I've been promising my friends here some pics of this for a very long time. I finally made some today.

When I acquired this gun is was a tired looking, scuffed up 4" 581. My favorite S&W revos are fixed sight models and I couldn't resist this (my second) 581 "find". It didn't appear to have been shot much, but looked like it had been knocked around a little and not cared for very much. The perfect candidate for a really cool custom. I decided to send it to Mark Hartshorn. Asked him to cut the barrel to 3", recrown, cut the butt from square to round, install a gold-bead front sight, bevel the cylinder edges, polish, deep re-blue, and give it a dreamy, buttery, light trigger pull. Finished off with a pair of my very favorite revolver grips... Kim Ahrend's finger-groove grips. All was done and the result is a magnificent gun, as beautiful shooting as it looks. With the weight and strength of the L-frame is shoots like a Cadillac-6-shooter. Now one of my most treasured S&W revos.

I've been promising my friends here some pics of this for a very long time. I finally made some today.

When I acquired this gun is was a tired looking, scuffed up 4" 581. My favorite S&W revos are fixed sight models and I couldn't resist this (my second) 581 "find". It didn't appear to have been shot much, but looked like it had been knocked around a little and not cared for very much. The perfect candidate for a really cool custom. I decided to send it to Mark Hartshorn. Asked him to cut the barrel to 3", recrown, cut the butt from square to round, install a gold-bead front sight, bevel the cylinder edges, polish, deep re-blue, and give it a dreamy, buttery, light trigger pull. Finished off with a pair of my very favorite revolver grips... Kim Ahrend's finger-groove grips. All was done and the result is a magnificent gun, as beautiful shooting as it looks. With the weight and strength of the L-frame is shoots like a Cadillac-6-shooter. Now one of my most treasured S&W revos.

The epitome of the "fightin 357". ENJOY!

WOW! That is absolutely gorgeous!

That is VERY nice.

FANTASTIC. Yes, I know I was yelling. Pardon the rude question, but what was a ballpark figure on the cost of the work?

Very sharp!

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

mr hart,
i have a 581 that is needing the same treatment
i will email you for info
that gun is beautifull
congrats

Terrific looking custom revolver

Superb! I applaud the choices you made in how to customize that gun - and the craftsmanship evident in the finished work.

Thanks for the great pics, also!

Jerry

Beee-you-ty-full!

I have a feeling Mr. Hartshorne will be hearing from a few 581 owners!

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

I think you created the perfect three inch. The work is beautiful. It's almost too nice to carry or shoot.

Beautiful!

Very Nice! I mean VERY NICE!

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!

Coolest looking S&W I've seen in a long time. Can you PM me Marks contact info please?

Thanks,

SG

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V/R
Roger / SG

DHart,
Awsome 357!!!
Congrats

Carl S

Wow.

Very, very nice. Good to see you back on the Forum!

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Centennial Every Day

+1

I suggested the same gun in the "Wish List" section a few years ago, except in 44 Special. Call it a 591

So yeah, I obviously would love a 3" L-frame like yours. Good job, beautiful revolver.

As always, DHart, phenomenal. I recently acquired a PC681 with the Birdsong Black T and Green T finish. I contacted S&W in regards to removing the finish. They refused to touch it, saying Birdsong would have to do it. I contacted Birdsong's and spoke with Mr. Birdsong himself. He told me to blast it with low pressure using aluminum oxide, followed by glass beads. I will be attempting this soon. When it is done, I'll get a photo and post it for your approval.

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Dave Frost

Fine looking weapon, would be a hard choice as to shoot it or not.

Holy smokes...that's one sexy gun!

Brian~

Outstanding DHart, your pictures are great. Not a bad looking little 3"er either.

Dhart, great to see you back here again and thanks for posting photos of that masterpiece! It has been well worth the wait to see it.

Now that is a cool carry gun!!!

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M.J.Hanna

Welcome back. Man that is one bad *** lookin Smith

can you post how much$ it cost to get the work done, I want to have this done to my 681.

Ditto, I too have a 681 lying about not doing much.

Absolutly beautiful.

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Formerly know as Lucky Derby

That is quite stunning! Glad to see your great photos again.

Thanks for the welcome back, everyone! And I'm glad you like the gun...

I really have a "thing" for 581's (and fixed sight S&W's period!)

I just came across the "before" pic! WOW. I had been scouring the internet for months trying to find 581's and only found the two 4"ers that I bought. One was is great shape and I left it stock. The other is the one I had customized and here's how it looked when I bought it.

BEFORE


I didn't really mind how this one looked because they were so hard to find in the first place (I was just happy to have found it) and I knew I could turn it into this:

AFTER


And here's my other 581, kept "stock".

Just beautiful DHart! Very nice to "see" you again as well!! You have been missed. Best regards, 18DAI.

