Can this pistol be restored?

[paulsharvey]

"Made functional" is cheaper than "restored."

Bruce

Soak it in some diesel and see what a tooth brush and some elbow grease will do for you. it doesn't look like it's really bad off at all, and likely is a good soak and an hour of your time drinking beer from working. After that point, I would probably leave it in the rough.

 

[Oldpath05]

Maybe this stuff can clean that pistol up>> Gibbs Brand Lubricant, Penetrant, Water Repellent, Fights Corrosion 12 oz Spray | eBay

If a firearm wont fire it's worthless to me, I dont care if Abraham Lincoln own it or Wild Bill, Jessie James, John Wayne, even if my grandpa had it back in 1846. If I own an original antique 1851 navy, it's gonna be fixed up to date so it can fire, or sell it to someone on here and I'll buy a Uberti.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

If you really want it restored, these guys can probably do it. If they can't, then it can't be done. Period.

Turnbull Restoration & Manufacturing Co.

But brace yourself. This is gonna hurt. A lot.

I agree with just giving it a thorough, gentle cleaning, with mild cleaner and a soft brush, and just put it under glass in a shadow box, and put it up on the mantle. Maybe make a little plaque that says who owned it and through what years.

 

[TCJatko]

Soak it in some diesel and see what a tooth brush and some elbow grease will do for you. it doesn't look like it's really bad off at all, and likely is a good soak and an hour of your time drinking beer from working. After that point, I would probably leave it in the rough.

I agree with this. Soak it, run a bore brush through it, and use it.

 

[flyerdan]

Probably the first thing to do would be to open it up and judge the condition of the internals. Brownell's doesn't even list the brand, so finding parts might be extremely difficult.

 

[F3506]

Even if financial considerations were not that important, I'd be tempted to only get it to firing condition and possibly preserve the remaining finish as is. I've got a couple of single shot shotguns from my great grandfather from back around 1900. They are in better shape than yours, and still are sound and fire, but I don't want to do anything beyond take care of them and keep them from getting worse.

These were mass produced single shot models, so even at that age, not a lot of monetary value in them, but it's a nice part of personal history to hold on to.

 

[MossRoad]

I've got an old pistol in pieces that belonged to someone in my dad's family a long time ago (so I've been told). It cannot and will not ever be fired. The cylinder wobbles in the frame and if you were to fire it, there's a good chance the chamber won't be lined up with the barrel. Yikes! Anyhow, I keep it in a bag in the gun safe just for centimental reasons, and look at it once in a while. Makes me smile and that's good enough for that gun.

 

[nybirdman]

About the worst thing you can do to any old gun is restore it; destroys any value that it had.That particular gun is not worth putting any money into.

 

[k0ua]

I agree that Turnbull could make it like brand new, but why bother? Leave it as is and put it on the mantle if it pleases you.

A friend sent an old python in to Colt many years ago for restoration. But a Python was worth restoring then, and darn sure is now. It was a thing of beauty when it came back totally repaired and totally refinished. He spend several hundred dollars but it was worth every penny. Now that Pythons have almost "cult status" what with the Rick Grimes thing and all, it was a good move. The H&A .32 tip up? um.. not so much.

 

[TractorGuy]

I would soak it a couple of days in 50% vinegar and water and clean it up with a gray scotch bright pad to see how it cleans up. If the cylinder has any play at all I would never fire it.