Please post photos of your chopped, trimmed, scoped, and otherwise modified revolvers (even the "Bubba jobs" have a place in this thread) .

Like most of you, I love a vintage mint in the box S&W. But, over the past several years, I have loved discovering ones that were modified by some previous owner to more closely meet their needs. I also think the pre-war 38-44 Outdoorsmans are some of the most beautiful handguns to ever roll off the factory line. So, recently finding this well-used July 1934 shipped 4" OD with a very unique front sight modification was right up my cool alley.

She has obviously spent a lot of time in a holster and the trigger is as smooth as butter in the AZ sun, but she holds her heritage well and boldly sports her modification like she owns the world...

















...and a few "glamour" photos on/in an extra OD box that was lying around in the safe...









I would love your thoughts on the sight/rib and would also love to see your modified guns.

Thanks for letting me share,

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Ingenious front sight. How is it attached?

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

I had a 2nd model .44 with a similar front sight. It was silver soldered on.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Here is a Model 58 I found in a pawn shop in rural north Texas a few years ago:




Spokhandguns converted the Model 58 to .45 Long Colt (as marked on the barrel) and shortened the barrel to 3.25”. The action was one of the smoothest I have ever felt.

I traded it off for something else I just had to have

Forth change converted into a military sight target It has a King style double cockeyed hammer. Stationary rear sight. No marking on the front sight. Stocks seem to be of the home made variety and are very comfortable. Shoots right on the money at 25 yards. It has to have been reblued but it looks good to me. From the looks of the ejector rod it looks to have been fired some.

DW

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"NUTS"

Model 58 converted to 5" 45 Colt by Hamilton Bowen with his combat sights and Keith Brown Roper grips.

Richard,

That's a beautiful 38-44.

That rifle sight was a very common 1930's thru the 1950's era front sight treatment when a fixed sight gun was converted to a target. I have a Model 1950 45 Military with the same treatment but with a Micro Click rear sight.

But yours is unique. I've never seen a target model with the front sight and base removed and replced with the ramped rifle sight in it's place.

Is the underneath of the rear sight #d to the gun?

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Jim
S&WCA #819

1950 Target .45 ACP, Pre Mod 26 shortened to, 4 ¼” :




Micro Site target conversion of M1917 .45 ACP, using a pre war, post 1934 2 screw S&W Reg Mag rear site with serrated hump. Redfield front site blade milled in. Micro Site double cockeyed hammer. S&W pre war serrated factory target trigger and stocks are early 1950s smooth ‘cokes’.




Homemade .32 'Kit Gun', 4" J frame Model 30-1, 1966 vintage. All Target features added including: adj rear sight, ramped front sight w/sight base, .375” wide spur hammer, .400” trigger, and modified post war factory I/J frame target stocks. I also reamed a spare cyl to 32 H&R Mag for it.




M 34 'New I frame' .22/32 Kit Gun from 1960 with optional .400" target trigger added.
4" barrel replaced with a M 43 Kit Gun Airweight 3 1/2" barrel, a more preferable length for me. Fortunately the M 43 barrels are not roll-stamped Airweight.
And a few retro parts replacements like the pre war relieved, 'double pinch' thumb-piece in place of the flat latch and pre war 'barrel' style extractor rod/knob (required the single step notch I milled under barrel) replacing the straight rod. Both ergonomic improvements.




My son’s Model of 1955 J frame (pre Model 43) with a Model 63 stainless 3” shrouded barrel and bead blasted.



Model 29 3 screw converted to a single shot 1500 Magnum:




Well, ok it’s a 37 MM flare gun, 1 1/2" cal. Model 209-277. I can hit the sky at any distance.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

.............shown before but it fits this thread. I also enjoy handguns that have been modified to suit their owner at the time.
This one has factory re-work marks but don't know what was done there.

The barrel is 3 & 1/2, has been re-blued, and fitted with an unusual grip adapter which allowed the owner to put a set of Single Action Army style grips on it.

Someone transitioning from a Colt SAA to a Smith DA , who knows?

If I remember right it was shipped to Oshman's for Houston PD.

Has a man's name engraved on the sideplate.

