S & W .38 Special revolver

Question
Hello, I just received a S&W .38 special from my mother that has been sitting in a holster in her drawer for many years. It belonged to my father, who died 25 years ago. The gun has not been handled for at least that long. It is loaded with 5 cartridges. The cylinder will rotate but I cannot get it to eject, or flip out, to unload or reload the gun. How can I get the cylinder to come out?

Answer
I am assuming that you are pushing the cylinder release as you try to open it. Accumulated dust could make it "sticky," but not that sticky - it just needs to be dealt with harder.

I'm also assuming the gun was in proper working order when it was loaded, and that the gun was handled with proper care when the cylinder was in the open position. If not and the crane is bent, it may take a leather mallet to persuade it to open (and then the crane will have to be straightened by a gunsmith).

If it was stored in a leather holster, you should be aware that leather is hydrophilic (attracts water) and the vegetable-based tanning chemicals are corrosive to steel, so it may be rusted/corroded shut. If it will not open with the above mentioned effort, I would try generously covering all moving parts with a penetrating oil such as Kroil or Liquid Wrench (if you don't mind the extra toxicity - I prefer the Kroil).

At any rate, I would consider the cartridges unreliable at best, and dispose of them.

If after all this you are unable to get it open, it will probably require the attention of a gunsmith.