Started out with a stock 438 weighing in at 14.7 oz. and ended up with a S&W titanium cylinder, stainless S&W .494 firing pin, Wolff 8 lb. hammer spring, 13 lb. rebound spring, Hogue Bantam grip, and internal lock nub missing.... God I wish it didnt have a lock. (Its my ONLY S&W with a lock)... It ended up weighing in at 12.4 oz.
I was waiting for a 38-3 to do the operation on, but had to settle on the 438.
I think I will start my own shop, since S&W wont make what I want..

That is really nice. Well done!

Very cool!

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Centennial Every Day

Love it!...have been looking for a titanium cylinder for my 438 for some time now!! If you don't mind me asking, where did you get it?

were you able to get the titanium cylinder chambered in .38 or did you use one in .357??

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Forum consigliere

I bought a bunch of them from Numrich, a while back.
I just saw one on GB about a week ago. It was a used 342 parts kit , that went for $82. I probably should have bought it!

Its a .38 cylinder.

Good looking gun, took me forever to find my 638 w/o lock.

Nothing beats good ole ingenuity and "home gun smithing". I did the same recently with a 38-2 and a stainless cylinder assembly.

Attached Images

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sweet, I would like to do the same w/my 442 no lock. Were there any timing or carryup issues you had to work through or was it a lucky drop in?

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17-2, 65-5, 442-2, 10-5

Not sure if you are asking OP. or me, but in either event....it can be a throw-of-the-dice. I had a 640ND and this 38-2 that will swap yoke assemblies and cylinder assemblies and never vary .001 either way on the BTCG. BUT. when I purchased this stainless cylinder assembly, it will not fit the 640 (too tight), but will drop right into the 38-2. I still need to do a little "fine-tuning". In DA....works like a clock, but in SA, the cylinder stop does not drop soon enough to allow rotation on the hammer pull only and it will bind-up now-and-then. There is likely a .001 or so difference in the cylinder diameter, or maybe a slight difference in the cylinder stop...maybe I need to polish the stop-notches in the stainless cylinder. I have not gotten around to that yet as it works perfectly in DA and all you have to do is "slightly" pull the trigger and you can cock it in SA.

Bottom line....you can't always bet that a cylinder from one gun will simply drop-in another....it's (as you call it) a lucky drop-in.

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I adjusted the notches on the extractor obtained with the replacement SS cylinder assembly and now....all three cylinder assemblies will fit either gun (Model 38-2/Model 640ND). Just had to reshape the hand contact points on the ratchet. I am pretty sure it was a new style extractor and I had to hand-fit it. Timing is fine, lock-up is perfect and BTCG is just about equal on both guns with any of the three cylinders.

I have done this on a couple 442s, and the 438. I switched out the extractor, and had no problems with timing. One of the 442s required opening up the B/C gap about .001. So overall, no major roadblocks.

Very nice work, allglock. Is the 2.3 ounces saved really worth the trouble, though?

ECS

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

15.6% lighter. Plus it's damn sexy.

Sometimes the pride of doing good work on a project are all that's needed to satisfy.

It sure is , if its in your pocket. That 2.3 ozs. is more than five bullets weigh.
Pocket carry for me needs to be as light as possible.... My 337PD puts it to shame though... 10.7 ozs.
I carry an M&P 340 in the winter, and that weighs 15.9 ozs. loaded. That is a tad heavy for the pocket, but I deal with it for the .357. Summer, I usually carry a 342 which weighs 13ozs. loaded. Now I need to find the niche for this "in between" gun!
I always wished S&W had made a "true" model 38 airlite....

Whatever works for you. I pocket carry a Model 37 with my Glock 22 in a duty holster at work. Off duty, I carry a Model 13-3 or a Model 10-5 and the Model 37 with both. I guess I'm just too "retro" for words.

ECS

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

If I could stand it, I would carry a Glock 27 in my pocket... But sadly, my pants probably would not stay up.... lol

Looks great, how does it shoot?

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Just finished up with it last night. Hopefully I will get to shoot it next week.

That my friend is "taking matters into your own hands" at its best

Any ideas on how I can shed some weight from my 640-1?

That's pretty damn cool!

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M66, M&P 360, 642, M85 UL/Ti

Put 75 rounds through it on monday! All is good!

Cool. Do you notice the "gritty" feel of the cylinder dragging on the cylinder stop? I remember noticing that on my 329PD.

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Centennial Every Day

Very slightly, but not enough to bother me. It was really smooth and much lighter than stock. She is riding in my pocket as we speak. With a .003 B/C gap, and perfect timing and carryup.... life is good!

That's a fine looking piece!!!.....I'd patent that one...LOL....glad it worked mechanically for you cause it's really a looker to be sure.

I really like this idea.... Gotta watch for a titanium cylinder now

Well.... I just added a PD cylinder to my 438, and got the weight down to just about 12 ozs.
Just an FYI for those looking for Ti cyls... S&W rep told me that the .38 Ti cyls. are obsolete. BUT they still have the 342 PD version in stock. They are out of the regular 342 cylinder.
For those that dont know, the PD version has less material in the flute area, and weighs less than the regular 342 Ti cyl. You can compare my pics from the first post to this post.

Nice job, I really like this project. Will S&W sell a PD Ti cylinder or is it a restricted part? Did it take much fitting to get things lined up?
Thanks for sharing!
Mark

Yes, they will sell the cyl. No fitting required.

You can shave a bit more by ditching the rubbers and putting wooden magnas and a tyler-that's how I have my 337 fixed up.

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Forum consigliere

Just put another 100 rounds through her.... Purring like a kitten! If I could only lose another ounce....

I had the good fortune to buy a TI cylinder from Allglock for SWMBO's no-lock 2-1/8" 638. I just swapped cylinders using Brownell's ejector rod tool. (Lefty tighty, righty loosey). Looks great and she loves it. Since she has had some shoulder problems, the weight reduction is noticable to her. She has the extended Crimson Trace grips, so the if she does have to use it, she should not notice the recoil.

Thanks Allglock.

S/F,

RAS

Got any pics?

Nice work, allglock. If you hadn't let me have that rare magnum frame model 38 with no lock a awhile back, you could have used it for this project. I sure appreciate that you did let loose of it though. Thanks

I just add a PD cylender to my 438 and dropped right in locks up tight and timing is perfect and shoots great. Thank you Mr Allglock for the idea.