Smith Model 10-2 38 Special.

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Overall very good. At some point the hammer spur was ground off. For some reason the right side of the hammers bearing surface was also roughly ground out.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Plans are a partial restoration.

I located a color cased hammer with medium width spur.

Since the springs are 59 years old a Wolff kit with type 1 (factory weight) mainspring and reduced power rebound springs.

Grips on the gun are not original, sn doesn't match and they are trashed anyway. So a set of walnut Altamont Ropers is in the works.

I may insert brass in the front sight but have not decided yet on a dot, Patridge or split with vertical brass insert.

May also trim a 16th from the muzzle and crown to eliminate any potential cleaning rod wear.

At this point I'm not planning bluing, but am working on getting the white paint out of the lettering.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Located a new old stock blue extractor rod with the correct left hand thread. How to be sure its a left hand thread before applying torque? One method, hard to see here due to all the damage on the original extractor rod, is as follows.....

General rule of thumb....(smith has used righty tighty and lefty tighty variously through the years).

If the extractor rod, (looking left to right) is knurled, then a shallow groove, then full diameter rod shaft, its a reverse (left) thread. To remove, the rod itself must rotate clockwise as you look down from above, (cylinder rotates counter clockwise looking down from above)

If the extractor rod, (looking left to right) is knurled, then full diameter rod shaft, it may be a standard right hand thread....and then again, it may not!

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
So, to remove and install an extractor rod without boogering it up you can get an extractor rod tool and have it slip and booger the surface, or use plyers and booger the surface.....or chuck it in a three jaw chuck. Tight but not so tight as to crush the housing. Right tight and it won't slip. Assembly torque is typically only 40 to 50 inch pounds....if it was done right by the last person and they didn't apply loc tight or other goop.

Chuck it up. Be sure to insert 6 fired 357 mag cases in your 38 special cylinder. They fit snug, support the extractor star and will help prevent breaking off the alignment tab and both alignment pins at the rear of the cylinder.

Hold the cylinder with your paw.

Turn the chuck in the proper direction with your other paw. Sometimes it helps to turn it both ways to release the old grip. Firm and gentle, if that makes sense.

Once it turns loose, take it off the chuck and finish by hand.

Assembly is in the reverse. (For assembly, I only recommend dry lube only on the internal parts. EEZOX is fine, applied sparingly so that it drys.) Gas gets in here and on the axle of the yoke, oil and grease will become glue binding you cylinder. Dry lube won't glue the works.

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v8stang289

Twelve Pointer
Awesome, I've wanting one of those for a shooter for a while, hard to find at decent prices.
Stock grips with a t-grip would be my preference. But the altamonts will be nice as well.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Picked it up under 300 so there is some room to spiff it up a bit. Arthritis in my knuckles now. Need big grips because every year my hands bend less and grasp lighter.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Awesome, I've wanting one of those for a shooter for a while, hard to find at decent prices.
Stock grips with a t-grip would be my preference. But the altamonts will be nice as well.

Stop at Fuquay Gun and Gold. They have a 10-6, square butt, 4" in fair to good cosmetic, good mechanical condition under $300. It would make a good worker or even a project (as there is some speckeling and light pits on the exterior from carry.) Bolt notches are not peaned, cylinder notches look fine and I suspect its still a pretty tight revolver. Bore is listed as bright and smooth.
 

v8stang289

Twelve Pointer
Stop at Fuquay Gun and Gold. They have a 10-6, square butt, 4" in fair to good cosmetic, good mechanical condition under $300. It would make a good worker or even a project (as there is some speckeling and light pits on the exterior from carry.) Bolt notches are not peaned, cylinder notches look fine and I suspect its still a pretty tight revolver. Bore is listed as bright and smooth.
10-6 is a heavy barrel isn't it? I had one that was a police trade in several years ago, didnt like the look or feel of the heavy barrel though. I should've kept it anyway for the $125 I paid for it, Sold it for $200 to fund another gun.
 

Mr.Gadget

Old Mossy Horns
10-6 is a heavy barrel isn't it? I had one that was a police trade in several years ago, didnt like the look or feel of the heavy barrel though. I should've kept it anyway for the $125 I paid for it, Sold it for $200 to fund another gun.
I like that weight gun in a 2 to 2.5" barrel. Had several over the years in the 4", great shooter but fixed sight and heavy barrel just don't fit my likes.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I'd be very surprised if the inside of the barrel doesn't look like the outside of the barrel. That price reflects Covid $$...no other reason for that revolver not to be in the very low $200's. It looks like it should be a good boat gun to shoot rat shot out of.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
depends on whether or not you want it and whether you want to negotiate with them. Price is a meeting of the minds. As to covid, its always pay to play, and even pre covid, if you didn't want to pay, you didn't get to play. I don't see that the basic rules of the game have changed.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Thanks, that's what I'm looking for, but a little rougher than what I'm after. I don't mind finish wear or a little roughness, but that one seems to have quite a bit of pitting. Hopefully i can get up that way soon and check it out in person to see how bad it is.

Appears to me the cylinder notches are not peened. Id venture a guess its fine mechanically. Just a bit turdish on the outside. Fill the pitts with lead or just bead blast and then dura/cera coat it.....or just leave it in the boat as is. I think a face to face cash buyer will get it under the gunbroker start price.
 
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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Walnut Ropers arrived. They look grand. Totally changes the guns feel and stance. Unfortunately the remaining parts, due yesterday, remain locked in the Greensboro USPS Hell Zone. But I did receive a new air cleaner for the 37 Dodge. Only 22 days from Iowa via 2 day priority mail!
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Supplies continue to trickle in via USPS. Second to arrive was the incorrect extraction rod. Seems the seller did not understand how to determine if a part was left threaded and had his right threaded rods for sale as left thread. Once he understood, I received a refund since all his rods are conventional thread, e.g. right hand, for more modern S&Ws. So, I went to US Parts and seemingly have another NOS extractor rod inbound, at lower cost and hopefully, threaded left hand.

For now, hammer is in and its lovely. Wolff type 1 mainspring (full power) beside it. I can't recommend reduced power main springs for any firearm. Small hammers need velocity and large (SAA Style) hammers are slow. A reduced power mainspring slows a light hammer too much and makes an already slow heavy hammer, even slower. Besides, the type one gives a fine feel at the same power level and 90 percent of the triggers sprung feel is in the rebound spring.

Factory rebound springs in these are 18 lbs. Typically, wolff 13 to 15 lb springs provide wonder feel, reduced trigger weight and will properly and smartly return the trigger post shot. I tried all three. All three worked fine, even cycling quickly. So, in went the 13 pounder.

Here the hammers and main springs side by side.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
The new hammer installed and it passes all safety and function checks. Had there been problems, its a simple matter to swap the sear levers. I'll retain the old hammer for "spares", lever, firing pin, mainspring loop. Hammer retains fine case colors and has a fine and low mileage firing pin.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Upon testing, the single action trigger pull was noted to be a crisp 2 lbs 8 oz and as you can see below, the double action pull is down from the typical 12 lbs to an easily manageable 7 lbs 6 oz.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
And here, the Altimont Walnut Ropers in place. All but done now, just need that extractor. In the event none suitable arrives I suppose I can clean up and reblue the original extractor rod. Sure wish folks didn't mess them up so badly. Functionally its no issue but it sure looks like hell.

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