Questions on revolver that hasn't been fired in years
- Thread starter woje
- Start date
Vt.birdhunter
New member
No worries; just give her a once over for unusual bulges/cracks/etc. Make sure cylinder is lining up with the chamber when you dry fire. Barring anything obvious you should be good to go.
Throw some .38's through her first if you are concerned.
Throw some .38's through her first if you are concerned.
Willie Sutton
Moderator
The most frequent malfunctions after storage are bore obstructions caused by critters making a home.
Open it up, look down the bore from the muzzle end to make sure there are nothing living in it (spider nests, etc), ditto for the cylinders, load it up and shoot it.
Willie
.
Open it up, look down the bore from the muzzle end to make sure there are nothing living in it (spider nests, etc), ditto for the cylinders, load it up and shoot it.
Willie
.
Rifleman1776
New member
Good advice so far.
Clean, inspect and use.
Ten years is barely getting started as far as the life of a gun is concerned.
Clean, inspect and use.
Ten years is barely getting started as far as the life of a gun is concerned.
Baba Louie
New member
Read and re-read Jim March's stickie at the top of the forum on "Revolver Checkout 10 years..."
When you say "fathers Colt 357"... do you mean pre Python "3 5 7" or a Trooper or Trooper III, etc? or what 357 exactly? We loves photos...
But do read Marchs thread above.
Aguila Blanca
Staff
Clean, lube, shoot.Vt.birdhunter said:
DO NOT dry fire a DA Colt revolver.
The attached thread has photos of a Colt that I picked up several months ago.
It had been fired last in the late 60 and put away extremely dirty.
After a good cleaning and inspection and lubing it’s had over 200 rounds and hasn’t had a lick of problems.
As Aguila said it
Clean, lube, shoot.
DO NOT dry fire a DA Colt revolver. . +1
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=486464
It had been fired last in the late 60 and put away extremely dirty.
After a good cleaning and inspection and lubing it’s had over 200 rounds and hasn’t had a lick of problems.
As Aguila said it
Clean, lube, shoot.
DO NOT dry fire a DA Colt revolver. . +1
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=486464
Kreyzhorse
New member
+1.
Clean it, lube it, inspect it and you should be good to go.
Lost Sheep
New member
One last double check
Particularly if you are the least bit uncertain, let the range safety officer have a look at it. (Converse for a short while so you have confidence in the opinions you get. Not all range officers are qualified as gunsmiths.)
I have an 8" Colt Trooper. It is a great gun, a beautiful sculpture in steel and a joy to shoot.
I have been told that the innards of Colt Double Action revolvers are finely tuned and need special care. I don't know how true that is, but with ANY revolver, don't abuse it. Snapping the cylinder shut (a.k.a. the "wrist flick" can bend the crane out of good alignment. Snapping it open is not much better but no one ever warns against that. Holding the hammer at half-cock and spinning the cylinder is not a good idea and even worse, to let the locking hand (cylinder stop) stop the spinning. Use it as it was designed to be used and it will last a GOOD long time and you can leave it to your son (or daughter).
If you are not confident in cleaning and lubricating the gun, find a good gunsmith and have him open it up and teach you (normally taking the sideplate off is not necessary, but it is good for you to know how it works inside). I imagine a smith would not charge much for a half-hour lesson that honors a fine revolver, teaches a person who respects the gun enough to ask and potentially cements in a future customer.
Before you do that, go to Colt's web site and download a .pdf of the owner's manual.
http://www.coltsmfg.com/MediaDownloads/Manuals.aspx
Page 2. Apparently the Lawman revolver and the Trooper revolver share the same manual.
Lost Sheep
P.S.
It is sad that I feel compelled to warn you of this: If anyone ever suggests such an old gun is unsafe and you should get rid of it, just smirk and say, "Yeah, right" and never believe anything that person ever says.
Particularly if you are the least bit uncertain, let the range safety officer have a look at it. (Converse for a short while so you have confidence in the opinions you get. Not all range officers are qualified as gunsmiths.)
I have an 8" Colt Trooper. It is a great gun, a beautiful sculpture in steel and a joy to shoot.
I have been told that the innards of Colt Double Action revolvers are finely tuned and need special care. I don't know how true that is, but with ANY revolver, don't abuse it. Snapping the cylinder shut (a.k.a. the "wrist flick" can bend the crane out of good alignment. Snapping it open is not much better but no one ever warns against that. Holding the hammer at half-cock and spinning the cylinder is not a good idea and even worse, to let the locking hand (cylinder stop) stop the spinning. Use it as it was designed to be used and it will last a GOOD long time and you can leave it to your son (or daughter).
If you are not confident in cleaning and lubricating the gun, find a good gunsmith and have him open it up and teach you (normally taking the sideplate off is not necessary, but it is good for you to know how it works inside). I imagine a smith would not charge much for a half-hour lesson that honors a fine revolver, teaches a person who respects the gun enough to ask and potentially cements in a future customer.
Before you do that, go to Colt's web site and download a .pdf of the owner's manual.
http://www.coltsmfg.com/MediaDownloads/Manuals.aspx
Page 2. Apparently the Lawman revolver and the Trooper revolver share the same manual.
Lost Sheep
P.S.
