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Thread: S&W Model 18

  1. #1
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    S&W Model 18

    A few months ago, I was looking around at my favorite LGS and found a couple of older S&W revolvers with honest wear at a reasonable price: Model 18 no dash, and model 28-2. While I dithered, the 18 disappeared. I put money on the 28-2, made a deal for it, and brought it home for not too much cash. My first and only N-frame, I enjoy it. With my J-frame level mouse fart .38 Specials, it’s one kind of a hoot to shoot. With full power .357 loads, it’s another. About all I want to regularly shoot in a handgun.

    A couple of weeks ago, I was back, and that dang 18 was back. Seems a guy put it on layaway, and then never bought it. I looked it over, chewed them down a touch, and put some money on it. Paid it off yesterday and took it home.

    Pics:

    As it came home - Pachmayr Presentation grips
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    Crap attached to the trigger guard removed, Goodyear’s removed
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    S&W Magnas and a T-grip I’ve had around for 20 years or so. Might get something else, like one of the grips @Sherman A House DDS is selling.
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    Last edited by Duelist; 10-05-2018 at 03:53 PM.

  2. #2
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    Richmond, VA
    Congrats! Love the 4" K frames like the M15/17/18. I looked for one for some time and they were always more than $800 in not beat up shape. Lucked into a 4" M17 for a song.
    Adam

  3. #3
    Site Supporter OlongJohnson's Avatar
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    Mar 2015
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    "carbine-infested rural (and suburban) areas"
    I put a little work into tuning up a Pachmayr Presentation, and am pretty happy with how it came out.

    By "a little work," I mean that I realized after I was done that I could have just worked at my real job and earned the overtime to buy some Herrett's and come out ahead.
    .
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    Not another dime.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by OlongJohnson View Post
    I put a little work into tuning up a Pachmayr Presentation, and am pretty happy with how it came out.

    By "a little work," I mean that I realized after I was done that I could have just worked at my real job and earned the overtime to buy some Herrett's and come out ahead.
    LOL! The Herretts Dr House is selling are what I emailed him about this afternoon.
    Last edited by Duelist; 10-05-2018 at 05:10 PM.

  5. #5
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    Dec 2011
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    Bellingham WA
    I had one for many years and foolishly sold it. I carried it for many miles walking about on a friends farm. Shoot bricks of ammo through it. Great fun. Enjoy.
    Semper Paratus,

    Steve

  6. #6
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    Shot it yesterday. Nice gun! Very accurate and easy to shoot. Shot a 4"x2" offhand single action group at 20 yards, and cut out the X on the repair center DA at 7 yards. 50/50 dot Torture at 5 yards.

    Not perfect, though. Chambering rounds requires firmly placing them in the chambers, and checking to make sure they're all the way in. Not quite fully chambered rounds drag on the frame, are probably the cause for the 10 or so misfires (all fired on the second whack, so I assume the first seated them in the chamber), and extraction was ridiculous. It's a freaking .22. My Single Six is faster and smoother only extracting one at a time. I have never seen anything like this before. I mean, full-house .357 magnums are easier to extract from my 13-3 or 28-2. .38 Specials are nothing to extract from any of a variety of .38 and .357 revolvers I've used.

    I had to switch hands and whack the rod, hard, with my right. 100 rounds in, it was harder than it started, and I was done with that. It was a relief to switch to my G26 and run a box through it before I left the range.

    I've done a bit of research, seems that a lot of the K22 family have tight chambers that require polishing, or even reaming, before they will act normal. One guy on rimfire central said he was at a big rimfire revolver match, and there were basically two groups of K22 shooters: those whose guns had to be beaten on to extract empties, and those who'd had their chambers reamed.

    Sounds like this 60 year old gun hasn't had that done, and will likely either be making a trip to the mother ship, or to a good smith. The extraction problem subtracted a lot from the fun factor. It wasn't fun enough to want to shoot hundreds of rounds through, which is one of the reasons I got it, so fixed it will be.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duelist View Post
    Shot it yesterday. Nice gun! Very accurate and easy to shoot. Shot a 4"x2" offhand single action group at 20 yards, and cut out the X on the repair center DA at 7 yards. 50/50 dot Torture at 5 yards.

    Not perfect, though. Chambering rounds requires firmly placing them in the chambers, and checking to make sure they're all the way in. Not quite fully chambered rounds drag on the frame, are probably the cause for the 10 or so misfires (all fired on the second whack, so I assume the first seated them in the chamber), and extraction was ridiculous. It's a freaking .22. My Single Six is faster and smoother only extracting one at a time. I have never seen anything like this before. I mean, full-house .357 magnums are easier to extract from my 13-3 or 28-2. .38 Specials are nothing to extract from any of a variety of .38 and .357 revolvers I've used.

    I had to switch hands and whack the rod, hard, with my right. 100 rounds in, it was harder than it started, and I was done with that. It was a relief to switch to my G26 and run a box through it before I left the range.

    I've done a bit of research, seems that a lot of the K22 family have tight chambers that require polishing, or even reaming, before they will act normal. One guy on rimfire central said he was at a big rimfire revolver match, and there were basically two groups of K22 shooters: those whose guns had to be beaten on to extract empties, and those who'd had their chambers reamed.

    Sounds like this 60 year old gun hasn't had that done, and will likely either be making a trip to the mother ship, or to a good smith. The extraction problem subtracted a lot from the fun factor. It wasn't fun enough to want to shoot hundreds of rounds through, which is one of the reasons I got it, so fixed it will be.
    Don't ream it. Use a slightly larger (25-30 cal) nylon bristle bore brush and scrub the chambers every few dozen rounds. It doesn't take a lot once you get it cleaned properly the first time. If you do that, the rounds will drop in and easily extract.

    Chris

  8. #8
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    Allen, TX
    Clean it well and see how it does. If it continues to stick, you may have burrs on the back of the charge holes where some booger eater dry fired the gun, causing the burrs/displaced steel. There is a guy on the Cast Boolits Forum that goes by DougGuy. He does a professional service to restore these cylinders and also reams and uniforms cylinder throats on revolvers to improve cast bullet accuracy. I highly recommend him for this type of service.

    My Model 18 is one of my favorites and is an excellent urban problem solver when loaded with CB Longs...
    Last edited by Wayne Dobbs; 10-09-2018 at 02:17 PM.
    Regional Government Sales Manager for Aimpoint, Inc. USA
    Co-owner Hardwired Tactical Shooting (HiTS)

  9. #9
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    Jun 2011
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    In exile
    I have a M18, great pistol! I got mine new in 1980, I paid for it, Dad bought it. It's one of those never sell guns. It has always had sticky chambers but some ammo does better than others. Try different brands of .22 and clean the chambers often. I *think* I remember CCI extracting better than some.

    My brother and I went through so much .22 out in the woods, me with my M18 and Remington Speedmaster him with his Erma PPK lookalike .22 and Ruger 10/22.

  10. #10
    Site Supporter OlongJohnson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Dobbs View Post
    Clean it well and see how it does. If it continues to stick, you may have burrs on the back of the charge holes where some booger eater dry fired the gun, causing the burrs/displaced steel. There is a guy on the Cast Boolits Forum that goes by DougGuy. He does a professional service to restore these cylinders and also reams and uniforms cylinder throats on revolvers to improve cast bullet accuracy. I highly recommend him for this type of service.
    There's also the Menck chamber ironing tool, if you can find one. I've used it on several used rimfire purchases. Not rocket surgery.

    https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forum....php?t=1080098
    .
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    Not another dime.

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