Revolver Smith Needed

S

Semper Paratus

New member
I have my grandfathers Smith and Wesson 1917 Revolver in 45 ACP. The finish is horrible, the barrell at best so so and it need some timing help. When cocked slowly or rolled up slowly in double action the cylinder does not index sufficiently for the cylinder bolt to drop before the hammer falls. To me it sounds like the cylinder hand or such either needs replacing or stretching. All I want to do is return this to safe shooter status so a few times a year I can pull it out and shoot a box or two of standard velocity ammo in it honor Papaw and Uncle James. I have plenty of 1911s and misc other revolvers to take the heavy duty shooting chores. Now the hard part....Is there a decent gunsmith within a couple of hours of Tidewater VA that can deal with this oldie??????
 
Semper,

I can't refer you to a gunsmith, but you should be able to obtain the parts you need from Gun Parts Corp.

First, be sure to clean the gun's action completely. An old gun may have oils that have turned to a sludge over the years and it's gumming up the works. Spraying with gun-scrubber through the trigger/hammer/bolt openings will loosen it without removing the sideplate. Re-lubricate afterwards.

Assuming you've done that, check to see if the gun locks up if the trigger is pulled briskly and the cylinder's momentum will carry it far enough to let the bolt lock into it's recess.


You're correct that the most likely cause is that the hand is simply worn. However it could be that the lugs at the rear of the star extractor are also worn down. Re-timing a revolver is not for the faint of heart and after doing two revolvers, I've found that the best tool to use is the one stamped Visa.
 
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