681 First L Frame

R

rm06

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Messages
153
Reaction score
156
Location
CO
Hello all,

I've been away for a while but I just picked up the nastiest, filthiest, grungiest beater of a 681 from my local enabler. I spent the last two hours cleaning who-know-what out of every nook, cranny, crevice and groove on this piece. It looks like it has spent a the previous couple of decades bouncing around under the seat of a '67 Chevy pickup.

Seems okay mechanically, no timing issues and end shake is negligible. The bore and cylinder were the cleanest things on the whole gun, the lock work was an absolute mess with oil that had turned to varnish and congealed grease mixed with a healthy dose of the finest powdery dirt and what smells like cigarette smoke. It is marked with an 'M' so it has been back for the recall on this model.

It is wearing Pachmayrs currently, soon to be VZs. Some genius decided the Pachs were too difficult to install with the grip pin and decided to mushroom out each end of the pin, I assume in an attempt to drive it out. Unfortunately it is mangled beyond repair so I'll need to cut off the ends and drive it out on my own. I can't find the part on Brownells website (where I have free shipping) unless my search skills are weak.

I'm going to have it bead blasted and I'll post up some before and afters when it's done. I'm really looking forward to some range time with this one, the double action is super smooth and the single action is awesome.
 
Register to hide this ad
I have a 681 . It came back into the states a few yrs ago from Australia . It is very very accurate with just about anything I load for it . My standard loads are 158 or 180 gr cast bullet loads . I shoot mid range and full magnum loads only .
I recently took it to a tactical training session , shooting on the move , side stepping obstaclles taking out different targets . I had 7 seconds to get off 6 rounds . which is hard to do . So all shooting was double action . I was using full magnum loads . I was impressed with it's performance but I need more practice . Did I have fun , Ohhh yeahhh
 
Last edited:
Glad to see it has found a better home! I love mine, given its my only working revolver! But the thing is just all kinds of fun!!
 
I made it to the range yesterday and fired 50 rounds of my own .38 spl reloads and three random magnums I had lying around. I have a few hundred more of my reloads that I need to use up, I used to use them for practice loads when I owned a 642 and they are not much more than bunny farts in the 4" L frame.

Here are some pictures before I take it for bead blasting. I'll post up some more after it is done and I have some replacement grips.
It is tough to capture but the finish is really pretty rough on this one, nicks and scratches everywhere and some weird vertical lines on the top strap and down the cylinder. I know things like this add character to guns but only when I put them on there :)

34sqn8m.jpg

2vhwxsh.jpg
 
Last edited:
That 681 looks business-like. I don't see a lot of them on the web and I've never seen one at the range; the 686 is far more common.

I've got the same sighting system on my 65-5. I found blacking the rear sight with a Smartie permanent ink pen (then wiping it lightly to get rid of excess black) makes the rear sight easier to see.
 
DON'T bead blast it, PLEASE!! :eek:

A Scotch Brite pad will bring it back to its original finish.

Before & after pics of a 65-3 I saved. :)

Model65-3AdpicL_zps499ccc8c.gif


photo3_zpse4d66d5c.jpg


Of course with this one, there was a lot MORE to it than just the surface finish.
This one had been BADLY abused.

Your gun has a lot of potential! ;)

Most likely a Nov/Dec 1981 ship date.
 
Last edited:
KEN L said:
DON'T bead blast it, PLEASE!! :eek:

A Scotch Brite pad will bring it back to its original finish.
Click to expand...

I didn't think about trying that, I'll give it a go to see what happens. Are you using the Scotch Brite pad dry or wet?

KEN L said:
photo3_zpse4d66d5c.jpg
Click to expand...

And that, is an awesome blaster. I'm green with envy... 3", round butt, .357
 
I don't think the gun looks that bad at all. I would do the scotch brite pad. Just get whatever coarse pad that is appropriate and you will have it back to factory looking in no time. Once bead blasted, no longer factory finish.
 
Bead blasted stainless is actually a kind of fragile finish. It shows every little garf and scratch and can't be repaired without re-blasting. Scotch pads or sandpaper are the way to go. There's many ways to skin that cat, and there's been many previous threads describing techniques.
 
There are 3 basic finishes for a stainless steel S&W revolver.
1. Brushed or Satin. This is this factory original finish for your revolver.
2. Bead blasted or matte, a dull uniform, finish. I have no experience with this finish. I note the Kernel opines it's "a kind of fragile finish."
3. Polished. Sometimes confused with a nickel finish.

To fix your problem and restore it to an original looking brushed finish:

You can touch up the original finish on a brushed finish stainless steel gun and fix significant scratches with Scotch Brite pads.

Scotch Brite pads come in different levels of coarseness.
-Light Grey, called Ultra Fine Hand Pad - (600-800) 800 grit.
-Green, called Light Duty Hand Pad - (600) 600 grit
-Maroon pad, called General Purpose Hand Pad - (320-400) - which is very coarse for removing deeper scratches. In my area a dedicated paint store is usually going to carry all three.

The scratches I see on your revolver do not look deep enough to need a maroon pad. I think you could start with a green pad.

Remove the grips (stocks), screws, and the yoke/cylinder and tape of the matte top strap area and trigger and trigger and hammer so as not to accidentally scratch them with the Scotch Brite pads.

Study your revolver finish or the finish of another one and follow the direction of the pattern you see from the factory. STROKE IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY.

