T.E.Ryan retriever revolver

D

Doc Hoy

New member
Guys,

I came up with a project revolver today

It is T.E.Ryan Retriever .38 revolver

As you can see it needs a lot of parts. My goal is to get it functional but do not intend to shoot it.







Any lead on parts would be must appreciated.

I do know that this revolver will likely never be worth much of anything.

Collector value is gone and as it was essentially a Saturday Night Special, it prolly never had much appeal.

I gave 25.00 for it so I don't feel like I lost my shirt.
 
I doubt you will ever find the parts you need for that gun; the production was not high and parts are very scarce. The company was in business only from about 1870 to 1876. One source says the guns were of poor quality, but that statement could be made of most guns of that type, which sold in that era for $2-3 (a Colt Single Action was $16-17 in the same era).

Those guns are often called "suicide specials". There is some doubt as to whether the name came from the quality of the guns being so poor that they were good only for one shot, or from the idea that trying to use one on someone armed with a better gun would be suicide.

As for parts, the only source of parts for such guns is scrap or confiscated guns; if there were not many made, there are few parts available.

IMHO, you have an interesting paperweight, not worth wasting time or money on.

Jim
 
Thanks for the inputs guys

I began working on the revolver last night.

A Yugo it is and one which needs a lot of work.

The first problem was that the cylinder pin was broken off at the frame. The remaining piece was bound up in the cylinder and required WD-40 and a heat gun to get it out.

I'll make a new pin first

The pins that hold the revolver together will all need to be drilled out.

Trigger spring is missing or broken, so that pin will have to come out. The bolt is worn down such that it does not engage the cylinder.

At the very least it needs a hammer and a hand.

Someone tried to remove the barrel with a pliers. That will clean up a little.

Main reason I bought this thing was to learn something.

At least I am having fun.
 
James,

The way I heard it, was the term suicide special came from them being really cheap. They would be the cheapest to buy, so the suicidal would buy it, take it home, and shoot themselves in the head. I guess they figured if they were going to do it, why waste money?
 
Guys....

I can settle this once and for all.

The pistol is called Suicide Special because the more I fiddle with it the more I want to shoot myself.

I got the cylinder pin out yesterday and made a new one this AM.

Here is the pin



Here are a coupla shots with the cylinder and pin in place




 
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Progress reports, with pictures, will be submitted not later than the fifteenth of each month. Do not be late! ;)

Jim
 
This is one of those instances...

In which I am learning as I am going.

A gunsmith I am not.

But as you say, I am having fun.

I have not had the opportunity to get on the phone with Numrich or VTI or DGW about parts for this revolver. But I think in the end, I am going to be making most everything.
 
If you can make the parts, great. But if you had to pay yourself a decent hourly rate, I don't think you could afford yourself.

(Also, you have to (re)design the lockwork, since AFAIK there are no schematics or drawings for any of those old guns.)

Jim
 
Id be working for about twenty cents an hour

Which is about all I am worth.

Redesign is about right.

I am looking at photos and trying to imagine how to calculate the location of the hand pivot point on the hammer. In addition the hand springs I am used to in the Colt and Remington revolvers won't work in this revolver since the hand does not work through a channel for the spring to bear upon.

Apart from the grips, that cylinder pin will likely be the easiest part in this project.

We'll find out if I am up to it.

Tnx,
 
One thing you will have to do is cut the center pin notch deeper and square it up; as it is now, it will jump forward on recoil.

As to the hand, it may use the same type of spring as the SA Colt, just on a smaller scale, but a lot of those guns use a hand with a pin that has a flat side. The hand pin fits in a hole in the hammer, with the spring in a slot in the hammer. The spring bears on that flat of the hand pin to action the hand. Of course you first have to see which side the hand is on, then make the hammer to accommodate the hand. Then make the trigger and then the hammer, cutting the notches first and get that part right. (You can play with the spur and stuff later. Don't try to make the firing pin part of the hammer, slot the hammer when it is done.

The cylinder stop is tricky; you will probably want to cam it off the hammer, even though it might have been off the trigger originally. That is what I meant by designing/re-designing as you go. One trick is to cut pieces out of cardboard to get the parts to work together. Then you can make parts out of wood or aluminum (easy to work) before going to steel.

It's not easy. Is it worth the work? Helllllll no, IMHO.

Jim
 
James.....

Cylinder rotates clockwise and works like a Colt so the hand is left of center.

Not worth the work? You are right.

No way will this revolver ever be worth more than about 50.00

The idea of fiddling with it is interesting to me at least for now.

I may lose interest before I get very far. It'll be something I play with for a while, throw it in a drawer and drag it out later.

The cylinder stop does work off the trigger and is still present although worn down very badly. If it started out spring loaded, the spring is broken or missing.

More later.
 
Made some progress on this revolver.

Last part I finished was the cylinder pin.

Over the last week, I completed the threaded cover for the left side and the rough hammer with the exception of the recess for the hand.

I'll post some photos later.
 
Here's some photos.....

First is the three parts I just finished.

Hammer is not quite ready. I still need to put a firing pin in it. I need to inlet it for the hand (Which I have not yet designed) and you can see that it is a little tall (in the next photo.) I've got to trim it down a little. This will not fix the appearance completely but it will make it look a little better.

The screw was easy. Just ran the threads up a little more and turned down the head so it would fit in the counter bore in the frame.

The threaded disc was just turned rough. I have made a new tool and I think I will try to smooth it up a little.



Here is the revolver with the parts installed.



You can see that the hammer is too high.



The trigger engages the hammer perfectly. I will need to heat treat the hammer. I hope it works.
 
Doc Hoy, now don't let this go to your head, but I'm impressed. When I read your first post on this subject, I smiled to my self and said , " sure thing, he is going to take a 150 year old gun frame and restore it ", but by golly, from looking at your picture of the parts you made, I think you just might do it.:)
 
Thanks fellas....

Coming from y'all, I will take that as a real complement.

I shaped the hammer on a milling machine from a piece of quarter inch bar stock.

It is mild steel and may simply not have enough carbon to harden up as it should.

I am never going to shoot this piece and so it doesn't really need to last.

I have not got up the courage to start on the hand yet.

That is prolly next, or perhaps the hammer spring.
 
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