In 2003/2004 a forum member did this and posted photos.
The finished product looked good.
The finished product looked good.
Anyone Had the Barrel Lug Milled Off?
- Thread starter RedBerens
- Start date
Cookie-cutter guns are fine and I like to look at Doc44's beautiful guns as much as anyone, but as the poster said, the current crop hardly qualifies as some sort of religious artifact. I think there is also a lot of interest in an S&W (to me, at least) that has been carefully modified to suit a purpose and received corresponding use by its owner. I'll be pleased to see your revolver when it is done and hear your shooting results. So don't forget to post the pics and info.
The barrel is probably not going to look like a 66 barrel because the 686 barrel does not have a lot of taper, so it will be somewhere between what it is now and a big 66-looking barrel - but it should be just fine.
As to cost, good work is never cheap. If you are going to do a project like this, it should be done carefully, by someone with an eye for such things. People spend $250 on worthless junk like cokes or french fries in a year. It's just money. At least your modified gun won't be clogging your arteries.
Alx
Member
Can we find the link to that other old thread anymore ?
I'd like to find those posted photos mentioned, and any of the info.
But as of yet no success in searching.
I'd like to find those posted photos mentioned, and any of the info.
But as of yet no success in searching.
This thread got me thinking about cutting lug my 6" 617-6 that I bought couple years ago. I don't have CNC at home, so I just did it with handsaw, file, sandpaper and dremel.
I kinda liked the result, so I decided also polish it, replace hummer and grips
.
Here is how it looks now:
I kinda liked the result, so I decided also polish it, replace hummer and grips
.Here is how it looks now:
kamloops67
Member
This thread got me thinking about cutting lug my 6" 617-6 that I bought couple years ago. I don't have CNC at home, so I just did it with handsaw, file, sandpaper and dremel.
I kinda liked the result, so I decided also polish it, replace hummer and grips
Here is how it looks now:
View attachment 89274
View attachment 89275
View attachment 89276
View attachment 89277
you are a brave man! i couldnt attack one of my pieces with a hacksaw..no way thats a $950 gun new!. my media is wood, but its tough to make a decent gun out of wood..
i would say you havent diminished the value of that 617 one cent . i would buy it
DAinTX
Member
I suspect you're right about that, Cajun.
This thread got me thinking about cutting lug my 6" 617-6 that I bought couple years ago. I don't have CNC at home, so I just did it with handsaw, file, sandpaper and dremel.
I kinda liked the result, so I decided also polish it, replace hummer and grips
I'd say its a 100% improvement, especially with a 6" barrel.
For one like that I could even overlook the IL (I think!)
SweetMK
Member
Well, for everyone that posted the desire of S&W to make a less than full lug 617,,,,
S&W finally did it,,,
S&W finally did it,,,
Well time has passed since I last saw this thread. I have taken a gunsmithing course and a Smith & Wesson armourer's class. I have made two half lug guns in the mean time and going to do a third.
I made my 686 no dash into a half lug 5" and it is by far my all time favorite handgun ever. And I have had a lot of handguns in my 40 plus years of buying and trading for guns.
I also put a 5" barrel on my 629-3 square butt and made it a half lug too. I love it. I am going to do the same to a second 629-3 square butt that I bought a 5" barrel for.
A hack saw to cut the lug off, a good file to profile it, a dremel tool to profile the full lug to half lug and a stone to smooth it up and emery cloth to finish the job. I must say I wore out one hack saw blade and used another to cut the lugs off with. That stainless steel is very hard!!
This second 629 is going to half to have the barrel set back as the gap is just a tad too big so that will take some lathe work. The 686 and first 629 barrel/cylinder gaps were very tight and I had to slightly remove some of the forcing cone to make the gap large enough so shooting lead bullets would cause problems.
Oh and I bought a 629 Mountain Gun!
John
I made my 686 no dash into a half lug 5" and it is by far my all time favorite handgun ever. And I have had a lot of handguns in my 40 plus years of buying and trading for guns.
I also put a 5" barrel on my 629-3 square butt and made it a half lug too. I love it. I am going to do the same to a second 629-3 square butt that I bought a 5" barrel for.
A hack saw to cut the lug off, a good file to profile it, a dremel tool to profile the full lug to half lug and a stone to smooth it up and emery cloth to finish the job. I must say I wore out one hack saw blade and used another to cut the lugs off with. That stainless steel is very hard!!
This second 629 is going to half to have the barrel set back as the gap is just a tad too big so that will take some lathe work. The 686 and first 629 barrel/cylinder gaps were very tight and I had to slightly remove some of the forcing cone to make the gap large enough so shooting lead bullets would cause problems.
Oh and I bought a 629 Mountain Gun!
John
Attachments
5Wire
Member
I didn't read any of the posts in this thread except for the first one, because I doubt there's anything that was posted that could change what I am about to post.
I will never understand people . . .
Sorry not the pistols you mentioned but, my 617 after I took hacksaw, files and emory paper to that God awful full under lug. Now she's the perfect woods walker gun.(for me anyway).
Steve
I think when I get my second 629 done I will make a half lug out of my 617 no dash 6". I like the looks of that Steve.
This is interesting, I was going to ask how many ounces you think you lose by doing so. I would not have guessed so much. Half a lb is pretty dramatic. I do love the full lug on my 629 6 1/2 inch though. Like the look, love how it eats recoil, and I'm more accurate with it than any other handgun I've ever fired. But I also kind of like the idea of customizing your own gun to fit your specific tastes. A lot of work, no doubt, but so is tying your own flies for fishing. Your gun your world.
Sorry, comparing the lug to the a handle on a shovel is apples to oranges.
SweetMK
Member
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