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I've got this old .38 Special S&W that my father bought used in Arizona after a break-in during the early seventies. I'm told it was a police trade-in.
My father had never fired it and it had been stored in a leather holster until early this summer. It had a tiny bit of rust on the outside, so I took it to Rich's Gun Shop, where I was charged a fortune to have it checked out and the surface rust taken off - and the finish marred (a side effect that seems obvious now, but didn't really occur to me at the time). They said "seems to lock up okay" when I picked it up, but I didn't know what that meant at the time either.
I've put about 400-500 rounds through it since then (almost all Remington UMC from Bi-Mart).
Lately, I've noticed that lead or sparks or some sort seem to be shaving off the bullets when fired. Standing on the left side (and a step back) of someone firing the pistol may or may not get you a nice hot fleck of something on your neck or forearm. I don't know if this is unusual, or something to be expected from a revolver this old that has been neglected for almost forty years.
Additionally, I've noticed that the cylinder has a little bit of play in after it has been locked into position. Not a lot, but I'm still new to shooting and don't know if should be rock solid still, or if there's an acceptable level of play before it needs work.
What do you think?
Also, if adjustments are needed, is this something I can do myself? What tools are needed? I'm pretty handy if someone can give me the idea. I'd like to avoid another large bill at a gunsmith if possible.
My father had never fired it and it had been stored in a leather holster until early this summer. It had a tiny bit of rust on the outside, so I took it to Rich's Gun Shop, where I was charged a fortune to have it checked out and the surface rust taken off - and the finish marred (a side effect that seems obvious now, but didn't really occur to me at the time). They said "seems to lock up okay" when I picked it up, but I didn't know what that meant at the time either.
I've put about 400-500 rounds through it since then (almost all Remington UMC from Bi-Mart).
Lately, I've noticed that lead or sparks or some sort seem to be shaving off the bullets when fired. Standing on the left side (and a step back) of someone firing the pistol may or may not get you a nice hot fleck of something on your neck or forearm. I don't know if this is unusual, or something to be expected from a revolver this old that has been neglected for almost forty years.
Additionally, I've noticed that the cylinder has a little bit of play in after it has been locked into position. Not a lot, but I'm still new to shooting and don't know if should be rock solid still, or if there's an acceptable level of play before it needs work.
What do you think?
Also, if adjustments are needed, is this something I can do myself? What tools are needed? I'm pretty handy if someone can give me the idea. I'd like to avoid another large bill at a gunsmith if possible.