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S&W 36-2 Failures

worstenemy453worstenemy453 Member Posts: 1,041 ✭✭✭✭
edited October 2011 in Ask the Experts
I want to stock up on maybe a few parts for my S&W for that SHTF scenario when parts will be harder to acquire. This is maybe a 70'-80's model. I will be having some trigger work done to it.

What springs or misc parts would be good to grab up, or what is a common failure for this gun ?

Comments

  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,649 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    No offense.But if your seriously contemplating using it in a SHTF scenario you would be better served by trading it in for a hi-cap pistol. Their are a lot of police trade-in Glock 22's on the market that would be much better suited then a M 36.
  • Riomouse911Riomouse911 Member Posts: 3,492 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    First, buy a copy of Jerry Kuhnhausen's book "The S&W Revolvers: A Shop Manual." Then go to Brownells or any other online gunsmithing oriented site and order a full set of S&W springs, cylinder bearing shims in case of endshake, a hammer mounted firing pin (Or if so equipped a transfer bar and firing pin), and maybe an extra pawl / hand. You'll be set for just about forever.
  • worstenemy453worstenemy453 Member Posts: 1,041 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a high cap pistol that will also be getting spare parts bought for it ( XDM-45 ), i just want to make sure all of my guns can serve their purpose in that situation.
  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Honestly, you'll probably wear your finger out from pulling the trigger before you'll wear out any part of these steel snubnose J-frames; that's how durable they are.

    Yeah its possible to shoot them enough to create end-shake, or knock them out of time, but that's going to take a fairly high number of high power rounds, and very few individuals really stress these guns that much.

    As mentioned, unlike a Glock with its few easily replaceable parts, working on revolvers isn't trivial, so if you do want to work on these, you'll want the shop guide.

    On this vs that, a snubnose has its own merits, amongst them simplicity, compactness, and reliability. You can easily slip this gun into a pocket for quick/emergency use and that can't be said about something like a Glock.

    A 5-shot .38 is certainly not the best gun you can bring to a fight, but it might just be the best BACKUP gun. Looking at it from that perspective, I think in many cases, you'd be better off with a model 36 in your pocket than another magazine for your main gun.
  • tsr1965tsr1965 Member Posts: 8,682 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The parts you might want to get is the main spring, trigger return spring, main spring stirrip/strut, cylinder stop, cylinder bushings and shims, and a pawl or two. Then you might want to learn how to time that revolver. The principal is the same with most of them, just applied differently.

    For my M-36, and M-60's that I carry, I bob off the hammer spurr, and smothe the hammer body out where I took the spurr off, or blend it in. I then checker the very top of the hammer, so should I ever want to use it single action, I can do that. The bobbed hammer makes it nice to carry in a pocket.

    Best

    EDIT 1

    v35,

    Good point. The main spring should not be lightened in ANY carry gun. Reliability is the name of the game. The bobbed hammer, works with the full power mainspring, as you had mentioned, but if you lighten the main spring, you can get light hits.

    There are some moving/mating parts internally that can be pollished out to make for an exceptionally smoothe DA trigger pull. I never mess with the single action sear on a carry gun.

    Best
  • JorgeJorge Member Posts: 10,656 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    A snub 38 is an excellent choice for SHTF scenarios. They are small, light, concealable, uncomplicated, require little if any maintenance, and ammo is aplenty. One such goes into by BOB.

    The only failures I've ever experienced from old S&W's were the cylinder latch (M-10), and the cylinder stop itself (M-27). I'd get some of those - they should interchange between different models of the same frame size.

    An extra hand and sear, several end shake washers, along with main and rebound springs would also be nice. All those also interchange.
  • Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,365 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Consider parts, tools, and acquisition of knowhow
    versus
    a whole spare gun.
  • dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,969
    edited November -1
    My 36, bought about '67 and has had about 2,000 rounds through it still has all the original pieces in it.
    In all the years working on S&W revolvers, the only thing I have done to them are trigger jobs. I still have most of the parts I got in the early '70,s after going to Smiths school.
    The very rarely break.
  • peddlerpeddler Member Posts: 881 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    This may sound stupid but what is a SHTF scenario? Must be somthing from the Tea Party, lol
  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you're thinking of having trigger work... probably lightening DA pull and also bobbing the hammer, tell the pistolsmith you want good reliable primer indentation.
    He may say the hammer needs to be full weight if you want to play with hammer spring and trigger rebound spring to lighten the DA pull.
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