My Latest N Frame Project.. The beginning---Update: May 23rd, 2018!!

[Lee's Landing Billy]

I would love to do something like that, too. I just need to find a suitable gun and the $ to trick it out. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

Shark, that sounds like me...I could lose weight if I would eat less and exercise.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

One of my projects is this 1917 snub. When the weather permits (colder), I'm going to bead blast and rust blue it.

 

[Lee's Landing Billy]

dixie-

Remember what Gen. Patton said about pearl grips? That's a clue as to who likes nickel guns and gold hammers and triggers. And big Cadillacs.

If I said more, it'd probably get a moderator after me on this board...

If I was rich and got a Brazilian M-1917, I'd just restore it to original condition and load .45 AR brass with 250 grain Keith bullets to about 875 FPS. Would use Magna grips, maybe with Tyler adaptor.

I don't like the concept of large frame revolvers with short barrels. I think Chic Gaylord expressed my feelings well.

The closest I can come along these lines is a M-1950 Military or Target .44 with four-inch barrel.

But I wish Les B. luck in achieving his goal. The resulting gun should be interesting to see. Les, what velocity with which load are you going to try for?

Every time I see this Patton line I always think..Would he have had the nerve to say that to Bill Tilghman, Lone Wolf Gonzales, Walt Walsh, Jerry Campbell, Jelly Brice, and many others who did their own fighting? There was a piece a while back in The Rifleman about Patton having a .32 slip down his pants leg at a dinner party. It went off when it hit the floor and old Georgie jumped out the window!
My Father was with Patton on his famous march. He always said the line in the movie that was the truest was..old blood and guts, yeah, other people's blood and guts.
Les, sorry for the high jack but it gauls me when people have opinions about other people choices. They had it done because they liked it. I have NEVER made any purchase in life thinking whether somebody else would like it. Also, if they were happy, why are you so worked up that you have to try to give them a curve ball insult. All of you, enjoy your projects as see fit and be joyous of the other fellow's happiness.

 

[keith44spl]

dixie-

Remember what Gen. Patton said about pearl grips? That's a clue as to who likes nickel guns and gold hammers and triggers. And big Cadillacs.

If I said more, it'd probably get a moderator after me on this board...

If I was rich and got a Brazilian M-1917, I'd just restore it to original condition and load .45 AR brass with 250 grain Keith bullets to about 875 FPS. Would use Magna grips, maybe with Tyler adaptor.

I don't like the concept of large frame revolvers with short barrels.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
There's a lot of us ol boys that like 'em short snout'd and fancy stocked and use 'em everyday.

And right on the other hand, there's a few that only parrot what they read/heard that
someone else said or something was written in some ol book somewhere.

Ever since I saw Iggy's snub nose N frame project gun, I've had an itch to build something similar.

Les,
I personally think that's a capital ideal !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave

That ol war horse in the OP......That rascal will shoot !!!!

I know, cause I've shot 'er.......

.

.

 

[Iggy]

He oughta know, he's the one that cut down the Brazilian barrel I scarfed off of GB. He cut it down and tuned that front sight to where it shoots right where it's aimed. If I remember right, that group of shots was his tunin' the sights. First shot high and right, second shot a little closer, the group at the original and final point of aim.

Now my gittin' it pointed right is another matter. Dave also did that holster pictured with it above..

 

[iPac]

I already have a big bore snubby, and no modifications needed. However, the larger holes don't really do much to help with weight though.

Good luck with your projects guys!

 

[Doug M.]

Given the fun with my eyes, I need really visible sights. What comes to mind is fitting one of the Cylinder and Slide fixed rear sights, opened to about .156", and a standard sized XS tritium dot. A 3" barrel, roughly, and chambered in 45ACP or converted to 45Colt, loaded with hefty Keith bullets at a modest velocity, one would have a good packing revolver.

That's more work on a 1917, and maybe easier on an M28. Starting with a gun that's kind of beat up or modified already would probably keep me off the collectors' voodoo list.

 

[cgt4570]

Here's mine with 625-10 parts.

 

[SAFireman]

Here's mine with 625-10 parts.
View attachment 305249

Chris, That flat latch is a nice touch!

 

[Green Frog]

Well, as soon as I saw the title and first post of this thread, I knew there would be some pushback from the folks who think every gun that ever left Springfield was built to the perfect specifications and should never be altered and from those who have their own well developed sense of propriety for what certain classes of guns should look like.

I'm beginning to think there should be a new page on this forum for the likes of les.b, keith44spl, Hondo44, Iggy, Wiregrassguy and myself (among others) where we can get together and discuss the sacrilege of taking tools that were made by S&W at some time in the past and making them fit our needs and desires better than they originally did. Sometimes the results may have only limited popularity like the full on Fitz Specials, and sometimes they are somebody's vision of a variant Smith should have made but never did (or didn't do enough of) like Keith44spl's 44 Spl RM or my Project 616. All of the purists could avoid damage to their psyches by blocking their own access to those pages!

Froggie

PS Just in case you didn't figure it out, I like les.b's project... I like it a lot. Also, I am happy he's allowing us to follow along vicariously with the good pictures he's posting.

