Did I really save her? A Born Again 29-3

[indiuckian]

I had said I would take it...And I did...A Smith 29-3 that had a thick drooping coat of black "Duracoat in a can" and obvious pits you could park a VW in...I got it at a fair price (or so I thought) and wanted to just have a beater of my favorite gun I could guilt free tote around the farm and not worry about it..

That weekend I shot her and for some reason decided to stop...The pits began concerning me and I had to know how bad they were before I shot any further....I have a good friend who was a S&W armorer for Louisville back in the 1970's-80's and I gave her to him and asked him to blast the finish off and see what was underneath...I was going to then try to brown it/blue it (I was not trying to "restore" but to "Resucitate" a weapon that was hurting.) A couple of days later I saw him coming into the shop with the Smith in the white (sort of) and a grim look on his face...The pits were bad..The weapon appears to have spent some time in a puddle of blood..Me being a hunter looked up and said "Hunter laid it near his dead deer and forgot it overnight." While my buddy, being a retired LEO said, "Suicide gun...Family recovered it from evidence after the inquiry, filled it with bondo, duracoated and sold it to a sucker. You probably being the third sucker..."

I liked my story better and am sticking to it...

The pits in the cylinder, as you can see, were enough to where I was never going to be able to use it and feel safe..The rear sight had been epoxied on with the same bondo they had tried to fill the pits with...It could not be saved either...Thus began a two month process of finding a new cylinder...I was going to keep the barrel as the bore was and is excellent...The rear sight, along with the cylinder latch, are from a K frame(The original cylinder latch was lost in the process at some point)...I cleaned the grips as best I could...The new cylinder was fitted and my dream of having a "browned" 29-3 were fading fast...The browning solution kept coming out splotchy so we mixed it with some cold blue and ended up with this weird colour that vaguely looks like case colouring done by a blind five year old chimpanzee....

I had thought of posting before pics but I was afraid the mods would ban me for even posting such a monstrosity...So here she is...She ain't pretty but she locks up tight and will be shot this weekend....I still don't know if I did the right thing trying to do what I did but I have to say I really think she is beautiful in a cold, unforgiving way.....

Thanks for listening to our story.....











Like Herr Doctor Frankenstein my intentions were Noble...The results, however, are what they are....

P.S. The old cylinder is going to become the gear shift knob on my 20 year old Ford F150...I was worried the red on my neck had began fading and figured that gear shift knob would get her rosey again...

 

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

Hey, you wanted a knock around shooter, now you got one. You won't have to worry or feel guilty if you get in a severe rain storm, or your boat over turns. A kick around gun can be a very handy thing. I was hunting out of a tree in a drizzling rain, no stand with ladder, just a tree. When nightfall came, I started climbing down, got tangled up and lost the Ruger revolver that I was carrying. It was full dark as only nightfall can be in the woods, in the rain. I was so familiar with my hunting area that I hadn't brought a flashlight. The area under the tree I had been in was overgrown with brush. You can see where this is going. Couldn't find the gun, I searched and searched, on my hands and knees, soaking wet, in the dark. An hour later, tired, wet and disgusted I gave up and went home. The next day, I return and find the gun hanging in the top of the brush. It's covered in fine rust, got home, spent hours with steel wool and oil. Final result was a nice brown, not the beautiful Ruger blue it had before. The gun became my favorite hunting companion and accounted for a couple of bucks over the years. You will probably get attached to yours as well. Be proud you salvaged something deserving.

 

[clang444]

It took a while to get that pitted. Maybe it was put into a wet leather holster?

You can always nip it down to a 3.5" gun and get rid of most the barrel pitting.

 

[dg84s]

Looks serviceable and honest. Are you going to limit it to .44 spec? I'd be concerned about the barrel strength for .44 mag.

 

[brucev]

You did the basics to get it back to the range. I like what you did. Load it up and see how it shoots. Possibly you'll need to touch up the crown. But if the chambers and bore are not messed up, you'll likely have a very nice shooter. Later, if you just can't stand the pits on the outside of the barrel, possibly consider having it cut back to maybe 4-5 inches and have a nice front sight mounted. But, I'd lean to leaving it as is and just enjoying it!

 

[cobretti]

"I had thought of posting before pics but I was afraid the mods would ban me for even posting such a monstrosity"

Yeah, you're gonna have to post those 'cause I thought that these WERE the before pics...!

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

this weird colour that vaguely looks like case coloring done by a blind five year old chimpanzee...

I disagree. Not vaguely. It looks EXACTLY like case coloring done by a blind five year old chimpanzee...

I'd be tempted to nip the barrel to 4" or 3 1/2" and round butt the grip frame. Then file, and sand, and buff till the pits disappeared. Have your gunsmith friend put on a front sight. Then send it off to have it industrial hard chromed. Then you'd have something you could wear to a barbecue and not frighten the women and horses.

 

[Irn-Bru]

I have a feeling that thing did what Mr Callahan proclaimed it would do. I'm guessing it blew his head "clean off"

 

[JeepinSoldier]

Like previously posted, looks kind of like case colors. Leave it as it is for a hard use gun.

However, if you really want to save it, from time to time there will be barrels in the for sale section of this forum. Get a replacement barrel, then send it to a reputable smith for rebarrel and reblue or one of the other modern finishes.