Paired up with a floral tooled, break front holster by Sterling Leather.

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LEX ET ORDO

Is the hammer King marked? It doesn't look like King style checkering to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

First off. This thread... I have too much to put into it.

Richard, I love that gun. I'm surprised it wasn't used more heavily. That's a very functional modification, I've seen similar jobs but never quite like that one.

I'm 100% sure that King didn't do the work on your gun, although it could have been done by someone who had some affiliation with King at one point. The more I dig into the old modified guns the more I find that a lot of the best people worked for him at one point or another.

I have I think 3 guns that were modified by this mystery shop: Mystery Gunsmith Fixed Target Sights/Hammers

The sight work looks like it matches up to yours?

Thing is, looking at yours I think you should look at this:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-han...er-pd-gun.html

There's a video in my thread too that you should have a look at it.

I think your gun has the same internal modifications. If I am seeing it right in your pictures the Hammer looks exactly like mine.

If you watch the video of mine to see how incredibly short the DA action is, by any chance does that match yours?

I'm suspecting after looking over your gun that whoever it was doing all this work might have been doing the short action job, or the target hammer, and certainly the fixed sight targets.

I'd love to figure out who it is, I've spent quite a lot of time poring over old magazines trying to find anything that matches. Nothing yet. I thought maybe Mershon, and got some of their old Catalogs, but couldn't find any mention there. All I know for sure is that it wasn't officially King, and I'm pretty certain it wasn't the factory.

The C.D.H. on my gun with the Short Action there might be a big clue, but I haven't had any luck tracking that down yet.

Oh, and this one: 1917 "Target", C&R celebration day!

I think this is a different shop, but it's also one of these modified fixed sight target military match style guns.

Hi,
Great collection!
Could you please tell me where you had the Pre-43 modified?

I have one that is showing some finish wear, not enough to refinish yet, but when I have asked around I hear it is impossible to refinish the airweight frames or remove the barrel without cracking the aluminum frame.

Very nice to see it's possible to have these worked on too!

You said ''Bubba" too, so......
This RM shipped to Vancouver then out to a bushpilot. He evidently spent long winters with McGivern's book and tried to make modifications in a blacksmith shop,LOL. I really like the 2 position rear sight. Down it is zeroed at 50yds, push the lever and you're on at 100. He also drilled and tapped the rib for lyman 438 scope, King reflector bead front, trigger stop, cockeyed hammer, firing pin, and I think fitted some kind of folding shoulder stock. Haven't figured that out yet. It was well used! Jim Stroh had to set the barrel back 2 threads to cut out the forcing cone erosion. Still shoots good, I've taken a doe and a turkey with it.

(I put HB hammer in to shoot it as I was unsure about homemade FP. I did re-install original and it works safely.)

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PTLAPTA!

I bought this second-hand 625-6 .45 ACP in 2003 while I was living in Alaska.



A couple of years later I learned about the Mountain Gun, but they were no longer available. S&W did have some MG barrels left, so I bought one.

A pistolsmith in Princeton, TX (well-known to some here on the forum) swapped barrels and checked the 625 out before it was returned to me. I wasn’t trying to copy the MG, just achieve the functionality, and at a much lower price than an original .45 ACP Mountain Gun.





This has proven to be an accurate, easy to carry gun, just what I was looking for as an EDC on the rural property I owned in north Texas.

The ammo pictured is the Ohaus 270gr SWC designed for the .45 ACP loaded over Unique which is both accurate and packs a punch.

Rob Leahy’s Simply Rugged Pancake is a comfortable way to carry, plus affords protection from the dust and thorns while allowing quick access.







While I no longer own the property in Texas, I still have the 625-6. It would be among the last I would ever part with.

Here's a .44HE 3rd Model transitional that was shortened. Pretty decent job too. The number matching stocks have notches for a grip adapter. The holster is a custom without a maker's mark.

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Tom in AZ
Respect the Dingbat

Five-screw Highway Patrolman 'upgraded' with barrel, cylinder, hammer, and trigger from a 4" 29. And a holster-worn set of Cokes. Nice shooter.

