Fixing to fire the old Iver Johnson but...

S

Sum1_Special

New member
The latch is loose. It is the first model in 32 S&W and I noticed the single latch at the top won't stay in the locked position, it seems to move freely and occasionally falls out of the gun... Shouldn't there be a spring or something to hold it in place? If so, its long gone, so what could I use instead?

Can't shoot the gun until this hazard is fixed.
 
Oh come now, I think we already went over this. I spent the last 2 weeks cleaning the thing and by god i'll shoot it if I have to tape the latch down. I did not buy a box of 357 priced 32 S&W's for nothing... Now what was meant to hold the latch in place... A spring?
 
There are NO shortuts in firearms safety. There is only one solution. Find another IJ with a good latch, good springs, good pin and check the airgap and other tolerances after swapping the parts out. You risk serious injury in attempting to fire a top latch revolver with an insecure latch.
 
When I say loose, I don't mean it in the sense of weakness. The latch seems strong, and I doubt I would get a better one if I swapped out parts, but it just doesn't seem to stay in the locked position, it moves up and down freely... If I tape it down it will stay locked and secure, but I was hoping for a less ghetto aproach. The latch seems like it's missing something, It doesn't put up any resistance when you try to move it... What is it missing?

The latch should not just fall out of the gun like it does.
 
Got some pictures...

iverjohnson2ci.jpg

Here is the gun i'm working with, a 100 year old iver johnson revolver in 32 S&W, notice the latch, it is in the locked position.

latch2qp.jpg

This is the latch in the 'open' position.

latchcloseup8oa.jpg

This is the closeup of the latch itself... I've never seen something like this before on any other revolver...

How do I keep the latch in place, how did it stay in place on a new iver johnson?
 
I think I would take the little IJ to a gunsmith and have him perhaps put a small pin in the side of the gun.

Looks to me like the orginal intention of that latch was to lock over a pin on the side of the gun. Time and use have probably worn the locking pin on the side. If so, a small "screw" could be placed in to the side plate with a good gunsmith doing a little drilling -n- tapping!

At least let a gunsmith look it over first. Then for the first 100 rounds, attach it to a board (use electrical tie downs), and with 50 foot of line pull the trigger....let us know "what" hospital to send flowers to?

Good luck!

Oh, by the way, I'm also wondering if the bullets for that gun might have been black powder. So, present day loads with smokeless powder might prove to be a bit much for the ol' girl.
 
The seller shot a cylinder full in its oily, dirty state before he sold it to me and said it was fine. Bought the gun for roughly $20 in a lot deal and taking it to a gunsmith would cost more than it was ever worth. I don't know if there was a set of leaf springs in there or what, but i honesly doubt it has anything to do with friction... Iver johnson wouldn't just throw this part into the gun without making sure it was secure.


And as for the pressure levels... Well, blackpowder ammunition was loaded with an 85 gr bullet shooting at 705 FPS... Smokeless is loaded with an 85 gr bullet at 680 fps... I dont know the pressure blackpowder creates vs smokeless... But it seems to me modern ammo is loaded weaker as to be safe to fire in old guns, correct me if I am wrong.
 
There should be a spring and detent in there somewhere. From the looks of the gun, it doesn't suprise me that they went missing.
As for shooting it, it might pop open and then again, it might not. It's your fingers and face.

Dean
 
"...take the little IJ to a gunsmith..." That'd cost more than the partly rusted, partly shiny paperweight is worth.
Sum1_Special, aside from the wee crack, the frame is rusted. I suspect the latch may be ok, but the rusted hole in the frame won't hold it. The hole is too big. Shooting a 100 year old rust bucket is an accident waiting to happen.
 
Rust? You think that's rust? No my friend, That is patina, the gun doesn't have a spot of rust or pitting anywhere near it... The patina is visible because that is where the nickel finish flaked off.

Crack? Hole?... where?

I brightened and sharpened those pictures up so they can better be seen, the gun looks much better than in the picture. Here are a few more natural pictures.

iveropen9bf.jpg


iverjohnsonback4sk.jpg
 
I've got an old Smith and Wesson Safety hammerless that looks in better condition than your IJ.
I don't shoot mine, (One) It's a collector piece!
(two) It was my Grandfathers and he carried it in WWII, Iwo Jima and the canal! (Personal weapon)
On your,I would'nt shoot it UNTIL I HAD IT CHECKED OUT BY A GUNSMITH!!!
IMHO
 
doncameron, I bought the gun from a gunsmith along with 3 other ones. 2 guns I bought, including this one, were 'broken', I managed to fix one rather easily, and now am turning to this one... But I can't fix it if I dont know what is wrong with it. The gunsmith told me it was mechanically sound besides a broken trigger return spring and the latch, but he didn't think an iver johnson was worth fixing.

I did plenty of research and asked a lot of question, and have come to the conclusion that it would be safe to fire, if not, well, then it's my fault for not listening to people telling me not to fire an antique revolver. I will however, tie the damn thing to a tree with a string around the trigger for the first 15 rounds :D.

Now, is anybody going to answer my question?
 
smokelss powder is much higher pressure and faster burning than black powder!

I once bought a nice damascus barrel shotgun and wanted to fire it. It was a muzzle loader, so I put some pyrodex into it, wad and loaded a cap. Knowing that they can blow up, I strapped it to a sawhorse, tied a string to the trigger, got behind a barrier and fired her off! It was fine, and I felt a little foolish, but safer!
 
Just one question?

If you got this gun and a couple of other's from a gunsmith, and one of the other guns was "easy" to fix, doesn't it make you wonder about the compentence of the "gunsmith".

Perhaps, a board, 50' of sting, to save your hand, face, eyes, is a cheap investment....also, start with an "underpowered" load, in black powder and work your way up...be safe...you can't (as of yet) replace important parts of your body!

In a few years with stem cell research, nanotechnology and electronics making such advances you will be able to regnerate a hand, perhaps have an electronic eye installed, but today, such things are just dreams on the drawing board...safety first!
 
If you got this gun and a couple of other's from a gunsmith, and one of the other guns was "easy" to fix, doesn't it make you wonder about the compentence of the "gunsmith".
Click to expand...

No, the other gun was a jennings j-22, it had jamming problems, and again, he didn't think it was worth fixing. I took it home, switched out the magazine, polished the insides, and cleaned it up. Problem solved.

I can not judge competence if he didn't think it was worth opening up and taking a look.

I have my own way of testing the gun with several rounds before properly shooting it. The only thing I am concerned about now is fixing the latch, that is all I want to know.
 
"There should be a spring and detent in there somewhere"

What deadin said. I have a hammerless model of that gun, with the identical latch. It is spring loaded and flips back in place after you unlatch it,

Your best chance for replacement parts is as joab advised you. I have purchased replacement parts for old Iver Johnson & Harrington Richardson top-breaks there.

John
 
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