How do you repair a 32 caliber Iver Johnson Third Model Safety revolver if the extractor doesn't push the cartridges out when you break open the action?

Answer 1

Repair of an Iver Johnson .32 caliber revolver that won't eject the cartridges. "1. Take it to a qualified gunsmith. 2. The gunsmith will find defects in and note which cylinder bores are defective, take the cylinder to a qualified welder to add small amounts of weld to one or more of the 5 cylinders, the gunsmith will rebore those cylinders, and reblue the cylinder. Cost is way more than the gun is worth unless you're awfully sentimental and/or rich. The cylinder will look real nice. You could then spend more to reblue the entire gun." 3. Punch out the empty cartridges with a tool every time. 4. Trade in. 5. Store it forever and let someone else deal with it upon inheritance. 6. I got one too, in pretty good condition, from ca. 1931, me and my sons have shot it a few times, those old cartridges from 1931 are now gone, a couple duds, bought new cartridges and keep it for home defense in case of 4 legged or 2 legged predators.

For a completely different answer to this question As an experienced gunsmith that specializes in these old pistols I apologize for disagreeing but welding on a cylinder for any reason is extremely dangerous and has little or nothing to do with extraction. Many of these old revolvers have simply lost a small part called an extractor hook. The barrels on these guns are very easily removed by one screw and the extractor hook falls out. Turn the gun upside down and look where the barrel pivot screw goes through the frame and barrel. You should see five layers sandwiched together. Two layers of the frame. Two layers of the barrel. And sandwiched at the center is the extractor hook. If there is an open space like on most of these old guns the extractor hook has been lost. I have a dozen or more of these antique break action revolvers laying around the shop and almost all of them are missing this simple part because it is easily lost. If that part is there then the problem is likely with the extractor. A star shaped piece set into the cylinder that pushes the spent cartridges out. The most likely problem is that the screw fitting on the end of the rod that goes through the cylinder has fallen off and been lost. The problem with restoring these old guns is that they can be very loose from much use. There are several easy ways to tighten them up for many more years of service but that is another subject. This problem sounds like simply a missing part that can be easily found on the internet and dropped right in.