I amended my narrative to "King style" as you gentlemen are correct. I also have another hammer that I got off of ebay that is identical that I am going to be installed on another military style fourth change I shoot a lot. The blade rear sight on this one is adjustable.

DW

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"NUTS"

Early 5 screw HP that has illuminated sights which would be activated by the button in the right panel. On Off switch is in the butt.

DW

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"NUTS"

I like odd ducks.

My first I had no idea what it was but I liked the grips on it.
Figured I wouldn't get burned to bad for 400 bucks and just plunked the money down.I lettered it and it turned out it went out on a company memo
as a 2" 32 S&W long M&P. I thought it unusual as the cylinder and barrel do number to the gun.





This one here.....I think Jim/Hondo 44 still has a headache from It is a 32 S&W long. I just love the sights on this little guy.

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

It does appear to be soldered - but it is hard to tell. It is firmly attached.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Here's a 1955 Model 25-2 I sent back to the Factory many moons ago and had the barrel shortened to 4 1/2"--why, I cannot remember! Keith Brown Ropers complete the package!


This is one I pretty much built when I was messing with such things--a Model 28-2 which I had bored to .45 Colt, cylinder reamed, and round-butted. It sports a 3 3/4" barrel.


A Second Model .44 Special which may or may not have been a target model--which I believe was returned to the Factory for a later-model rear sight:


My Centennial Airweight which had a cracked frame--I returned it to the Factory and they installed a steel frame replacement, same serial number, and the barrel still says "Airweight"!

Not as cool as some of the others,, but a S&W 1917 /1937 Brazilian I had a gunsmith friend rework for me..

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Oh, I don't mean to talk the gun down at all.

As a matter of fact I am extremely interested to have seen yours. It seems to join two different jobs that I have on my guns. That rear sight + that crazy short action hammer job. I suspected it was the same person/shop who did both on mine, but yours is the first that I have seen that seems to have both of them.

Whoever did those knew what they were doing and when we can figure out what shop did it I think it's going to prove to be very interesting.

1907 M+P frame - vintage wonder sight - Tyler T grip - 60'S model 10 grips - 60'S model 15 barrel - lock work + cylinder from 40'S british .38S+W victory model , cylinder converted to .38 special by Cogswell + Harrison in England -

This thread makes me want to weep...

Someone; get a rope!!!

The weak link in almost all of these "custom-i-zations" is a front sight that looks like ****.

Well you probably won't like the front or rear one on my favorite K 22 then but they do help make it my most precise.
The Colonel if he were still around may find them interesting though I suppose.

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

We need a boo !!! button.

A beauty all around. About the front sight, for some reason reminded me of a man from NYC named Jim Cirillo who when asked how he was so successful in surviving his chosen profession, he replied "my front sight has eight striations on it"... how many in this case...

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NICK-SWCA-NRA BENEFACTOR LIFE

Model 25-2 Jovino 45ACP

This gun began life as a 6 inch, square butt, Model 25-2. Barrel shortened to 2 1/2 inch and grip modified to round butt.









.455 First Model (Triple Lock). Modified to 45 Colt. "Wonder Sight" added at some time. (I left it on because the fifth screw is missing).

My HE44 with a barrel shortened to 4-1/2", a modified Patridge sight, and a trigger shoe.

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This is great! I find the vintage modifications incredibly interesting.

I still own this 1917, but it's no longer in this configuration. In this photo the barrel's been cut to 4.25" and a Williams 'shorty' ramp silver soldered on.


I've since removed the 4" barrel and replaced it with a factory 3". It also sports a second cylinder in .45 Colt.

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Sheriff Russell Cottle. ret

Here is a 1922 vintage 44 special
Half/Breed I picked up a few weeks ago.
Second model frame with a Third model barrel.
Went back to the factory in Sept of 1946.
Letter ordered.

This one has appeared here before and actually by date of manufacture (original) doesn't actually fit the 1896-1961 category, but I still love "Project 616" my custom 327 Fed Mag stainless K-frame built for me by Andy Horvath.