 

[les.b]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the thoughtfulness, insight, and interest that you have put into your comments. Well, after I got the gun cleaned up at the end of the first post above, I thought I'd put it back together and make sure that it worked. Dried off the internal parts that I had covered with oil, lightly wiped each, reassembled the gun, and then very sparingly relubed it. For now, I wanted to see how it feels with the new stag grips and Tyler T Grip fitted, and also wanted to make sure that the grips fitted correctly. Here it is put back together and ready for a function test:

I like the feel of the gun. The Stags are just ever so slightly oversized, and I will spend some time final fitting them. I plan to have the original stocks, which are numbered to the gun restored, and kept with the gun, along with the original barrel, once I have the replacement barrel modify field and fitted to the gum.

There is a little hitch in the double action trigger pull that I will address soon, but the single action pull is great, and breaks cleanly. No hint of push off, cylinder play, end shake, or any of the other maladies that can plague the aging hand ejector. Seems nice and tight, and ready to see whether it will shoot!

September 28th, 2017... Using half a dozen ordinary .45 ACP cartridges, I function tested the gun at 15 yards. Not very spectacular marksmanship, but I was mainly interested in whether the gun would shoot, and roughly where it would shoot. But all told, I'm pretty happy with the results. If I get a chance, I will put it through a little more formal test, and I have a box of my 45 Auto Rim reloads that I put together for my Colt 1917 that I will run through it as well. But here's what it did a couple of days ago:

Best Regards, Les

 

[les.b]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOH, this is gonna be GOOD!!!!!

I sure hope so, Billy!!

Best Regards, Les

 

[les.b]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
There's a lot of us ol boys that like 'em short snout'd and fancy stocked and use 'em everyday.

Les,
I personally think that's a capital ideal !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave

That ol war horse in the OP......That rascal will shoot !!!!

I know, cause I've shot 'er.......

.

Thanks, Dave... I appreciate the encouragement...especially coming from the guy responsible for the gun that served as my original inspiration!

Best Regards,mLes

 

[Green Frog]

Well just dadgum! Now I've got to track down an N-frame for another project... like I need another 45... but then again what does NEED have to do with it.

Froggie

 

[les.b]

Well just dadgum! Now I've got to track down an N-frame for another project... like I need another 45... but then again what does NEED have to do with it.

Froggie

Froggie:

Thanks for your interest and support!! I have long enjoyed your posts about I frames and .32s, which happen to be one of my loves as well.

I think that some of the folks above who are aghast at my plans to create a snub nosed N frame, maybe haven't read all of the details... I am only planning to shorten a spare 1917 barrel, which is unnumbered, and has already been worked on by someones grinding the "United States Property" marks off of the bottom. I plan to keep the original stocks and barrel, so the gun could be put back in original condition with just a few hours work. So I'm not really destroying an original gun, anyway.

But I feel like the majority of posters above are supportive of the idea. This evening, I've been working on tuning up the long neglected internals, which still need a little tweaking.

I'll keep you guys posted....

Best Regards, Les

 

[Lee's Landing Billy]

Here's mine with 625-10 parts.
View attachment 305249

Chris, I wish I had a bigger LIKE button. That is cool!! It would fit perfect in my Bib Overalls.

 

[Wyo]

I'm beginning to think there should be a new page on this forum for the likes of les.b, keith44spl, Hondo44, Iggy, Wiregrassguy and myself (among others) where we can get together and discuss the sacrilege of taking tools that were made by S&W at some time in the past and making them fit our needs and desires better than they originally did. Sometimes the results may have only limited popularity like the full on Fitz Specials, and sometimes they are somebody's vision of a variant Smith should have made but never did (or didn't do enough of) like Keith44spl's 44 Spl RM or my Project 616. All of the purists could avoid damage to their psyches by blocking their own access to those pages!

Froggie

PS Just in case you didn't figure it out, I like les.b's project... I like it a lot. Also, I am happy he's allowing us to follow along vicariously with the good pictures he's posting.

Don't want to hijack the thread here, but keith44spl is one of the very best at making the guns that Smith never made but should have, and he builds them out of guns and/or parts that are way beyond collectible. For example, this one is a Colt 45 with a RM front sight, ivory bead and half-adjustable rear sight with Keith Brown grips. Beautiful work! Smith didn't make it but they should have. This is my idea of a big bore, short barreled revolver! I see nothing wrong with taking a fairly hammered old gun and making it into a work of art. I think les.b's project is terrific and I look forward to seeing the end result.

 

[steelslaver]

I like all the shortly 45 shown. Many don't like.net modified guns, but these are great examples of what's possible with project guns. Once again here is.my 45 snub

 

[Muley Gil]

Les, there was enough dirt under that side plate to grow a couple of 'mater plants!

 

[Texas Star]

Didn't Fitzgerald at Colt wear snub New Service guns?

Those who have Chic Gaylord's, Handgunner's Guide (1960) can see Det. Ganio's .45 NS snub. Not a M-1917;it was in .45 Colt. The Colt doesn't have a front cylinder lock, so he got the barrel pretty short.