# Clerke 1st 22LR help



## Endfoulks (Apr 27, 2018)

I got a Clerke 1st that I am repairing for a friend and when I got the side plate off I found a flat washer loose on the inside. Anyone have a picture or know where this thing goes? Apparently some has been in it before since it’s missing the screws that hold it together, not to mention a makeshift cylinder pin.


----------



## AZdave (Oct 23, 2015)

Check out numrich. They have a M21 view

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/clerke-first/me-21


----------



## Craigh (Jul 29, 2016)

Endfoulks said:


> I got a Clerke 1st that I am repairing for a friend and when I got the side plate off I found a flat washer loose on the inside. Anyone have a picture or know where this thing goes? Apparently some has been in it before since it's missing the screws that hold it together, not to mention a makeshift cylinder pin.


So, I'd not remembered Clerk, but I looked around. Google is your friend. A good article is at Guns America on the history and what they are selling a mint version for. It may not be worth repairing because the parts are mostly pot metal. They say the firing pin will flatten within only 100 rounds. They had a number of pictures, but they were there for selling purposes and didn't show much detail you might need. I'll post the link.

https://www.gunsamerica.com/953327097/Clerke-1st-32-S-W-caliber-2-1-2-inch-Nickel-5-shot-Clerke-Technicorp-Santa-Monica-CA-mfg-ca-1973-Banned-in-South-Carolin.htm

With respect to that washer, one person talked about washers being used as a spacer to keep the grips from sliding around. That could be yours. I don't know.

Here's a parts diagram from Numrich which may be of help. They seem to have a lot of parts. The firing pin is part of the hammer:

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/clerke-first/me-21

Some, but very few, people collect 40+ year old what some refer to as Saturday Night Specials, but they have to be mint condition. The fact this one is broken says to me it is not minty. If so, it probably has no value and might be dangerous. The one shot by the auction site shaved lead when tested. The lockup doesn't sound good at all. This company went out of business shortly after RG, another cheap but much better brand resumed operations. RG had to stop importing to the US after the 1968 Gun Act was signed which, in part, banned what they called imported Saturday Night Specials. Your Clerk is still not legal in California and South Carolina even though it was not imported. At one point, the company moved from California to Florida to avoid legal issues back in the 1970s, from what I read. I'm not sure it's worth the purchase of any part. Because the firing pin is part of the hammer, you can't replace it with a steel one, it would seem to me. I could be wrong, though.

I apologize for such a small amount of information, but I figured a little is better than none. You might find more with a smart choice of keywords and Google. The above is what I found. I only found one mention of a washer and that was added as a spacer, not originally part of the gun. Yours might not be that.

If you don't know how to check the lockup or timing on a revolver, you need to verify this before attempting to fire, IMO. Here's a couple of decent videos on how to check a used revolver.











Timing issues alone: 




Take care,

Craig


----------

