Frankenguns.

The very name conjures up visions (See what I did there? Frankengun? Conjure up? Halloween! I'm so ashamed of myself...) of "Bubba-Built" monstrosities blowing up, leaving someone with a bloody stump! (OK. Stop it.)

They've been touched on recently in a few threads around here, but they seem to be a sensitive subject.
Most probably because of the potential dangers of our interests (Disclaimers and Caveats to follow).

My question is: How many of you, just like me, looked at two similar S&W pistols and wondered, "Would this slide fit on that frame?"
And then actually tried it.
I don't necessarily mean shot it that way.
If you have the knowledge and experience for safe live fire trials, I'd like to hear about it.
Likewise, if you have simply fitted together a slide and frame just because you were curious or liked how it looked, I would like to hear from you.
As always, pictures make it more fun for everyone!

Disclaimer #1: Never allow loaded ammunition in the area where firearms are being worked on and never load a firearm unless you are willing to guarantee the safe operation of that firearm with your life or the lives of others!

Discalimer #2: During those times when your life or the lives of others depends on the safe and reliable operation of that firearm; Do not modify it! Leave it the way God and Smith & Wesson intended!

Now it's your turn.

John

Here is 1 I just picked up 39 SS

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I have done the 5904 and 6906 swap. Two bitone guns that worked perfectly.

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God, country, family.

That's what I'm talking about!
Let's hear some more!

I have no problem whatsoever with "frankenguns" In fact I'm cooking one up right now. Can't say I'm on board with disclaimer #2 though. That'd put the kibosh on most every custom gunmaker on the planet.

Here's my thoughts. To illustrate, My EDC is a 4516-1 that I did extensive modifications to. While it may not meet the definition of a frankengun, It's about as far afield from stock S&W as can be. I have no reservations about staking my life or that of those who depend on me for protection on my custom 4516. It has simply proven to be just that reliable and I have no doubt my current project will be equally so.

That being said, here's a few suggested additions to your disclaimer list:

#3 Know your limitations... If you don't know what you're doing, don't mess with the thing.

#4 Do your research. Chances are what you're contemplating has already been done and met with success or more importantly NOT.

#4a Keep your BS discriminator set to HIGH while doing internet research.

#5 Repeat after me... "I am my own warranty station, If it breaks, I own it and I broke it. It's no-one's fault but my own."

So the current project is underway, and I'll be entertained for a spell. After that I'm gonna need a couple more beaters. Another 4516-1 and a square guard 4566. I have an early 4013 top end I'm contemplating chambering in 10mm so the plan will be a 4516 that's convertible to 10mm and can be configured as a CCO. And while the 4516 is wearing the 4566 slide, the 4566 will be moonlighting as a 4596. Yeah I need more $$$. Lots more $$$

Cheers
Bill

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Because they don't make a .46

This is a Model 39-2 frame with a Model 52 slide and barrel. The slide to frame fit is no problem, however, removing the right amount of "meat" from the frame to allow the M52 mags to fit is tricky.

Mark

Nothing too dramatic, I put the SS upper from a 659 on my carbon steel 559 frame for the 2 tone looks and ambi-safety... range tested just fine.



My just for fun "frankengun" which I wish I had taken pics of, was when the first S&W Sigma, the SW40F, came out.

It was so close to a Glock, S&W got sued and some gun rag writers were calling it a "Smock" and "Gligma", and making the comparison of it being a Glock in S&W clothing.

I bought a SW40F a few weeks after they hit the market, I already had a Glock G22 and decided to see if the uppers would interchange.

I no longer remember which of the two that I got the upper from it's opposite to fit on it... all I remember is that I had one ball busting time getting it back off due to a slight dimensional difference in height the disassembly lever that kept it from releasing the slide when fully pushed down.

Luckily for me there was just enough slop in the slide to frame rail fit that I finally got the thing to release... I swore never to try a stunt like that again.

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Conrad
SWCA #1830 SWHF #222

Does this count:


I added a 5" slide I bought here on the forum (I believe it is a Super overrun) on a 5906 frame. I added a mag well and oversized mag release I ordered from S&W. Also added tritium night sights and a Hogue grip.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

Thanks, everyone who has posted so far!

Great variations on a "powderful" theme!

Let's see some more!

John

Wow! That really is a sweet looking 9 and is a configuration I've considered cobbling together myself.

You could easily monetize your 3rd gen smithing talents for a little extra folding money to finance your project ideas. Just sayin'...

Here's my Frankengun. A 6906 frame with a 5904 slide. It has Trijicon sights and a single sided safety from a 915. It has Wolff springs, a Cerakote finish and is 100% reliable and very accurate with 124 gr. Speer Gold Dots. This is my primary carry gun.



