Many of you are already grinning and know this story from personal experience.
I bought a minty Hopkins & Allen Double Action revolver, beautiful and darned near unused. When it came in the mail, I discovered it didn't cycle properly. Sometimes the cylinder would carry up without the hammer moving, other times the action locked entirely. If you let the trigger snap forward, it would work, sometimes.
It didn't work. That's why it was so minty. The seller forgot to mention that part, go figure.
Half an hour later I had it apart and was staring at the hammer, which has a little spring-loaded sear that drives the double action. The two little springs that were supposed to keep the sear pushed out, to engage the trigger, weren't doing their job. A closer examination showed they had been installed UPSIDE DOWN at the factory in 1890.
Now, someone had put this revolver in a very expensive, professional holster and carried it a bit. It might have worked 1 or maybe 2 tries out of 6. Maybe. It had never worked right. So, it hadn't been carried much, but still enough for the holster to show some significant wear. First as a pocket holster, and later the holster had been modified to become a belt holster. Yikes!
I put the little springs in right side up, put the gun back together, and immediately regretted not taking pictures. Well, now the little revolver works 6/6 tries, and is still minty. The bore, described as having "some pitting" was simply never cleaned of pocket lint, old grease, etc. Probably never fired, and certainly no pits. I was disappointed, my goal was to convert the revolver to a 17M2 or 22 WRF ... now, I have to leave it as it is. Like new. And, after 129 years, finally working properly, fixed and cleaned in half an hour.
It was a U.S. seller, nobody here, and I'm still grateful, so no, I won't name them. I'll cheerfully buy their next "like new" treasure, and wonder if I'll discover, after it arrives, why it's so nice.
I bought a minty Hopkins & Allen Double Action revolver, beautiful and darned near unused. When it came in the mail, I discovered it didn't cycle properly. Sometimes the cylinder would carry up without the hammer moving, other times the action locked entirely. If you let the trigger snap forward, it would work, sometimes.
It didn't work. That's why it was so minty. The seller forgot to mention that part, go figure.
Half an hour later I had it apart and was staring at the hammer, which has a little spring-loaded sear that drives the double action. The two little springs that were supposed to keep the sear pushed out, to engage the trigger, weren't doing their job. A closer examination showed they had been installed UPSIDE DOWN at the factory in 1890.
Now, someone had put this revolver in a very expensive, professional holster and carried it a bit. It might have worked 1 or maybe 2 tries out of 6. Maybe. It had never worked right. So, it hadn't been carried much, but still enough for the holster to show some significant wear. First as a pocket holster, and later the holster had been modified to become a belt holster. Yikes!
I put the little springs in right side up, put the gun back together, and immediately regretted not taking pictures. Well, now the little revolver works 6/6 tries, and is still minty. The bore, described as having "some pitting" was simply never cleaned of pocket lint, old grease, etc. Probably never fired, and certainly no pits. I was disappointed, my goal was to convert the revolver to a 17M2 or 22 WRF ... now, I have to leave it as it is. Like new. And, after 129 years, finally working properly, fixed and cleaned in half an hour.
It was a U.S. seller, nobody here, and I'm still grateful, so no, I won't name them. I'll cheerfully buy their next "like new" treasure, and wonder if I'll discover, after it arrives, why it's so nice.
