I love orphans, Projects, and all around abused guns.
My local dealer got in a large group of police seized guns last week.
Money being scarce ,I looked through the batch and found a model 13-3 with 4"barrel that was in good shape, aside from the front sight being ground off on a bench grinder.
I have since learned not to question why someone would do such a thing to a perfectly good gun, I just buy em , and fix em'.


Here are the pictures ,as I got it , and the process of cutting it and facing the barrel to 2.825 inches.Crowning it , and finally finishing it to a round butt.
I will leave it without a front sight for now, and practice point shooting ,with both eyes open ,with it.

All work was done with a hacksaw, bench grinder, file ,bench vise, and sandpaper. Birchwood Casey Perma Blue was used to touch it up.

Total cost was $164. out the door, with no other cost but labor ,about 2 hours worth.




































There it is , we'll see how it shoots in the next week.

Regards , ,Allen Frame

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

Nice job, that will make a good shooter. Now here's your next job, send me your mailing address, to:

[email protected]

and I'll send you a pair of SB S&W wood grips, used, to add to that old shooter. My treat, Merry Christmas to you aand yours.

Brian Kenny
SWCA # 908

HEY Allen you should have sent it to me for a fix, dang-it . Set it in the drill press and drill two 1/16" holes for studs and silver solider a front sight on her. Then have it hard chromed for a truck gun.

Now bob the hammer and you got yourself a sweet carry gun

Wow, very nice save!
Keep up the excellent work.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

You could always dovetail a front site on it.

I too love to "rescue" guns from the local pawn shops. My latest was a Colt Police Positive Special in 32-20. The gun AND lock work had all been sprayed with automobile undercoat. It was all there but nothing worked. Pieces are still soaking in fuel oil but slowly but surely they're coming clean.

Good on you!

All good suggestions gentlemen.
But I have an aversion to bobbing hammers ,unless there is something wrong with it.
I will definitely consider a 'metalife finish' but ,again, that would drive the cost up.
To buy a front sight, and have it dovetailed in ,is about $70.

I have found a pair of Laser Grips a friend has for sale. The LG 407, for the K-L-N frame round butt ,$100.

That is more like it ,now I have my sighting system in place ,and only $264.00 into the whole deal.

Now I'll go see how it shoots.

Happy Holidays to you and yours , Allen Frame

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

That is one sweet carry gun, IMO. For close range self defense....you just point and shoot! (called Point Shooting...... oddly enough!) Having 6 .357's in the cylinder, 3" barrel w/o a sight, you've probably got the Ultimate SD gun. No need to get it fancied up. It's perfect "as is". I'd give $164 for a gun like that!!! (In the finished form, of course. If I did it.....it'd be trash!) Bob

How did you crown the muzzle? That is an excellent job, did you use a piloted cutter, or the tools that you listed in your post. I am interested because I have a pistol that I want to recrown the muzzle on.

It's a Mith & Wesson...

I like personal and cheap...

Great job! But, how did you do the crown?

Allen-frame, Didn't you have to use a Dremel Tool at all? I don't have all correct tools, that should be required, but, I guess that you showed that you can still do good work, using hand tools. I've got hand tools, and the standard power tools.....circular saw, 2 Drills and numerous drill bits. Now, I've got to find a "repairable basket case", to keep me busy all winter.

Thanks for the inspiration! We'll see what I turn up. Bob

Allen Frame,

That's some great work on a great pistol. I've seen a Model 13 that was modified by removing the front sight and replacing it with a brass bead, shotgun sight. It looked good, and was certainly snag proof, but I have no idea how it shot. I have a stainless steel Rossi .44 Special that also has the ramp front sight that is hard for us older guys to see. I'm thinking of dovetailing a fiber optic front sight onto it as my winter project.

Best of luck and Merry Christmas to you and yours,

Dave

In answer to the question about crowning the barrel. A friend of mines' father died ,and I helped him clean out the old workshop. There was a tool box with a lot of odd stuff. My friend gave it to me. In a drawer was a plastic box of cutting tools. One of these just seemed right for crowning a 38 cal. bore. I chucked it into my 18 volt Dewalt , and presto.










The laser grips on the 13.







When doing any modification ,just do a little at a time.

Now ,,there is a rusty 28-2 4" somewhere back there ,, lets see how inexpensively I can get it.

Happy Holidays , ,Allen Frame

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

I call dibs on the 28-2 if you get it and spruce it up ! !
Nice work you did there,
I have a 13-2 that I turned round from square and been thinking about shortening the barrel.
It was a fixer upper, Shot twice and spent 20+ years in a gun rug and had some pitting, Got it for 150 OTD a year ago,
I think I know why the front sight was ground off......
Someone wanted to make a soda Pop silenced model 13.
Peter

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Need 1/2 moon Chiefs special

growing up I always heard that sawed off shotguns were illegal. I've only been shooting for a few years so not really up on all of this as far as the law. I'm sure it's legal or you wouldn't be posting this stuff here. not to hijack the thread but if I decide to take on a project like that is there anything I need to be concerned with as far as the law? can I carry a piece that has been "modified" like your example? that really is an interesting piece and thanks for sharing. I think if I could get the right tools that would be a lot of fun.

Shotguns must have a barrel no less than 18" long and rifles 16" long by Federal statute. Handguns must have a rifled barrel, but there is no minimum length.

It isn't so much a question of modification, but whether the modification creates a violation of the statute.

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I need ammo, not a ride.

Nice work!

G. Gordon Liddy said that one of the FBI's old veteran agents once asked him if he wanted the front sight ground off his revolver. Perplexed, Liddy asked "Now why would I want to do that?" The veteran gunfighter replied "A man will know if you're afraid to shoot him. This way it won't hurt as much when he takes it away from you and shoves it up your ***." So now you know at least one reason why a revolver might not have a front sight.

Dave Sinko

Very nice!

Do you have plans for a front sight?

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With S&W, you're holding history in your hand

Hi guys , since I heard the idea of a shotgun bead for a front sight ,I think that might be cool. Not to mention cheap!
I'll be looking for something suitable at the small show this Sunday at the V.F.W. hall in Fort Lauderdale.

Happy Holidays to all ,Allen F

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NRA cert.instructor&R.S.O.

mmm, the bead is a real good idea, Midway has just about any bead you want for 7 bucks or less....you can even get a tritium "night bead" for <30 bucks......

looks like you "slab sided" the barrel too...I bet it turns out to be a pretty sharp SD-truck-trunk gun.....
clever, real clever rescue of a certain basket case

Shot that cut down M13 yet???

....what about a top slice of an old silver coin trimmed & fitted for a custom sight?

I like what you've done. Now....send it to me!!!

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Dum vivimus Vivamas