$338 haul from Bass Pro today

[Stopsign32v]

I'm working on buying a good grade new grip frame and ejector rod housing.

I do really appreciate all the helpful advice though!

 

[Ale-8(1)]

The ERH can be easily replaced,, as can the grip frame to make the appearance much better. And you have the OM XR3-RED grip frame. Originally the grip frames were marked XR3. The RED stands for "Redesigned."

No! That's an Old Model. The .41's all had XR3-RED grip frames, except for the rare few that had the brass grip frrame.

PS That's an absolute steal!

 

[Stopsign32v]

 

[arfmel]

Previous owner didn't waste much money or time on maintenance, maybe.

The grodoo on the grip frame screws is impressive. Mix it with warm water and it makes gravy.

 

[BULL'S-EYE]

Yeah, that's just plain grody!

 

[rugerguy]

all would clean up good with mineral spirits or even kerosene.......trouble with any of the aftermarket finishes like ceracoat, alumahyde, spray paint, Etc, is they are all coatings and do not hold up well to lots of use..and over the years I found very few folks that 'anodize' and could match the original finish( color) of the old Rugers,,,they'd come out every shade of 'dark except black so we too used alumahyde and if need be simply redid it after time,,,,,,,,,worked for us.....main reason we put the stainless Old Army parts on Freds old model 41 mag Blackhawk.........
here it is, with his other original version.......

 

[fiasconva]

Hope it cleans up well. Only one question: How in the heck did you get anyone at the firearms counter to wait on you? :unsure: It's a frustrating experience at my local BPS.

 

[Randyzzz]

Brownells Gun Kote is a heat curing product that has to be allowed with an airbrush. I haven’t done it myself but a friend has and it came out beautifully. He says it’s much better than AlumaHide.

 

[msp2640]

Congrats on your OM 41 find! My .02 input as I have a twin to it. This was my first Ruger SA, from the late 80s, original lock work and untouched. It looks better in the pic than it is, alot of bluing loss on the bbl, cyl and frame from either blood, sweat or water. I bought it cheap, with the intent to get it refinished. Life got in the way, other priorities, etc. Have probably put over 1K rds thru it, works flawlessly. Learned to appreciate the look, as it was part of its prior history. Now, I'm just a user and caretaker of it, til my son gets it. I found the well used holster on this forum yrs ago and it's a great match. Have many other 41s now, but this is still my favorite. Best of luck with it! Bill in MA

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Yeah, that's just plain grody!

It'll clean up. Like Dan says, kerosene works well, and even WD-40 will cut most of it given enough time and scrubbing. Nice gun.

 

[Stopsign32v]

Hope it cleans up well. Only one question: How in the heck did you get anyone at the firearms counter to wait on you? :unsure: It's a frustrating experience at my local BPS.

I cleaned the whole revolver inside and out with CLP and also WD40. Who actually knows the last time this revolver was this clean.

I thought the action was smooth before...Holy cow. I love hearing all the clicks when pulling the hammer back! And the trigger pull average is 2lbs 7oz.

It was in the gun library and there is always someone there to help you. What absolutely was killing me was how now Bass Pro has trigger locks on the guns and they have to make sure all the firearms are clear before handing them to you. Watching the salesmen fumble cock the hammer to between the 1st and 2nd cock and force the cylinder to move and then letting it back down without touching the trigger. I remember hearing the Colt SAA guys saying this is a big no no.

 

[DerekR]

I love to buy a well used gun for cheap.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

But to really appreciate improved balance of the 6 1/2" barrel and dampen recoil, consider a Ruger Old Army black powder steel grip frame that will bolt right on your gun. Won't cost you that much if you don't mind a little wear to match your gun. And a used steel ejector rod housing to replace the marked up alloy one on your gun will complete the package.

This ^^^^
I've done this to both of my OM flattop .44s and to me, it is a great improvement. My .44s were in similar condition to yours when I got them. One was a 7.5", which I kept in its original barrel length, the other was a 6.5" that I had cut to 4 5/8". John Gallagher, sadly no longer with us, did the work on both.

 

[Stopsign32v]

Looks quite a bit of difference with a new grip frame and ejector rod housing!

 

[SBHRSSSSS]

Man, that is niiice!

 

[contender]

Looking quite a good bit better for sure!

 

[Legion37]

Cool

 

[Hondo44]

The next thing to do is to clean up the hammer sides, Start with 600 grit paper laid on a hard perfectly flat surface. Keep the hammer vertical as you sand it.
Once it's clean progress to finer paper until the finish matches the brushed finish on a new hammer. However the brushed finish provides a good purchase for rust to form.
If you want to avoid rusting, work up to 2000 grit paper then a flat cloth on your hard surface coated with Semi-Chrome or Mother's Mag Wheel polish until it's fully polished, and never worry about rust again.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I have a small pane of glass I use for a base for flat sanding. Since I dabble in scale models I have grits to 3500 and 5K. Check out the modeling world for gun fixing supplies. The fine grits for modeling come as pads in variety packs cheap.

Check these out ---> CLICK HERE FOR FINE GRIT SANDING PADS

 

[Ethang]

I wouldn't care what the outside looks like...its the inside that matters... how is the barrel?

 

[wproct]

That was a great score. That revolver can be restored just as much as you wish. It can be a shooter or be restored to be quite nice.

 

[contender]

The barrel looks just fine.

 

[Donnieweps]

Although I've never smoked and despise being near it, what does smoking have to do with the seller in the OP's post. Nothing that I can see.

 

[Stopsign32v]

Although I've never smoked and despise being near it, what does smoking have to do with the seller in the OP's post. Nothing that I can see.

The holster and grips has/had a strong cigarette smell

 

[GasGuzzler]

Very basic but since the original owner was a smoker, the stuff he had being sold by the guy ... selling the stuff was grimy from ... the smoke. See?

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Heckuva deal that has turned out quite nicely. Congrats! :)

 

[GYJ44]

Hell of a deal, it cleaned up real nice. It would also be a great base gun for a custom. Tons of options. It would make a great minimum spec .45Colt or just simply gussied up and refinished. For me, I'd have to put a polished XR3 grip frame on it at the very least but with parts from Ronnie Wells, it could become a Bisley.

 

[BamaGreg]

Do it yourself home Cerakote will work fine on the grip frame or just strip it and leave it bare aluminum like a lot of people do.