I have this old gun w/pics.

[gunboat]

Smle-man -- Funny you should remember the ye olde hunter -- alexandria virginia, on the wharf foot of king street --
In 1957 I bought one the #5 RB's in 7 mm for the grand total of $4.95.
Also available were berdan I's and II's but I had no idea where I could get an extra $14.95 :-)
Another gem setting on the wharf were the Boyd 55cal anti-tank rifles complete with bipod skid for about $50 or so.
thanks for the memory --

[bsg]

a nice piece of history and an interesting thread.

[Mike A]

Bruceflinch: I am old, retired, and probably have much more typing time than the average Calgunner. All this adds up to somewhat "gassy" postings.....

[Donny1]

It looks to be missing the rear sight.

Yes it is missing.

So I managed to strip it completely after a good dose of penetrating oil on the screws with no further damage or scratches. I am missing one screw that goes through the trigger guard and one for the rear barrel band. The others are kind of mangled but came out ok.

So how far should I go from here. It was mentioned to not clean it until it's bright but I really want to get all of the rusty crud out from inside the receiver and clean up the internals. Was this rifle blued? Should I even think of going that far? The wood is tragic as far as dents and wear but mostly complete and I figure it's not really worth trying to "restore" it, it has character. Should I just just clean it up, soak it in something first or what? Like I said, surface rust but really no pitting.

[Donny1]

One is just a free floating pin retained by a cross pin that "bounces" back

This one, and sadly it is broken.

[redking]

Haven't you seen pawn stars? Never try and restore an antique gun!

LOL

[Cloudy]

I am missing one screw that goes through the trigger guard and one for the rear barrel band.

Kenn Womack at Rollingblockparts.com has various screws that may serve your needs. I have dealt with him and have been happy with the parts.

[Donny1]

Yes, I found many sources, the screw is $6 and the firing pin is $15.

I started cleaning the trigger group with the Electrolysis method and after the first run, about an hour, all the screws and pins came free and then I did all the pieces separately. It all came out awesome.

I have a question for anyone who has done this. When the parts come out they have a coating of black oxide. It scrubs off easily but then you are left with an unprotected piece that will start to rust almost instantly. It does not seem like a durable coating but would it provide some protection and possibly cure or harden at all if you left it on? Is it corrosive? It's not a bad looking finish. Any ideas on a coating for the internals? I ended up putting oil on the parts for now. Also, what about cleaning the receiver that way, maybe standing it up so just the receiver and chamber get the treatment, or even the entire barrel?

Thoughts?