[IMG][/IMG]

I've built a few hybrid pistols, here is one i've had quite a while, a model 59 with an early 459 adjustable sight slide, five inch barrel, gen three safety, curved backstrap, with model 39 grips. It's a great shooter, and I also have an all stainless 639 adjustable sight top end with four inch barrel fitted up to this frame, as well as the original top end. It sees lots of range time with all three top ends....

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How about a caliber conversion... Back in the day, I shipped my 39-2 slide to Barstow for fitting (no longer offered) a SS barrel in 9x21. Takes same magazines. I've never done so but I bet using the wrong barrel for the ammo would cause some trouble. Yes, it's a shooter!

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NRA LIFE
Reserve Officer 9yrs

Hey all,

Long time lurker. Longer time S&W lover.

I found this pic/thread about 3 weeks ago. I cannot stop looking at this sweet pistol.

I actually just ordered a 915 slide hoping to achieve similar results on my 6906.

Thanks for sharing your awesome carry gun.

While cleaning my 4013 & 1076 I couldn't resist to see if these two would interchange uppers & lowers and just what the "Frankengun" looked like.

The 4013 (non-TSW) upper & 1076 lower went right together. Basically everything works, SA & DA wise. Cycled some 40S&W Snap Caps thru, by hand, using the 10mm mags, no problems. The frame decocker still does it's job while the slide decocker only acts like a safety/blocker.

The 1076's dust cover is about 1/8" longer than the 4013's. This leaves just a small amount of overhang for the slide/bbl., which looks good.

.

4076 "Hybrid"


.

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Waiting for the break of day

I'll see your 4076 and raise you a 4566TSWSSV




Cheers
Bill

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Because they don't make a .46

This is a compact 4556 with a 4586 commander size upper installed by the Performance Center. They also tuned it, added XS tritium sights and refinished the stainless steel. Included a Menck recoil buffer assembly, to allow the use of +P+ and .45 Super ammunition. (replaced the stock recoil rod and spring for now)

This beautiful "Frankengun" was built for S&W forum member KurtC many years ago. He sold it in 2009 and I bought it last year on GB. It was advertised as a 4556 and when I reported back to the seller that it was a mixture (4556/4586), he refunded almost half what I paid making it a real bargain.

It was my favorite pistol until I picked up a new Dan Wesson 1911 Specialist last week .

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2B1ASK1

These are all WAY COOL combinations!
Most of these I had never imagined (and I have a very vivid imagination).
All of these Smith & Wesson could have produced and sold without any additional tooling.
Heck, some of them they even should have produced.
(And they just might have, had not the King been dethroned by the plastic hoards from the east.)
But I digress...
I'm not a math whiz and I ponder the mathematical possibilities amongst the families: 9mm; .40s&w double stack (surprisingly, these may provide the fewest opportunities for interchangeability); .40/.45/10mm large frames; TSW small frame; TSW large frame; aluminum, stainless, or carbon steel frame; stainless or carbon steel slide; not to mention the various combinations of sights, grips, hammers, triggers, and safeties.
Multiply that by TDA vs. DAO.
This thread may never end!

Very nice!

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Centennial Every Day

Since we're on the subject, does anyone know if any of the later version slides will fit a 39 No Dash frame?

I just picked up a 39 No Dash for a shooter, but I know the extractor is the weak link in the No Dash. I immediately began to wonder if a 39-2 or even a 439/539/639 slide would fit the No Dash frame, just in case... And a 639 SS slide would look sweet bi-tone on the 39 frame.

This is a semi serious question. Well, it's a serious question even though I'm not going to buy the gun I'd need to make this (hopefully) work.

What would be required, other than putting the top end on the frame, to make the top end of a 6946 work on a 3913 frame? My guess is that the trigger would need to be changed, what else would be required to make a DAO 3913?

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Can open, worms everywhere.

This thread/ post got me into trouble last year........ I finally found a complete 5904 upper ..... but it had adjustable sights........ so it ended up on one of my older 915s and the 915 upper ended up on a 6904 Ceracoted (stainless) ............got sidetracked so still need to take them to my gunsmith for a final pre fire check.

To the OP; a lot of these Frankinguns are mods that are nothing more than what you would do swapping out a .22lr conversion kit on gun. I've done that with both a Ceiner/ Browning HP and a Beretta 92/ Beretta .22lr practice kit.

The 6946 slide is longer in the rear to cover the hammer, so it would hang over the back of the frame.

This caused some confusion when I bought it. It was offered as a 1902 .38special, and the serial number suggested that it was. Everything else told a different story.

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Why, I aughta.....

Hi, GaryS!

