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I received it, as pictured above, on Friday. Here it is Sunday, and the revolver is already unrecognizable: I have a bit more detailing left to do on it. But, it is essentially done. I plan to test drive it on Tuesday. The cylinder gap measures larger than I like, at .009". But, it's not...

Thank you, sir. But, it really wasn’t work; I love doing that kinda stuff.

Here's a photo of the 645's port side: That one-sided safety / de-cocking lever was for a S&W 745. I altered it to clear the left stock panel, then bead blasted it.

I must admit (in all modesty, of course) that I did all the work, with the exception of barrel installation, which was done by Irv Stone at Bar-Sto Precision Machine, while it was still in 29 Palms, CA. The rear sight assembly was the inspired work of Bob Sconce who was "the guy" at Miniature...

It's been long enough that I don't recall precisely which version it was. I do recall some sorta internal screw which kept the original trigger back for single action only, necessitating its removal to accommodate the 3rd Gen. DA guts. It went back in when I converted the pistol back to...

That's how mine started out. But, I didn't much like the hard G-10 grips or the contrasting, black, small part accents. So, … … thumb piece, ejector rod, and side plate screws were exchanged for stainless steel, and a Hogue Bantam grip was substituted. While I was about it, an 11 pound...

If you've ever had a revolver cylinder bind while shooting double action (extremely rare, but I have), aggressively thumbing back the hammer can effectively force past whatever's binding the cylinder and get you the next shot, emergency quick. Bobbing off the hammer spur denies you that option...

I shot a Model 52 pretty well when I was on my Army post pistol team as a draftee in the early '70s. So, I got one for myself after I discharged. Never one to leave a gun "as is," I later obtained from S&W (possible in those days) a 3rd Generation 3904 trigger, drawbar and hammer, and...

Think SMOLT SMYTHON.

Originality and collectibility don't mean much to me. But, excellent configuration and quality construction do. So, I'll be making my own 3" 686 round butt revolver. I've had, for some time now, a 3" 686-5 barrel which came to me installed on a 686-1 square butt frame (sacrilege!). So, a 6"...

I'm with you on your color choice for concealment under a white cotton shirt: With its (unfortunately long discontinued) MMC adjustable rear sight, matching POI to Point of Aim for different loads and bullet weights presents no problem. I've been a longtime fan of 124gr. Gold Dot Hollow...

Why not just do it yourself? Nothing magical about the process. You can perform the task with a good mill file. But, a bench grinder makes the initial work go faster, though it's very easy to over do it, and quickly too (slow and careful is essential). Delicate use of the file after roughly...

Irrelevant? Not so sure. Depends on whether "the original poster" really wants to spend his gunsmith money on making his two revolvers match in a way which doesn't do much to improve their effectiveness, or would consider spending it in a slightly different way which does. The cost to make...

The XS Big Dot Tritium yellow front sight is so easy to see in all lighting conditions that it could probably guide lost aircraft for safe landing in bad weather. (Please just ignore that flyer 8.)

Any bullet speed advantage (likely not enough to matter) is not the real benefit of the 3" (actually a full 3 inches) J-Frame barrel over the far more common 2" (actually 1-7/8") barrel; the real advantage is in its improved shoot-ability (pointing and balance). The 3" J-Frame conceals just as...

Just a bit more nose can really change its personality:

Stainless steel S&Ws are the easiest to bring back from the dead. They can start out looking uglier than original sin. But, some light filing and careful sanding to address exterior scratches and dents, then steel surface brushing for revolvers and sandblasting for autos; et voila, looks new...

Altered J-Frames (some more than others): Though the last two are pretty obvious, not one of these has its original barrel.

Modified VR82 kept by the back door for exterior work at rural home. Its mag is loaded with 20GA No.3 Buck; couple extra 5 shot mags of Slugs and No.4 Bird are nearby. More likely to deal with critters than creeps, but capable of handling both.