S&W Model of 1905 resurrection

[Snyd]

Model 1905 4th Change Hand Ejector, 4 inch.

My Father In Law used to keep this one in the motorhome under a pile of stuff. My Mother In Law kept the ammo under another pile of stuff somewhere else in the motorhome. Both were probably kept in the basement under other piles before that. We lost both Bill and Gloria a year apart a few years back. I have no idea when or where Bill acquired the gun but he was not a shooter. I doubt he ever fired it much at all. But there are a few rounds missing from the old box of ammo.

This poor ol thing was covered in a layer of something and gummed up pretty bad. Cocked hammer would push off if you barely breathed on it. I cleaned it up good, oiled it and put it away. That was about 5 years ago. A few days ago I dug it out, found out/remembered the hammer push off. Well what the heck…. time for a little “basement bubba” gunsmithin. Well, I stoned a little here and there and by golly ended up fixing it and having a pretty nice SA trigger pull to boot. I also smoothed up the DA pull. I swear the mainspring is about a 50 pounder though! I’ll dry fire it a bunch, maybe it’ll loosen it up some and strenghten my trigger finger while I’m at it I’m sure this gun has sat more over the last 50+ years than it’s been shot.

Near as I can figure it’s a mid 20’s gun which means it's heat treated. Serial numbers match on frame, cylinder and written on inside of grip. I might just spend the 50 bucks and get a letter from S&W.

Timing seems fine, cylinder locks up before hammer fall. Bore and cylinders look very good. Some pitting on one side of the barrel. Bluing is gone in places and under normal light has a nice patina actually. Kind of bronze/brown. In the direct sun as you can see it looks pretty brown. I kind of like it. I think I’ll leave it just the way it is, load some 150gr lead rn over 4-4.5gr Unique and shoot it, shoot it, shoot it.

[lah]

That's the real deal.

[petep]

Very nice!!

[dougader]

Those are sweet revolvers. I have bid on a few and they always end up too rich for my blood.

[Snyd]

Well, I lit off a few last weekend. 150gr from my Lee 6 Banger Mould over 4.3gr Unique. I was gonna load some at 4 and some at 4.5 but the Powder Disk I started with dropped 4.3 so I just went with it. POI is pretty much POA with this load at 18ish yds, wrist rest. I'm happy for my first outing/load and with the sights on it. Very narrow rear and tough for me to focus on the front sight. Tough  for me to be very confident shooting a group at the bullseye.

First 12 rounds on left, second 6 on the right. I chased around a few pop cans and shot some DA in between. I'd say this is the first this ol thing has been shot in 30-40 years, maybe longer. I did got some lead spitting. I think it's a cylinder gap/endshake issue. I'll have to work on that and maybe lighten up the SA trigger a little more.

[awp101]

I certainly like it! Enjoy that one!

[lah]

Once the mechanics are as they should be you'll have a good shooter. The sights will be what they are though.

[revolvergeek]

Congrats! I am sucker for those old revolvers.

[magnumwheelman]

I'm not huge on the history, but isn't that likely one of the 1st 38 Specials... I know I have a few S&W a little older & those are all 38 S&W...

I like shooting the old stuff almost better than some of the new stuff...

[Snyd]

Oct 29, 2014 10:29:24 GMT -5 magnumwheelman said:

I'm not huge on the history, but isn't that likely one of the 1st 38 Specials... I know I have a few S&W a little older & those are all 38 S&W...

I like shooting the old stuff almost better than some of the new stuff...

I've read up on these some. Theres quite a bit of info on the internet about these old Smiths. 38 S&W Special hit the Hand Ejector in like 1899. Here's a Gunblast article. www.gunblast.com/Cumpston_SW-MP.htm


Then it went through a few changes/refinements. Model 1903 and Model 1905...1,2,3 and4 "changes" As near as I can tell mine is the 4th change which then became the M&P Military and Police Model 10. My wife has an 80's k frame stainless 4inch that is essentially the stainless Model 10 but it has a bull barrel. Same action as this 1920's gun.

I've just casted up some 155gr swc's from an old Lee mould that a guy gave me with a box of stuff a few years back. At that time there were a few boolits there as well. I loaded em up and shot them from the wifeys 38 and my Det. Special and they grouped much better than these round nose boolits. I'll try em in this gun and see how they shoot.

[magnumwheelman]

sounds like fun...

[Snyd]

Here's a pic of the barrel. Did they not cut forcing cones back in the 20's? I see a few machine lines but no definite forcing cone. I'm thinking about cutting one. Thoughts?

[bradshaw]

snyd.... per your photos and notes, seems revolver suffered more from storage than carry or shooting. Might want to contact S&W for price on:
* reblue.
* case hardening hammer & trigger.

Recall seeing revolvers with case hardened frames at S&W. Many of the shops in the Connecticut River Valley, a.k.a. gun alley, surface hardened, including but hardly limited to Stevens, Colt's, Sharps, Winchester, and Smith & Wesson.

S&W may not offer case hardening. Others knowledgeable on lockwork can tell you whether lockwork parts interchange with similar drop forged parts made after WW II. I rather doubt it. Certainly the hammer spur differs. Don't know when the S&W hammer block was introduced, but it's actuated by a pin in the trigger rebound slide. S&W suffered a metals-class range fire----around 1978-'79----in the building which housed the service department, across Roosevelt Avenue from the factory. Much of the inventory of ancient revolver parts was stored there. The test range hadn't been swept lately. Firing ignited unburned powder granules, with loss of historic inventory.

You do not want to lose the original lockwork of your revolver. In stoning to improve single action, you probably penetrated the case hardening; reason enough to re-case harden.

It may be that value would be improved by restoration at Smith & Wesson. If not, my inclination would be to shoot it as is, keeping in mind case hardening of hammer & trigger.

Should you send your gem to S&W, pull those beautiful grips for safe keeping and note fact in cover letter.
David Bradshaw

[Snyd]

Thanks for all the info and tips David. I contacted S&W a few weeks ago about rebluing/resotration and they said they will not work on the gun, that they don't have parts anymore. You've explained where the parts went. They referred me to Precision Bluing. I may look into them or someones else. Since this gun isn't mint and since they made about 500,000 of them, it doesn't have the high dollar/collector value. It's not for sale anyway.

[bradshaw]

Standing over his shoulder as Smith & Wesson guru mechanic Al Plaas tuned and overhauled my revolvers, I was privileged to hear tales from the manufacturing and service side of some of the revolvers we shoot. (His knowledgeable touch included such tasks as setting back a barrel to eliminate forcing cone erosion---needless to say, timing the barrel perfectly.) A .38 known as the Victory Model was made in great quantity to offset huge wartime demand for the 1911. According to Plaas, tolerances were intentionally loosened for the Victory Model to at once speed production and improve reliability in sand and grit. "You don't want to put it against your 19's and 29's," he said.
David Bradshaw