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

That is one great looking 581. I have a very nice one and I have thought of doing the same but it is SN # AAA42xx which makes it very early.

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Brian
<><

Hey 18DAI... and right back to you, my friend! Best wishes to you buddy

Hey DHart, long time no see. Hope all is well. I love seeing your pictures and they played a big part in hooking me on 581s, 586s and Spegel grips. Glad you are on the forum.

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God spelled backwards is dog.

doublesharp... nice to see you again too! I seem to go in waves of firearms interest, though I never really lose interest in any of them. Glad you enjoy the pics too. And glad you discovered the joys of the 581/586 family. They are such wonderful revolvers. Best wishes.

On the gunsmithing section of this forum I was told this was not practical. Glad to see it can be done. Please send me the contact information for your gunsmith. THANKS!!!

Doc

Mark Hartshorn (pinnacle-guns.com) did the work. I'm not sure if Mark is taking any major work at this time. Can't hurt to inquire, though. The Announcements area of his website states that no specific completion times can be given for full custom work, which makes me think you should be ok with being without your gun for a long time. Mine was gone for around a year, if I recall correctly. Mark's amazing beautiful work was worth the wait to me. But if timeliness is more important to you, that could be a decisive factor for you.

Doc.... I can't imagine why anyone would say it isn't practical to do this mod... for me it made the gun much more valuable and cherished. I don't recall the cost, but it wasn't outrageous (nor was it bargain basement either.) Just be sure whoever does the work that they are a very seasoned, professional specialist with revolvers. Mark is a member of the American Pistolsmith's Guild... an very honorable membership in an extremely select guild (the best of the best). But I'm sure there are a number of other superb revolver-smiths who can do work of this level for you.

DHart - Do you plan to carry that fine 581? If so, what holster would go well with it?

How do you make the barrel stampings disappear? Weld?

Bacon... it is not a carry gun for me, though it would make a good one, for sure. I carry semi-autos.

girvin02... the rollmarks are ground or sanded off. I've removed rollmarks from the barrel of my GP-100 with great success. I used the sanding drum on a dremel, followed by hand sanding with progressively finer grit, then Scotchbrite pads, and finishing with Flitz on a cloth.

1911s or Glocks???

Both.. depending on mood, whim, attire, etc. Among 1911's, bobtailed Colt Commanders and an Ed Brown Class A Bobtail Commander. Among Glocks, a G30, G23, G19.

Dhart;
I feel so badly for you. Here you are with this itty bitty revolver that has that OLD firing pin in the hammer and NO lock. Tsk!Tsk!Tsk! I'll bet you feel just AWFUL!! (Thoroughly tongue in cheek, of course)

Fine piece, indeed! Congratulations! If you ever get tired of it, I have an old "owl head" that I'd swap you even for...

Dale53

I thought I might be able to guess.
Still fond of the 642?

Darnell... ya know, I feel that a centennial-style revolver is absolutely indispensable for many types of defense preparedness and that there is no other weapon that can take it's place for certain defense applications. But I am gravitating toward one of my 640-1's for that use rather than my 642. I like the extra power and the extra weight.

Here's where I apply my 640-1 (or 642):

There are many times when you may suddenly find yourself encountering a deadly aggressor up-close-and-in-your-face when you least expect it. Like walking on the beach, on a dark city street, on a trail in the woods... an approaching person or persons who may appear non-threatening initially stops to ask you for "directions" or "for a light" or for whatever and then suddenly, they turn hostile or deadly.

In these cases, there can be no time to draw a weapon from a holster. BUT, if you had a centennial-style revolver in your coat pocket, you could be holding the gun, ready to fire right through the coat if necessary, before the person turns aggressive, without the aggressor even having a clue that you are armed and able to fire INSTANTLY, without even pulling the weapon out. Basically, you can "get the drop" on an aggressor without them even having a clue what's coming. That extra second can save your life. Usually aggressors always have the advantage of surprise because only they know what they're about to do to you. But the 640-1 in the coat pocket can enable you to have a return surprise of your own that can save your life. The "surprise that saves" I like to call it.

So when I'm downtown doing cityscape photography at night, or taking a walk on the beach, or on a trail... in addition to a G23 or G30 in an IWB holster at 4 o'clock, I will also carry the 640-1 in a coat pocket. If anyone approaches that looks like potential trouble, I will hold the weapon in my hand, inside the coat pocket. 99% of the time, there is no need for action... but should things suddenly turn really ugly up-close-and-in-your-face, the ability to fire instantly if needed can be golden.

So yes, the 640-1 is an integral part of my self-defense strategy.

Perfection. I WANT ONE. (At least one. Maybe two.)

Don- very sound logic.
I ususally have my Glock 27 or S&W 442 on me but not both at the same time. I'll have to give that a try. What holster have you had the best luck with for the Glocks? I'm still trying to find one that's comfortable for me.