I saw a picture of a J frame with a cylinder that did not have the grooves on it. It was completely smooth. Is this an after market accessory? Who sells them?

Personally I thought it looked real cool. I am assuming there is no difference in performance-perhaps a little more weight.

Anyone had any experience with them?

Thanks,

Here is link to a picture (I know this one is a Ruger-but I saw one a a Smith J frame, but I can't find it now.)
http://ruger.com/Firearms/images/Products/122L.jpg

I saw a picture of a J frame with a cylinder that did not have the grooves on it. It was completely smooth. Is this an after market accessory? Who sells them?

Personally I thought it looked real cool. I am assuming there is no difference in performance-perhaps a little more weight.

Anyone had any experience with them?

Thanks,

Here is link to a picture (I know this one is a Ruger-but I saw one a a Smith J frame, but I can't find it now.)
http://ruger.com/Firearms/images/Products/122L.jpg

That is a unfluted cylinder and it comes from S&W

__________________
May God Bless The USA

Smith and Wesson has put non fluted cylinders on their guns from time to time over the last 22 years or so. The larger calibers are usually referred to as the "Hunter" series. Here is my Classic Hunter model 29-5-

YA, that's what I'm talking about....are they available to put on my J frame? Where? How Much $?

. . . and yet another 6" 29-5 that I'll be using this afternoon in hunting deer. And no, that gap near the end of the barrel is not a port, but rather where the rarely seen silhouette front sight was mounted. Mine came with the 4-position, adjustable silhouette front sight (removed to keep the gun quiet during unholstering in the field).

I've taken a bunch of deer with this gun, and it is a real tackdriver . . . and still looks great after many years in the field! And yes, the extra weight will tame recoil a little I imagine.

yep....i have the unfluted cylinder on my 41 mag.and it looks great...also have same on my model 500

__________________
SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

Talo did a limited run of Model 60s with unfluted cylinders back in 2007: Talo S&W limited editions.

Same pistol that Tom has, modified differently, with hard chrome finish.

__________________
NRA - All Day

ol timer- Where's your picture?

Snapping Twig-Yours is a model 29-3, right?

I don't know where it went. It disappeared from my Imageshack account. ???

__________________
NRA - All Day

629-3 classic hunter

Right, I think we have established that they exist and are not a figment of my imagination.


But the operative question is: Where can I get one?

2d: how much?

thanks,

The easiest place to check is to call S&W parts or to look in parts on S&W's website. It is possible that they may have a couple in parts as potential replacements for previous runs they have done.

Personally, I would not want one on a J frame as it increases the weight without any appreciable increase in strengh. Heavier is less convenient to carry.

The weak point in any cylinder are the thin sections above the locking notches, and in cylinders having an odd number cartridges (J frames have 5 in 38 special/.357 Magnum), the locking notches are already in the beefiest part of the cylinder in between charge holes.

That is why the 7 shot L frames are arguable stronger than the 6 shot L frames.

Yes, 29-3 Classic Hunter, but modified and hard chromed.

Just to add to this post, here's another smooth cylinder model, the 627-0.

Qballwill-I had one exactly like that. I bought mine in 1988 when they made the first run of 629 classic hunters.

How do you adjust the front sight of the 29-3 classic hunter?? Do you need a tool like the one shown in Snapping Twig's post in this thread? I bought one at an almost giveaway price considering what I have learned about them.

Call me weird but a revolver without a fluted cylinder looks unfinished and wrong to me.

Push down on the back of the front sight with your thumb and spin the numbered dial under the sight to the number 1 ~ 4 of your choice.

Here is my 629-1 hunter:

In a double action revolver, there is a good reason to use fluted cylinders. Fluting the cylinder reduces the total mass of the cylinder. In double action firing, the hand rapidly moves the cylinder from one chamber to the next. It is stopped only by the cylinder stop dropping into its "trench" near the rear of the cylinder as the next chamber comes into battery. A cylinder with greater mass (especially around the outside farthest from the axis of rotation) causes more peening of the cylinder stop against the side of its window in the frame. Yes, the unfluted cylinders look cool. But I will take fluted any day due to the reduced wear on a critical part of the revolver.

FWIW- My 29-5 posted above is 18 years old, with zero peening of the bolt notches. Very few shoot a big bore (especially with full power magnum rounds) double action rapidly, if ever.
The added mass reduces inertial forces on smaller parts far more than the revolving "extra mass" damages them, extending gun life.

Hi,

The front sight has four different height adjustments, each adjusted simply by using the appropriate allen wrench to screw that particular allen screw up or down.

To help understand it, I pulled out my removed front sight from the 29-5 pictured on pg. 1 of this thread. I've kept it, and its pins, in a bag for years. Here's how it works:



Silhouette matches are typically shot at four specific distances, the furthest being 200 meters. Shooters dial in each distance, well ahead in practice sight in sessions, for a specific number on their front sight to get the exact elevation needed at that particular distance.

Then, when shooting at that specific distance, they simply turn the sight to the correct number! The best thing about using this type of 4-way adjustable front sight is that you don't FORGET how many clicks up or down you made on the REAR sight . . . for once you do, you are screwed!

With a 4-way adjustable "silhouette" front sight, you thus leave the rear sight alone, except for windage. A pretty good idea, IMHO.

When you turn the dial, the inner part of the sight that has the partridge sight blade will pivot up or down on a pin that's towards the back end of the ramp, thus lifting or lowering the ramp with the right on its front. (That pivot pin can be seen on the side of the sight, between where the dial wheel and the rear of the sight).

NOTE: IN THE PICTURE, THE FRONT SIGHT IS ALL THE WAY DOWN IN THE FRONT, and the number on the rotating round dial is showing setting #4. That dial is round and has a number every 90 degrees as you turn it. (BTW, the sight is spring loaded, so since it is off the gun, the sight has dipped as low as it can at the front of the sight.)

Hope this helps.

T.

Thanks Tom for the info, I saved it to my documents for futher reference. I'v only put one clyinder thru it so far. It's is a handful.