Froggie

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629 no dash, chopped on both ends, 2 5/8" bbl, action job, radiused trigger favoring the right side, rounded hammer, magna ported, yellow insert front sight, RB combats. Its all I could think of to do. Actually, I bought it this way, except replacing the red insert with the yellow. The red one went away on its own.

Charlie

Well here's another .327 Federal done by Andy. This is one of my favorite shooters.

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Thank you Silversnake.

My son did all the work. Removing barrels from alloy frames is not as difficult as we've all heard. Both of us have done a few and never had an issue. Just use the usual precautions and common sense:

1. The barrel was a drop in. A liberal shot of some type of quality penetrant/lubricant like Breakfree, Kroil, even WD-40 (the only legitimate use for it on guns in my opinion), etc.

2. Care in driving out barrel pin so barrel threads are not upset.

3. Cautious force applied to break barrel loose to turn out. If it doesn't go, don't over apply force. Soak over night. Dry barrels will "crack" when broken loose. Soaked barrels take less force and have a much more subtle 'crack' sound indicating the penetrant makes a difference!

He glass beaded it in his home bead blasting unit with very fine media. Otherwise the alloy can be overly pitted and worn away with coarse media.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I forgot a couple:
296 with SS cyl from a 696 to replace TI cyl. It came with extractor rod and star all fitted and assembled. Pull the yoke, slip it in and check timing. It was a drop in installation. Wanted the extra strength and I barely notice the additional weight. Older style thumb piece.



Another of my son's: 686 with 4" slender Mtn Gun barrel replacing full lug barrel. See post #1 here:

Lightweight barrel L frame .357

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I love old mods that go back to a time when folks did stuff to guns that made them personal and very practical because they usually had to work with what they had. Here is a WWI .455 that had a cut barrel (2.5") and donated a frame, yoke, and side plate to a .44 spl I wanted. My best friend helped me with this one:


Or maybe a 44 Triple Lock with cut barrel, and target sights!


Or maybe a 2nd model with a cut barrel with rifle sight!

I do have a number of mods, I too, love'em!

13-3 with a 3" 19 barrel

17 round butt with a 2.5" 19 barrel


17-8 3" barrel


19-7 3" barrel

3" & 2.5" fixed sight 44 mag snubbies

Pre-War 3844 HD 3.5" barrel

53 round butt 22LR it may become a 3"

a 3" 681 round butt

a 3" 617-1

another shot of the 3" 44 mag fixed sight round butt


Hope you enjoy 'em.

Ned

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Devil's afraid I'll take over.

Jim:

The gun shipped as an Outdoorsman with a 6.5" barrel. The barrel does number to the gun (all the readily available numbers match, including the well worn and chipped stocks). I did not take the rear sight off, but I would expect that it would number as well. On the SWCA side, Roy gave me a date as an Outdoorsman, so I would assume that the front 2.5" were cut off (along with the front sight) and the new rib/sight was soldered onto the round of the barrel over the patent date roll marks.

Love the guns posted so far - some very cool modifications.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

I have two modified S&Ws . Neither are as nice as most of the ones seen here but they are effective.
First up is also my first S&W, a customize 1917, bought at an estate auction.



Front and rear sights were altered. stocks, trigger and hammer coarsely checkered and the hammer thinned out a bit. It definitely comes from an era when disposable income for most individuals was not much. I believe it may have been a service revolver for a local LEO or possibly an early Pennsylvania State trooper but have no real proof. It does shoot well enough despite a rough bore and cylinder chambers. I enjoy it immensely.

Second up is a Gunbroker buy that caught my fancy, an early 1903 32 hand ejector with a target sight conversion.



The rear sight does not number to the frame and the front sight is a simple slab of steel pinned into the modified front base. i would love to know when and who did the work as it is nicely done. Would also like to find a original style front sight for it to see it it would work.



I really don't mind the finish issues on either revolver. I see it as proof that both pieces were modified for a purpose and put to use accordingly.

