David Bradshaw Photos - Vol. 100

[Lee Martin]

S&W K-38 single action only .38 Special. A true .38 Special frame. This revolver has the wide Target Hammer and Target Trigger.



K-38 6-inch barrel rol marked for .38 Special. Standard S&W drop forged barrel, broach rifled 1:18-3/4” twist.



K-38 with industry-standard 11-degree forcing cone. Forcing cone cut square and short. Relatively thin barrel wall, due to small diameter stub. Forcing cone a little rough. Parts in photo which are drop forged include frame, barrel, extractor star, hammer, trigger, thumb piece, and sight base.



Model 66, stainless version of famed M-19 Combat Magnum. Hammer positioned to lift from frame. Squeeze trigger to position hammer for removal from frame. SINGLE ACTION DOG must clear HAND. DOUBLE ACTION SEAR, or “fly” (on hammer) must also clear HAND (which is mounted to trigger.)



M-66 frame, sideplate removed and partially stripped, reveals frame-mounted TRIGGER STOP. Trigger stop consists of an adjustable tab set in a slot at upper rear of TRIGGER GUARD. Adjustment secured by set screw. Should the screw loosen, tab can drop enough to prevent full trigger pull, disabling revolver. In practice, trigger stop should be removed altogether or secured with Loctite. This feature is not found on a Model 29 and other N-frames and doesn’t belong on a fighting handgun. Once secured with Loctite, however, Bradshaw has never found the stop to loosen.



M-66 cylinder fouled enough to prevent normal trigger & hammer cocking; almost seized. Lead bullets and especially .38 Special accelerate carbon and grease fouling, which force between YOKE and CYLINDER. Solvent and 0000 steel wool do the trick, but cylinder must be stripped.



YOKE with combined bullet & powder fouling on cylinder axle. Yoke may be cleaned easily, as cylinder slides off. Axle should be lubed with Automatic Transmission Fluid or other light oil with anti-carbon properties



Cylinder must be disassembled to remove fouling. Parts include, clockwise from CYLINDER: EXTRACTOR rod, EJECTOR SPRING with GAS RING, YOKE, EJECTOR star, and CYLINDER PIN with spring. (Note lead wrapped around extractor rod.)



EJECTOR and EXTRACTOR rod. A piece of lead wraps knurled end of extractor rod to prevent marring with plier. Extractor rod screws into extractor its left hand thread——turn clockwise to loosen. Sequence performed with parts installed in cylinder. Before loosening or tightening extractor rod, chamber 3 to 6 fired cases. Fired cases act as a wrench to hold ejector, prevent damage to indexing pins and keyway.



Knurled end of extractor wrapped with lead to prevent damage from pliers. Remember, it has a left hand thread.



GAS RING on EJECTOR SPRING, with M-66 frame and cylinder.



Pachmayr Presentation small grips. Left: N-frame. Right: K-frame. These grips interchange in the hand. Exterior dimensions are the same, except for the top of the backstop. Much kinder to the base of the thumb than wood stocks when firing magnum loads.



Pachmayr Presentation grips, small size, for K-frame (left, and N-frame (right). Same grip in the hand. Excellent control and protection against powerful loads.



Shield to protect ejector rod made by flattening a lead bullet, in this instance a 158 SWC. Note on nomenclature: “extractor” and “ejector” are used interchangeably. Technically, “extractor” refers to that part which pulls a shell from the chamber, while “ejector” refers to the part which throws it free of the firearm. Terminology gets confused on double action revolvers and, by extension, single actions.



Despite shorter cylinder, the N-frame M-28, it is more resistant to gas & grease fouling than K-frame M-19 and M-66. Normal maintenance obviates any difference.



A pair of 4-inch magnums. From top: M-28 Highway Patrolman .357; M-29 .44.



Pair of old school 4-inch M-29s: low mileage and high mileage.



M-29 4-inch .44s, cocked to show Target Hammer with long & wide checkered spur (top), and bobbed spur (bottom). The bobbed hammer works better for gloved shooting in winter



-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"

[bradshaw]

Salute to Lee Martin for posting this "photo essay” (the term is Lee’s) on these old school Smith & Wessons. Photos shot Christmas day 2017 after a breakfast of homegrown sausage and bacon, and prior to slinging lead under conditions contrived to mimic a blizzard. Sixguns sure make it easy to collect brass.
David Bradshaw

[Fowler]

David that old warhorse 29 speaks to me every time you break her out for pictures. Oh the stories she could tell...

[mk70ss]

Always wanted a Highway Patrolman. Great photos. Thanks.

[paul105]

Like Fowler, that "high mileage" 29 speaks to me.

I have a 19-3 that had the frame-mounted TRIGGER STOP work itself loose and kept the gun from firing (it was removed).

If I remember correctly, the threads on the ejector rod were changed (from right handed to left handed or vice versa) at some point in time. Do you remember which vintage guns are different? I had it written down somewhere, but can't find it now.

Thanks,

Paul

[paul105]

Found it -- pretty sure this came from the Smith & Wesson forum:


QUESTION:

"I have two older K22s (K161xxx and K213xxx). Which way (clockwise or counter clockwise) do I turn the ejector rod to unscrew it?"

