think their parts are precious. I just wait until I can find what I need at a reasonable price. If I break even or even just don't lose a lot of money, that works for me. I am not selling them any time soon.
Tim
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
There is plenty of ammo but most people want $3 or $4 a round. I have about 800 rounds that I have bought for around $2 a round average. I think of it as an investment, I don't think they will be making anymore. I mostly shoot them with cartridge adapters anyway. Like USCRA112
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
I appreciate your passion. I have a similar one for 1877 Colts.
Still trying to fill out the four frame sizes on the 1858 Remingtons...
Of course you can also buy a kit to reprime the rims of the OEM ammo, but it's slow and fussy work.
https://22lrreloader.com/
Cognitive Dissident
I can't seem to make it work. I have set it aside for a while so I don't get too frustrated.
Tim
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
I'm stalled with my kit, too. Finally got a scraper tool made that seems to do a decent job of cleaning out the rims, but haven't accumulated enough spent cases to justify mixing up a batch of the compound. Never intended to use it for anything but .25 Stevens and .32 RF, and my other options are working so well that the 22lrreoader kit is dormant. I just mentioned it in case someone with more patience cares to carry the process to completion.
Cognitive Dissident
Years ago when at a gun show.
A lady had six old revolvers that were in poor shape and missing a lot of parts.
The lady said they came out of her friends Bar Restaurant off the walls.
She said they were disabled for display only.
She asked what I was going to do with them.
I told her ,Shoot Them.
She said , You can't.
We took them to five gunsmiths and they said you can't find the parts you need.
I told her, That's OK.
I will make the parts they need and get them shooting.
I got 5 of the six shooting again.
They needed things like a hammer.
Or a trigger and lots of springs.
On a couple I had to reline the barrels from .32 down to .22 LR.
To tell the truth.
All the work didn't bring the to the point where I could sell them and make money.
But the practice for that kind of work, I was able to learn lots of stuff and bank away the skill.
A real gunsmith can (and will) make what he cannot buy. Like the old German gunsmiths who were required to make an entire rifle from scratch as their final exam after years of apprenticeship.
Cognitive Dissident
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| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
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