I came accross a model 64 that my friend is willing to sell for a great price. It currently is a 4 inch gun, but I am thinking of customizing it and I want to know if this idea would not only work but if it would look good....

I want to take a 3 inch model 66 barrel, the 1/2 lug and put on it. I would then bead blast it. I want to take the pinned sight off and put a tritium big dot on it. maybe some wood grips on it next. The gun would be carried and used for plinking. Do you think the integral sight would work ok with a big dot?

The barrel will fit, but the sights wouldn't work very good, they will be a little high. You can aim at the chest and shot the toes off . If it is a heavy barrel that is on the the 64, then you can cut that barrel down and slab the sides and mill a slot and install a sight. Plus it would help if it is a round butt. Is the sight on the 66 barrel a fixed or pin sight?

The M66 barrel will NOT fit. The M64 has a shorter cylinder, and the barrel shank is longer than that on the M66.

If you were desparate for a snubby barrel, yes, you CAN shorten the barrel stub of an M66 barrel, shorten the extractor rod and center pin, and then fit it to the M64, but you still have to deal with the very high front sight which will make the gun shoot very low. Not a good combination, in my opinion.

Like Mr. Traveler pointed out, doing what you propose would leave you with a barrel/cylinder gap of about 1/10 of an inch. Kinda excessive!

Such a barrel could be made to fit but it would involve turning down the barrel's shoulder quite a ways.

Custom gun work, like it would take to get the gun you want, is expensive. You will be looking at several hundred dollars to modify the barrel, ejector rod and sight just to make them work. About the only time yu can do this on the cheap is if you can do the work by yourself.

S&W made a gun that would look much like you are after, the Model 65 "LadySmith." Basically, it is the gun yiou are looking at now, but in .357 mag with the ejector rod shroud already there. The "LadySmith" marking on the side would come off or be obliterated with a bead blasting.

There is a picture of one here: http://smith-wessonforum.com/e...821000833#5821000833 . Scroll down the page a bit.

John,

Yes, the barrel I was planning on purchasing had a pinned sight....but after reading these posts I might just leave the gun the way it is...I just had high hopes of building a cheap little snubby for carry. Anyone have any other cool ideas for a model 64? I do have a brand new aristocrat sight rib in the wrapper still that I could put on it but if I am correct you usually have to have a larger bull barrel on the gun for it to work and I'm not sure I would ever have the time to shoot PPC even though I would love to get involved.