As I understand the workings of the S&W actions, if you put a 6946 top end on a 3913 lower, you would still have a DA/SA trigger and hammer, but you would have no safety/decocker on your slide so you would need to thumb decock manually while pulling the trigger. The slide would also overhang the rear of the frame.

To turn it into an S&W style DAO, you would need to switch out the trigger and hammer/sear combo and replace the sear release lever with a spacer. It would then functionally be a 3953 with a partially cocked hammer and no second strike capability. The slide would still overhang the frame.

If you wanted to make it true DAO with multiple strike capability, all you would need to do is remove the 3913's sear. (But that darn, goofy looking long slide is still gonna hang over the rear of the frame.)

John

I'm thinking about trying my 3913 slide/barrel on a 5906 that I just picked up over the weekend. And maybe vice versa, too. Any thoughts?

Thanks. That's very helpful. If I really want a DAO, my best is probably to see if the parts are available ond find a gunsmith to do a proper conversion.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Hi, GerSan69!

I do it quite often and it works just fine.

John

I have a 4516-1 with a 4566TWS and a 4506-1 R3 slides. The 4506 is set up for 45 Super. I only loose 1 round and the slides doesn't fit on my 4506 no dash.

There is a thread (somewhere here) about this combo that inspired me to put a 909 upper on a 908 frame. Lost the bookmark with my old computer.

I 'tested' it on 2 different 908 frames with a few mags. It marked one of the frames a bit but not the other, so I kept it on that one and put around 300 rounds of 124 lawman & 24 rounds of 124 +P GDHP through it. Zero problems and very nice to shoot. It's in limbo at the moment until I replace the front night sight I foolishly broke during installation.



This is perhaps my new dream 3rd gen 9mm, what a cool combo. If it had a light rail it would be perfect for a nightstand gun IMO, but I wouldn't kick her out of bed without one either!

Thanks, John! Great info. Like turning 2 guns into 4!

Exactly!
Four for the price of two!

I need to shoot a better picture, but this is a S&W Model 13 with a Model 581 barrel installed. Done by Bill Davis in 1981.

But I instead used my lack of confidence in doing so as my "reason" to pick up a 6906

Great!
Now you can put your 6906 top end on your 5906 bottom end!

One day I will have a 4566 slide on a 4516 frame... One day.

I'm wondering about the feasibility of a 39 or 39-2 slide on a 6904. Anybody try it?

I've been thinking about putting my 6906 slide on my 5906 frame.

I really like the 59 with 39 grips. To me, 39 grips look much better than 59 grips. JMO.
That, and the curved backstrap. On a 1911, I prefer the straight backstrap.
On a Smith, I prefer the curved. Smith & Wesson found the perfect curvature for a pistol backstrap, both visually, and ergonomically.
To me, anyway. YMMV.

Tell me, with a straight face, that the 39 and 52 don't have the most beautiful butts you've ever seen.
You can't, can you?

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

I just did.
On a 6906, anyway. (Same bottom end, just the other color.)
The slide goes on just fine, but either because S&W hadn't invented it yet or they simply had not decided to put it into production, the 39-2 lacks a firing pin safety (and lever). Consequently, the clearance groove milled in the bottom of the slide for the sear release lever and firing pin safety lever is insufficiently wide on the 39-2 slide to accommodate the aforementioned firing pin safety lever.
It hangs up.
Theoretically, I believe there to be a work-around to this experiment.
Removing the firing pin safety lever, replacing it with a spacer, and installing a 1st or 2nd gen hammer with a half cock notch would give you the same fire control mechanism as a 1st or 2nd gen pistol.
IMHO not worth it with so many 2nd and 3rd gen slides around that almost always work with no modifications.

But keep thinking!

John!

Farthest I've gone is to swap the top ends of my 5906 and 3913, but there are lots of cool ideas shown in this thread.

Does Smith & Wesson still sell the mag well and mag release extensions?

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

Wow Nice Setup! I like that oversized Mag Release I didn't no they existed for these Guns, I have a 5906 that I have trouble reaching for fast reloads, Do u have a extra that your willing to sell? Thanks in advance


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Two tone Smith 410, came with box and papers marked special. Who knows.

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Patriots Forever!!

The SCSW 4th edition does not list a product code 104741. It does list a 104742, which is described as a two tone. Production for that is listed as being 1999.

Your gun was made in 1997, so I don't think it's unreasonable to think that it was an earlier two tone gun.

The list in the catalog goes,

104740
104742
104743
104744
104747

The SCSW is authoritative, but it's not all knowing. There are some variations of 3rd Gen guns that are probably still unknown.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

What tells you that? The Spec Order number is not the usual Julian date code (YDDD)?

.

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Waiting for the break of day