J.P. Sauer and Sohns Western Marshall (WARNING: Minor graphic details involved)

T

TripHlx

New member
Hi guys.

Unfortunately, my uncle just passed away this past Saturday, and many of his belongings are passing to me. This includes his firearms, and one of them comes with a very unsettling problem.

Due to his habit of being a very private person, my uncle was not discovered to be deceased until July 4th. (Yes, happy Independence Day.) Anyone who is familiar with the process of decomposition probably understands what condition he was in after 5 days in SC heat. Naturally the chair he passed in had to be removed from the home immediately as it was fairly contaminated.

After a quick once over of the chair we discovered one of the arms opened up for remote control storage, and my uncle has stored his Western Marshal there, probably for safety reasons. The firearm luckily did not come into direct contact with any contaminants, but being so close to him at the time it does have a fair...odor, lingering around it.

I am hoping someone here might be able to help out with a way to clean the firearm and ELIMINATE the odor from this heirloom, without damaging the nickel/chrome plating or the lucite grip panels.

Also, during the safety check of the firearm, I noticed that when rotating the cylinder to/past two of the chambers, it requires a lot more effort than it should to do so. Function through the other four chambers is flawless, and with the cylinder removed the action works flawlessly.

I'm not familiar with single action revolvers beyond loading and unloading and removing the cylinder, so instructions on a thorough breakdown would be appreciated as well. Any help/suggestions regarding anything to do with this firearms is more than welcome.
 
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I'm sorry for your loss TrpHlx........

Just remove the cylinder first, and then remove the grips and soak the metal parts in a bucket of clean kerosene (available @ Hess Gas Stations) for a few hours before removing & wiping down the parts.

The kero will enter the action & hard to get areas, removed most gunk buildup (especially if the action's cycled while submerged) - yet leave an oily residue on the inside parts, preventing rust. (Do it outside or in a garage/shed, etc)

If the grips have a crosswise screw through them, they're 2-piece & will usually come off after the screw's removed & the frame shaken/tapped gently (never pry them off).

If there's no crosswise screw through the center of the grips, then you most likely have a 1-piece grip - which means 3 of the 5 gripframe screws will need to be removed for the grip to come off: the two on the rear strap to either side of the hammer, and the one on the bottom of the grip which connects the backstrap to the front strap.
The front strap holds the mainspring & can stay attached for the kero bath, w/o hurting anything.

Single-actions are pretty simple, and if the parts are laid out when disassembled, will usually readily reassemble in reverse order.



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The first thing I would do would be to find a vibratory cleaner, make up a strong solution of hot water and Dawn dishwashing detergent (lots of Dawn), and let it vibrate for a couple of hours.

Then, fish out the gun, strip it down, change the solution, and do it again.

Then, go through a couple of rinses to remove all traces of the soap and water, then do a final plunge and soak in boiling water. When you pull the parts out, the residual heat will help them flash dry.

Then I would park it in front of a dehumidifier for awhile to make sure all of the water is out, and then it's just reassembly.

I'd use the dish soap routine because Dawn is very good at removing organic material such as blood and fat, something kerosene may not do all that well.

Sorry for your loss.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate the help, and thank you for your thoughts. He was a good man and I'm damned proud to receive his firearms. Would have hated for this one to sit shunned and unused because of this.
 
I am sorry for your loss and it sounds like a loss to all of us.

But before handling the gun or any object that has been in that environment, surgical gloves are a good idea. Then dunk the gun in boiling hot water and leave it for 10-15 minutes. The hot water will not hurt the grips or the finish.

Then drain the gun, and detail strip it, clean out any excess water and let it dry, then lightly oil the parts and reassemble it.

Jim
 
Everything has been handled while gloved. I work in a healthcare environment, so I'm familiar with the dangers of this kind of material. The exterior of the firearm has been disinfected with a surface cleaner, but that is all at the moment. Didn't even touch the odor unfortunately.
 
There's a hospital disinfectant called "quaternary ammonia" or benzalkonium chloride that has an oddly "fresh" smell and does a great job of deodorizing just about anything. It kills bacteria, virus, and fungi. I buy it at Fleet Farm as a dairy cleaner called Steramine, and it's also available at garden centers in a product called Consan Triple Action 20. I *think* it would deodorize the grips (dilute to about 1% with hot water)

I'm sorry for your loss.
 
Well guys, I got the revolver cleaned and well lubed. Thanks to your suggestions and a couple days in a tupperware container with a rag dabbed with some natural oils it smells quite nice. Unfortunately, function is still iffy. I have tested function with and without the cylinder, without it she's smooth as silk, with it is a no go. I noticed some rub marks on the outside edge of the rear of the cylinder once I looked closer. I don't think the base pin is warped, and the frame looks straight. Any ideas guys?
 
Photos would help.

Can you post photos of the marks, and then other photos (both top of the frame and the bottom of the frame) approximately where these marks would line up with?



Also as you cycle the action, does the hand(a little small bar by the back of the base pin) move up and down in its slot?

And the bolt, (a little rectangle of metal at the bottom of the frame that locks the cylinder in alignment) drop away when going to half cock, then come back up when reaching full cock?

These are the first things to look for when a single action starts to act up.

I apologize in advance for using simple descriptive terms, but as a having worked a help desk for HP for some time, not everyone you talk to knows what all the little pieces are called....
 
Also, you stated that rotating past 2 of the chambers was difficult.

Are these 2 chambers adjacent to each other?

Look at the rear of The Cylinder at the center, are any of the areas where the hand pushes on buggered up?

Also, lay the cylinder on its side on a known flat surface (glass, or stone countertop) and slowly roll it, looking for bulges in the cylinder.

i once worked on a Hawes , that had a super hot load fired in it, it slightly bulged the cylinder but did not rupture it.

It was tight on 2 chambers when rotated.

Ian..
 
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I'll have pictures ASAP. Thanks for the cylinder bulge suggestion as well. The hand and ratchet on the cylinder are immaculate, and the hand moves freely. The cylinder stop works properly as well. The timing on the gun is great overall. If I can find a reliable vendor that has parts I may buy a new cylinder and base pin.
 
I have the same gun and Numrich has some parts available and they have a schematic for the large frame Hawes revolvers as well.

I also got mine when my uncle passed away. I am sorry for your loss.
 
you can lay the cylinder pin on the same flat surface, to see if it is bent too.

But that is not a normal occurrence..


Ian
 
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