It is sad that I feel compelled to warn you of this: If anyone ever suggests such an old gun is unsafe and you should get rid of it, just smirk and say, "Yeah, right" and never believe anything that person ever says.
Aguila Blanca
Staff
I disagree with this advice vehemently. There is NOTHING in the NRA training to be a range safety officer that in any way qualifies a person to be a pistolsmith, revolversmith, or general, all-around gunsmith.The mechanisms in older Colt DA revolvers is very different from the mechanisms in S&W revolvers. It is highly unlikely that a range safety officer will know anything at all about the pistol.Lost Sheep said:
Mike Irwin
Staff
Uhm... whats this about never dry firing Colt revolvers?
Never heard that before, but i just bought mh first Colt.
Never heard that before, but i just bought mh first Colt.
Crazy88Fingers
New member
My grandfather's S&W sat untouched in his closet for 30 years. It was just fine when I took it out and shot it.
As long as it isn't rusting over or filled with spider webs, it should be just as good as the day it was put away. Oil her up and fire away.
As long as it isn't rusting over or filled with spider webs, it should be just as good as the day it was put away. Oil her up and fire away.
Winchester_73
New member
I am wondering the same thing. I have heard that there could be problems with the MKIII troopers with the hammer/firing pin but they were made cheaper. I have dry fired my Colt 357 from 53, my Trooper from 54 and a Python I had from 69 without problem. I also have dry fired my Cobra from 74. Not a ton, but I have some. I have had no problems. I don't know of a reason that NO colt should ever be dry fired.
Some people think that no guns should ever be dry fired, but when you ask them why not for a centerfire revolver, you never get the logical explanation that you seek.
Last edited:
My old storage revolver experience
Acquired an older S&W, 29-4, 3” barreled S&W custom shop 44 Mag.
It had been in long storage so I tried to take off the side-plate to give it a thorough clean and lube, but it wouldn’t pop off, so I lubed it everywhere, let it sit for a few days and off to the range. Shot 4 cylinders quick of moderate loads thru it (740 ft lbs ME factory specs) and the recoil was stout but manageable, nothing like a hand-breaker 357 Mag in a J-frame featherweight.
Anyways, on shooting the 5th cylinder, the double action stops working and tho I could pull the hammer all the way back it wouldn’t catch for single action. After it sat and cooled for 20 minutes, all went back to normal. Later tried to get the side-plate off again but it would not budge. Next time out I loosened off the screws hoping the side-plate would work itself free under recoil. No luck…so I just clean what I can and pour oil down the gun (hammer back, oil down the hammer into the action). One of these days I’ll get that side-plate off and give it a proper clean and lube.
Acquired an older S&W, 29-4, 3” barreled S&W custom shop 44 Mag.
It had been in long storage so I tried to take off the side-plate to give it a thorough clean and lube, but it wouldn’t pop off, so I lubed it everywhere, let it sit for a few days and off to the range. Shot 4 cylinders quick of moderate loads thru it (740 ft lbs ME factory specs) and the recoil was stout but manageable, nothing like a hand-breaker 357 Mag in a J-frame featherweight.
Anyways, on shooting the 5th cylinder, the double action stops working and tho I could pull the hammer all the way back it wouldn’t catch for single action. After it sat and cooled for 20 minutes, all went back to normal. Later tried to get the side-plate off again but it would not budge. Next time out I loosened off the screws hoping the side-plate would work itself free under recoil. No luck…so I just clean what I can and pour oil down the gun (hammer back, oil down the hammer into the action). One of these days I’ll get that side-plate off and give it a proper clean and lube.
carguychris
New member
What technique are you using to remove the sideplate?
The proper technique is to remove the screws, remove the grips, and then repeatedly whack the side of the grip frame near the bottom with a non-marring tool until the sideplate "walks" upwards. (My non-marring tool is the plastic handle of a cheap Chinese screwdriver, but wood blocks work equally well.)
I've used this technique to remove sideplates from pre-WWII S&W revolvers that I don't believe have ever had their sideplates off. It took more whacks than a newer-production gun, but it still worked!
FWIW by far the most common cause of "sticky" S&W lockwork- particularly if it gets worse as the gun heats up- is residue and varnish left over from the past use of inferior lubricants such as WD-40 or 3-in-One Oil. These products evaporate over time and leave nasty gunk that won't come out by itself. Adding more lube will temporarily dissolve it and move it around but won't remove it. The lockwork really needs to be disassembled and thoroughly cleaned. I'd recommend buying one of the commonly available books or DVDs before tackling the project; S&W revolver lockwork isn't too hard to work on if you have basic mechanical skills and you're comfortable working with very small parts, but there are a couple of pitfalls that tend to snare the unsuspecting.
Ironically, I've found that the best product for dissolving ancient lube residue is WD-40. Just make sure to clean all of it off and lightly oil everything with a quality gun oil when you're done!
Mike Irwin
Staff
NEVER try to pry your sideplate off.
NEVER.
You'll only end up warping it.
The method Chris describes works about 99.9995% of the time.
I've only encountered one that simply wouldn't move and which had to be wedged off. That's a painstaking process which can go badly wrong without due care being used.
NEVER.
You'll only end up warping it.
The method Chris describes works about 99.9995% of the time.
I've only encountered one that simply wouldn't move and which had to be wedged off. That's a painstaking process which can go badly wrong without due care being used.