ANSWER:

They are both right-hand threads so turn them counter-clockwise to remove.


Paul

[alukban]

Hey David,

Can please you go into why you cut/shaped the grip that way in the bottom pic?

[bradshaw]

Bill.... fortunately, the little 29 speaks only one language.

mk70ss.... back in the 1950’s and 60’s, when the M-27 retailed @ $125, S&W eliminated the high polish and fine checkering on top to create the M-28 Highway Patrolman, $85 retail. Bill Ruger called the M-28 “... a hell of a bargain.” His own Blackhawk listed $87.50 at the time. Today, 85 skins may fetch up short.

paul105.... page 178, 125 Years with Smith & Wesson, 1977 by Roy G. Jinks----K frame Target Model engineering changes----the EXTRACTOR ROD thread was changed from right hand to left hand thread on 22 December 1959. Identified by -1 after model number. Serial number “unknown.”

A note on extractor rods: never put Loctite on the threads. If anything, I use a dab of Anti-Seize Compound, especially on the stainless guns. I periodically check tightness of the extractor rod with finger pressure. Never use a steel jaw plier in direct contact with the extractor rod. If an EXTRACTOR ROD loosens, the THUMBPIECE will not push the CENTER PIN far enough forward to smoothly open the cylinder. In practice, the center pin should poke a few thousandths past the extractor rod, to prevent the extractor rod hanging up on the locking bolt (in the barrel underlug.
David Bradshaw

[bradshaw]

Jan 30, 2018 11:41:42 GMT -5 alukban said:

Hey David,

Can please you go into why you cut/shaped the grip that way in the bottom pic?

*****


Had to get rid of the big fat square butt on factory Goncalo Alves to facilitate a fast draw, to index my hand the same each draw, and protect my ribs on a fall. Factory stock on this 29-2 came contoured properly to arc into the trigger guard. Later on, the pattern changed, wherein the wood is perpendicular to the trigger guard----instead of curving to join the arc. A properly shaped factory stock allows further contouring to position the middle finger a bit higher. Enhancing protection of the middle finger against recoil.

The scallop in the left panel is enlarged to better eject shells, and to allow a straighter shot with the HKS speed loader, the best speed loader of all time; leastwise if you want it to survive smashing around and still work perfectly. Over the years, the grips have been rubbed with everything from Danish oil and tung to nose oil (my nose). No doubt a DNA test would show a little gun oil.

The grip is thinner at the front for fingers, maintaining thickness at the back for recoil. Shoulders of the panels were thick from the factory and remain thick to spread recoil. The grip served to clean----double action----a bank of IHMSA chickens off the 50 meter rail with Federal 44B 180 JHP, a load which deflates deer lungs with equal aplomb. A load which won’t ricochet of the forehead wedge go a big pig like a 9mm or some .357s that don’t impact square to the bone.

All of which may help explain why retirement is not in vocabulary of a fine gun.
David Bradshaw

[awp101]

All of them are great but that 4" Model 28 is the one that does it for me. One day I'll want one bad enough to go with my 4" 29 to move it up The List. Maybe this year...

Another fine piece of work gentlemen!

[bradshaw]

In compliment on current interest in the S&W K-38----Model 14----a look at the lockwork may help illustrate various details.... to include a reminder the the EJECTOR ROD attaches to the EJECTOR STAR via left-hand thread. S&W change to left-hand ejector rod thread somewhere around 1960.

Case hardened hammer & trigger
Prior to adoption of MIM (Metal Injection Molding) parts, S&W hammer & triggers were made of carbon steel by drop forging, machined to final configuration. To harden surface against wear and friction, the parts were case carburized (case hardened). Stoning or polishing which penetrates the hard surface exposes softer mass. To perform a “trigger job” which removes the hard skin results in a fugitive trigger----the pull quickly degrades in use; especially single action letoff.

S&W intended to introduce its stainless revolvers with a stainless steel hammer & trigger. The hardware lacked strength & hardness. S&W solved problem by flash chroming the standard drop-forged, machined, case-hardened carbon steel hammer & trigger.
David Bradshaw

[bigbrowndog]

David the rear sight in the bobbed hammer 29, looks aftermarket?? Whose is it??

Trapr

[bradshaw]

Feb 27, 2022 20:21:47 GMT -5 bigbrowndog said:

David the rear sight in the bobbed hammer 29, looks aftermarket?? Whose is it??

Trapr

*****

Trapr.... MIllett, for the old N-frame. Good sight, window a bit narrower than factory .125” (1/8-inch) notch. Got along fine with the factory rear sight, white outline. One night in the local saloon, a young muscular type adopted a fortified attitude against sensible behavior. Which resulted in a rough embrace on the floor. Much younger and stronger than me, so I had to finesse his gross motor approach. When things sugared off, he was peaceful. Meanwhile, the 4-inch 29 had escaped my holster... ended up under the cigarette machine. Retrieved sixgun but didn’t notice until the next day the sight slide was bent, with a hairline crack starting in the notch. Had the old Millett laying around, so on it went. The Millett had a busy white-outline pa, which I painted black.
David Bradshaw