I have seen worse redone to better than new. For a great looking hard use .44, rebarrel it then send it to Robar for Roguard in black or NP3 in silver/grey.

 

[jaymoore]

I've a Model 58 that's pitted but it times up and shoots so much better than the "pretty" one that it gets much more use. Can't tell what it looks like whilst looking at the front sight, so no worries!

 

[xssv]

I'd leave it just the way it is. Looks badass. Carry it. If you're ever in a rough situation where you have to pull it, make up your own Dirty Harry type saying like, "Don't make me release the troubled soul residing within to take what's left of yours...."

 

[indiuckian]

I'd leave it just the way it is. Looks badass. Carry it. If you're ever in a rough situation where you have to pull it, make up your own Dirty Harry type saying like, "Don't make me release the troubled soul residing within to take what's left of yours...."

I like it too....That's why I posted because when I got to this stage it just seemed "right" for lack of a better word...I wanted to see if I was crazy for thinking that...I may still be crazy for thinking that but I am not the only one it seems...

Imagine being middle aged and going to the Doctor and he says to you, "I just wanted to let you know we now have a procedure to eliminate scars and make your skin look brand new.."

I imagine most of us would look at those scars, smile, and say, "No thanks. Many memories, both good and bad, are on that skin....Some of the scars are nearly as old as me you see...No sir, I think I will just keep them as is...."

IMHO ofcourse....

 

[Big Cholla]

Good Start!

You have a great opportunity to make a 'custom' version of what ever turns you on. Replacement take-off barrels are readily available from eBay. Get a short barrel and have the action round butted. Put a nice combat grip on over a CeraKote job. You would have a great version of a using, carrying, all weather handgun. If I had that gun I would have all but the CeraKote done in the first day. Good on you for saving and putting back into use a great gun. .............. Big Cholla

 

[9mmsubgun-m11]

Good on you for saving the old girl. A friend of my father committed suicide several years ago with an old 22lr revolver. The surviving family members did not want the gun back from the Sheriffs evidence department. I told my father I wanted the gun to avoid it being destroyed even though it is not worth much. Sheriffs dept turned it over to him and I got it and the rounds that were in the cylinder at the time it was used. It still has blood on the cylinder and barrel and I plan to leave it that way.Might seem morbid to some but I do not like to see any gun destroyed.

 

[4330Inroute]

I like it as is. I would give a great workout. How well does it shoot? Better question would be how well can you shoot it?

 

[xssv]

Buddy of mine got the gun his dad used on an intruder back from the sheriff's department. He was just a kid when this guy broke into their home. Mistake. His dad canoed the guys melon with a deer slug.

The robber was armed too, so god knows what would have happened if his dad didn't wake up in time.

Anyhow, he still uses the gun all the time, especially for shotgun season on deer.

We always say, "what, did that poor little doe try and break down your backdoor or something?" Kinda morbid, but the gun didn't deserve to get destroyed, it deserved a medal as far as I'm concerned.

 

[indiuckian]

I like it as is. I would give a great workout. How well does it shoot? Better question would be how well can you shoot it?

It was dark by the time I got to the farm last night but the wife was kind enough to hold a flashlight and shine it on the 8 inch gong...I had 8 loose 44 specials laying around and rang the gong everytime (I could see the sights that is) from 15 yards out to 20 yards....I had slapped a shot of paint on the gong and all 6 of the shots I took when the moon was right and I could see the sights hit dead center and she shot point of aim...

I am going to shoot some 240 grain WWB Magnums when I close up the shop and head back to the homestead...I am liking her quite a bit....

 

[Watchdog]

You did the right thing. And you did good. I'll also say I don't think it needs any further work like cutting the barrel or anything, although your personal preferences may differ from mine. As it is now, you have successfully rescued the gun and it is ready for a new lifetime of service. And it looks fearsome...much more so than a lot of "pretty" guns I've seen lately.

 

[Nframeroundbutt629]

Buddy of mine got the gun his dad used on an intruder back from the sheriff's department. He was just a kid when this guy broke into their home. Mistake. His dad canoed the guys melon with a deer slug.

The robber was armed too, so god knows what would have happened if his dad didn't wake up in time.

Anyhow, he still uses the gun all the time, especially for shotgun season on deer.

We always say, "what, did that poor little doe try and break down your backdoor or something?" Kinda morbid, but the gun didn't deserve to get destroyed, it deserved a medal as far as I'm concerned.

Agreed. I love a happy ending.

I had a stainless 686 that I later found out was a suicide gun. I got rid of it and have regretted it ever since. It was an awesome weapon.

I can't afford to be much of a collector so my guns are all shooters, exactly what they were intended to be.

I like honest wear on a gun, even though this particular gun has some excessive wear, to put it mildly. It can be restored to much better condition. Good job having her put back in working order. I'm sure she will be a great shooter. I've never met a Smith that wasn't a great shooter.

 

[redwood0_7]

This is the gun most of us dream about. One you can carry on the tractor and not worry if it gets dinged or scratched. I recently bought a mod. 28 for that purpose but it was too nice so now it is in my safe. So I'm back to square one. I would consider cutting the barrel shorter.