John

Ok,

Short Action O/D now a 44 Special



Trans. O/D now a five inch brushed nickel 44 Special




HD now a 45 Long Colt









HD now a 44 Special,



From top to bottom....Pre-27 45 Long Colt, 27 44 Special, RM bobb'd back to 3 1/2 "




27 as a 45 ACP & 45 LC,




.
RM to 44 Special




Some sight treatments for some of the above revolvers,








.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Here are a couple of 629-1 that started life as 8 3/8" 44 mags

This one is now a 45 Colt/ACP with a cut cylinder and 4" barrel



This one is now a 45 Colt with a 5" barrel


Here is my 45 combat. a 1917 with chopped 1950 barrel and cutdown grip frame.


And here is my Brazilian made into a 45 Colt/ACP carbine



My 455 Triplelock got reamed and recessed to 45 Colt before I got it.



I also have a 10-2 that sports a 4" barrel, round butt and recessed model 19 cylinder.

There are several shooter grade 28s in the safe and a couple 45 barrels that will be making a trip through my shop.

Gentlemen All, a very neat thread, thanks for sharing!

My .32 (Pre model 30) kit gun:


.455 Triple Lock with target conversion with model 1917 ACP cylinder installed and .44HE conversion by same unknown gunsmith:

Bob

So, this thread is probably where pretty much everything I own goes. Let me post some of my favorites.

Who am I kidding? They are all my favorites.

King did some stuff to this old SFPD gun:







I love it.

Some awesome guys in Montana did some things to this gun:









I love it. (or my Dad does, it was an awesome Christmas gift)



This is a 1902. Snub. Why yes, you are correct, this was not a thing at that time.





I love it.

I think the factory did some things to this gun. I should letter it. I really need to spend a weekend figuring out what to letter.







I love it.




I adore this thing. I *think* but can likely never prove that Herb Bradley did it. Not that it much matters, it's a glorious thing in my book.













Yeah, I love it.


I bought this triple lock because I thought the sight work was super cool. Turns out it has a lot more history then I thought, and I still have to find out if there is more.





It's maybe my very favorite gun, it's hard, I think I have maybe a top 5. Or they are all my favorite.

Good heavens I'm not a well man.

King did things to this. This gun was the cause one of the very rare times in my adult life that I truly felt again like a child on Christmas morning.











I love it dearly.

Here's a modder that didn't even make sense to me when I first saw it under the glass at my LGS. On inspection, it turned out to be a .455 Second Model converted to .45 Colt with target sights (Micro) added front and rear. The recoil shield was planed to accommodate the thicker cartridge rim.



I absolutely hate the profile of the front sight. One of my plans is to modify this one so the top front corner is even more rounded, then cut a vertical face deep enough to put in a McGivern gold bead. The ramp angle on the reconfigured sight blade should match the ramp angle on the sight base. I would also like to put a U-notch leaf in the rear sight, maybe with a white outline.

The goodyears certainly don't upgrade this gun, but they contribute a kind of blackout appeal to the whole package.


This other modified gun is kind of tragic and kind of interesting at the same time. It started life as a .320 Revolving Rifle (No. 413). At some point the barrel was cut to eight inches. The barrel rib was milled off except for a short piece left as a front sight base, and the forestock was sacrificed since it was now too long for the remaining steel. Without the forestock, there was no need for the squared-off mating surface, so it was severely eased to give the front of the frame a more rounded look. The detachable shoulder stock is long gone.



The front sight base was never drilled so a proper blade could be pinned in place, but there is a badly cut slot that was probably intended to permit its installation. Putting this right is another of my long-term projects.

Here's the proof it really started as a .320 RR:

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David Wilson

Another cut down Victory war surplus, bought,converted and carried by FBI SA George Gillum who started out his FBI career in Rock Springs, Wyoming and after getting married in 1948, was transferred to Las Vegas where he served until he retired in 1970. He served in Nevada at the time when Las Vegas was becoming 'Vegas' with all the Mafia ties and influences. His niece, Cami Hay, from whom I acquired George's revolver described him as the "tough, silent type that no one messed with, at least more than once." He must of been pretty tough actually having served and survived in Vegas all those early years.
Chuck

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SWCA1517 SWHF256
Rangers LTW!

Love these mods! I have a rather unusual mod. I wanted to make my 3 1/2" N frame into a pocket pistol so I had my guy shrink it by 1/3 and put a gold insert into the front sight. I was really happy with the results! Bill

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