Work in a small area with tiny (1" square) piece of pad and stroke in one direction only following the linear polishing direction from the factory. Avoid any surfaces but the brushed stainless surfaces. Start in the most unobtrusive areas first to make sure you get a feel for it and like the result. Go slow, literally pushing the pad fairly slowly, and use a light hand. Start with about a pound of pressure. It doesn't take much. Generally the green pad can be used for all applications varying the pressure dependent upon the degree of the scratch you attempting to fix of finish you are trying to achieve. I think it looks best to finish off with the light grey pad.

Best of luck.
 
I used the gray pad to finish. The last thing I did was to tape off everything but the top of the gun, then had it bead blasted. I was very pleased with the results. In my case, it was a labor of love. I spent many hours removing nicks, gouges & scratches. Originally I was going to polish it, but some of the nicks were so deep I couldn't remove them all so decided to restore the original finish. I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results. If yours was my gun, I'd put PC Magna stocks back on it with with a Tyler T, but that's just me! ;)
 
I was a little bit skeptical how much a scouring pad would affect stainless steel but I'm now a believer. The green is a little rough and I'm not happy with the flats but I will order the gray pad on Amazon and see if I can smooth the finish out a bit more.

It's really quite a transformation, I will post pics after I touch up with the gray pad. I got my new grips and grip pin so it is looking like a different gun.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions!
 
rm06 said:
...I appreciate everyone's suggestions!
Click to expand...
Back your pad with something rigid, like a small block of wood. About the size of a pack of gum. The backer will help to keep the flats flat, and prevent the rounding of corners. Otherwise, you can get a "melted" look. A backer will also help to preserve the inscriptions, writing, and fine details.

Don't be afraid to use automotive wet/dry sandpaper, and aggressive grits, like a 400 grit or less. That can help with the really deep gouges. Then transition to the finer grits and pads to put on the finish. You REALLY need a backer on those aggressive grits.

Use a lot of oil as you work. Keep the surface wet with oil. Wipe it off and replace it frequently. Clean the pads periodically with soap and warm water. Same for the sandpaper. You want to remove those tiny particles of steel as you go.
 
I hope it's ok to resurrect this old thread but I wanted to update it after promising to do so nearly a year ago. After some initial unsatisfactory work with the Scotch Brite pads, I spent some more time with them this last week as well as some 1000 grit sandpaper. I did learn a bunch in the process which I will be applying to a 65-3 that will be coming my way next week.

These jobs are the most difficult for me as it is purely a patience game even though results are fairly quick. Doing it 'right' requires many breaks from the action, something I struggle with - I like to get the job done all at once if possible.

Anyway, it is a vast improvement over the original. I wish I had taken better before pics to really show how beat up this was as the poor condition really doesn't show up. There is some melting of edges which I didn't want though it was difficult to impossible with the Scotch Brite pads to properly back them and sandpaper would have been the better choice in most applications. The top strap needs more work, specifically bead-blasting and possible some file work on the edges transitioning to the flats and the barrel but I am going to leave that to my gunsmith to complete.

I'm on the fence with the VZ grips, I really like the bite they offer though they're a bit too slim for my tastes.

1.jpg

2.jpg
 
rm06 said:
I hope it's ok to resurrect this old thread but I wanted to update it after promising to do so nearly a year ago. After some initial unsatisfactory work with the Scotch Brite pads, I spent some more time with them this last week as well as some 1000 grit sandpaper. I did learn a bunch in the process which I will be applying to a 65-3 that will be coming my way next week.

These jobs are the most difficult for me as it is purely a patience game even though results are fairly quick. Doing it 'right' requires many breaks from the action, something I struggle with - I like to get the job done all at once if possible.

Anyway, it is a vast improvement over the original. I wish I had taken better before pics to really show how beat up this was as the poor condition really doesn't show up. There is some melting of edges which I didn't want though it was difficult to impossible with the Scotch Brite pads to properly back them and sandpaper would have been the better choice in most applications. The top strap needs more work, specifically bead-blasting and possible some file work on the edges transitioning to the flats and the barrel but I am going to leave that to my gunsmith to complete.

I'm on the fence with the VZ grips, I really like the bite they offer though they're a bit too slim for my taste.
Click to expand...

The gun looks absolutely wonderful. You have put a lot of effort into it. Now it's time to put a lot of effort into making once-fired brass! As to grips, an above poster suggested service Magnas with a T-Grip: my favorite grip set-up for a combat SB K or L frame. I would ignore disparaging comments about "Goodyear" grips. You want grips that will let you double-tap 3 targets with magnum ammo at warp speed or 6 magnum rounds into one target in 3-5 seconds. Forget about .38s; buy a .38 for those.

The 681 is one of the best magnums out there: avail yourself of it! Good shooting!

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D Brown
Forged Target Hammer on L Frame?
Replies
11
Views
4K
kobsw
kobsw
2hawk
My sad (ok, not really) 581 story
2
Replies
23
Views
4K
Engineer1911
Engineer1911
S
First Shots: S&W Model 581 .357 Magnum
Replies
6
Views
7K
perpster
P
Tractorshaft
  • Locked
WTS: Mauser in 30-06 and Sako HBAR .243, Marlin GG, (ALL HG's are SPF!)
2
Replies
28
Views
4K
alaskavett
A

Latest posts

Back
Top