Big Bore Revolver Build

[inverness]

I am looking to build either a .44 spl or .45acp revolver.
I have a S&W 2nd model hand ejector that was originally a british issue .455 webley.
These were sleeved down to .22lr and sold off to the civilian market after the war (as is the case with mine).
My question is, can I use this piece as a base to build a big bore revolver, and is the expense going to be outrageous, or feasible?

 

[jack the toad]

IMO, likely cost prohibitive.

 

[Sebago Son]

50 years ago the .455 HE2nds were a common foundation for projects such as you now contemplate. However these days shortages of critical parts may suggest that a more modern gun such as a Model 58 may be a better choice for a starting point.

That having been said, I wonder as a practical matter the advisability of such a project. Smith & Wesson has built a dizzying array of variations over the years and it seems to me that you should be able to find what you are looking for in an existing gun without spending the large amounts of money making something up yourself.

Lastly as an editorial, custom guns are usually a dead end street as far as money goes. Rarely is the gun, once so modified, as valuable to someone else as it is to the person commissioning the modifications. This is not so if you were to locate an existing S&W model that suits your needs. Good guns always seem to appreciate in value if well cared for.

Good Luck. Choose Well.

Drew

 

[hotrod150]

A custom big-bore built out of a vintage revolver is not gonna pencil out unless you can do some, most, or all of the work yourself. But IMHO the finished product will be cooler than anything S&W builds today. I'd love to see you build a 2 or 3 inch 45 Colt or 45acp old school carry gun out of it.

 

[M29since14]

Good advice from Drew, as usual. I too would suggest a more modern revolver for your project. If you can locate something off the shelf that will meet your needs with minimum modification, better still.

I have nothing against a custom revolver as long as you enter the equation always understanding you are throwing your money away (once you lose interest in the gun). Hamilton Bowen used to say most projects are basically making a $1500 gun into a $500 gun. He is the best there is at that sort of thing. He should know. On the other hand, if you really want something you can't buy, why not? People spend more money on stupid/frivolous things all the time, and it doesn't take them long to do it. Think of what the average guy spends just on cokes and coffee in a year.

 

[Boxhead]

~$1500 and Jim Stroh will give you what you want. Clearly your choice of the value.

 

[2152hq]

The bbl and cylinder (caliber change) is a matter of finding those two parts in the caliber of your choice.

In a sleeved to .22rf N frame,,I'd look closely at how the original N-Frame was altered to convert it to a RF.
Alterations to the breech face, firing pin bushing in the face of the breech possibly, an altered hammer (you'd need a new Pre-War N frame hammer), ect.
Some frame modifications done in a RF conversion may make the re-conversion back to centerfire big bore more expensive than you'd like.

If you can work past that,,I don't see any reason not to make a 44spcl, 45Colt , 45acp/AR , ect out of one.

Custom guns are fun, it's a hobby after all.