gtoppcop
Member
Hi Guys,
Ever since seeing a 1956 Pre-27 with a 3-1/2 inch barrel come through my LGS (and missing buying it...), I have been on a quest to make my own.
A few weeks ago, I got a very lightly used Model 27-3 (1987) with a six-inch barrel. Not being a long barrel guy, I contacted the lovely Roz Sousa at Smith and Wesson to see if they still had any of the 3-1/2 inch barrels left in their inventory. She told me that there was only one (1) four-inch barrel left. She put my name on it.
About a week of looking on e-bay, Numrich and Jack First netted one that I bid on e-bay. I paid $160 for the barrel, but for the chance of having a 3-1/2 inch .357 N-Frame, it was a small price to pay.
I asked Roz if she could ask the Performance Center if they could take off the six-inch barrel and install the 3-1/2 inch tube. They agreed.
Today (8/31), I at long last received the 3-1/2 barrel that I won from e-bay. WOW! She's gorgeous! It has the two pin Baughman Plain Black Ramp and the large ampersand.
I realize that the resultant Model 27 will be a faux 3-1/2 inch gun, but who cares? The short barrel Model 27s are some of the sexiest guns to ever come out of Springfield.
With a bit of luck all will go as planned with the scope of work I've detailed below.
--Chamfer Charge Holes
--Install Short Barrel
--Check Piece for Servicability
--Refinish the Piece in High-Polish Blue
When I got the 27-3 (S/N AVU22**) home the other day, I immediately detail stripped her and cleaned her from stem to stern (it's a Marine thing...). I just can't bear the thought of sending a dirty gun to Springfield, as I believe the mechanic (gunsmith) is more apt to go the extra mile with a sheet of clean canvas. Might just be me? Not sure.
At any rate, when I pulled her apart, I noticed the Target Trigger and Target Hammer were heavy gouged on their sides. I replaced them with a .400" Semi-Target Hammer and a .265" Service Trigger. Both of them had vibrant CCH colors and no rub marks. HUGE bonus for my project.
When I put the whole works back together (after giving a slight polish job to the rebound slide and its corresponding area of the frame), I found the reason WHY the original hammer/trigger were gouged. The sideplate is too thick. When I bottomed the sideplate screws into their holes, I did a function check and found that the trigger wouldn't return and the hammer wouldn't fall. Backing off the screws 2 turns each netted a perfect DA pull stroke of approx. eight pounds with no discernible side-to-side hammer wobble on the pull stroke.
Hmmm. I found that when the sideplate was in place with the screws backed off for the least interference possible, that the sideplate still protruded into the frame's hammer way about 001"-002". It should be flush when cinched down properly. With that, I deduced that the sideplate wasn't milled correctly.
I've seen many 1980s-vintage Lear-Sigler guns like this before. But I've also seen many that didn't possess any maladies.
Many will notice that the blue looks to be in decent shape. It is, but it's the 1980s blue, not the blue of the Bangor Punta era exhibited by the 3-1/2 inch barrel. For this reason, I will have them re-blue the entire piece in their high-polish blue. Many of you will recall what they did for my Model 10-6. Their new bluing rivals the stuff of old.
I'm sure many will decry the use of the short barrel on a gun that isn't worthy of having it mounted. To them, I say "Kalifornia". Here in the Golden State, we get what we get. I don't have the luxury of ordering my dream gun on gunbroker. This 27-3 was a trade-in and was bought via the Private Party Transfer rules of the CA DOJ. I was a day late on the Pre-27, alas.
So, if I want a 3-1/2 inch Model 27, I have to make it. In the long run, I will most likely spend more $$$ for this project than I would have if I was fortunate enough to buy the Pre-27.
I changed out the 1980s Target Grips in favor of the set of Culina French Walnut Magnas (Item # S18) taken off of my Model 22-4 Project. They be replaced with a set of Tung Oil finished French Walnut with medallions for a more martial look.
Needless to say, I'm happy thus far at what the future holds for this project. Roz Sousa and "Art" at the Performance Center are central to this project working. I'm indeed indebted to them for their willingness to help.
I'll be sure to keep everybody abreast of developments as they occur.
Ever since seeing a 1956 Pre-27 with a 3-1/2 inch barrel come through my LGS (and missing buying it...), I have been on a quest to make my own.
A few weeks ago, I got a very lightly used Model 27-3 (1987) with a six-inch barrel. Not being a long barrel guy, I contacted the lovely Roz Sousa at Smith and Wesson to see if they still had any of the 3-1/2 inch barrels left in their inventory. She told me that there was only one (1) four-inch barrel left. She put my name on it.
About a week of looking on e-bay, Numrich and Jack First netted one that I bid on e-bay. I paid $160 for the barrel, but for the chance of having a 3-1/2 inch .357 N-Frame, it was a small price to pay.
I asked Roz if she could ask the Performance Center if they could take off the six-inch barrel and install the 3-1/2 inch tube. They agreed.
Today (8/31), I at long last received the 3-1/2 barrel that I won from e-bay. WOW! She's gorgeous! It has the two pin Baughman Plain Black Ramp and the large ampersand.
I realize that the resultant Model 27 will be a faux 3-1/2 inch gun, but who cares? The short barrel Model 27s are some of the sexiest guns to ever come out of Springfield.
With a bit of luck all will go as planned with the scope of work I've detailed below.
--Chamfer Charge Holes
--Install Short Barrel
--Check Piece for Servicability
--Refinish the Piece in High-Polish Blue
When I got the 27-3 (S/N AVU22**) home the other day, I immediately detail stripped her and cleaned her from stem to stern (it's a Marine thing...). I just can't bear the thought of sending a dirty gun to Springfield, as I believe the mechanic (gunsmith) is more apt to go the extra mile with a sheet of clean canvas. Might just be me? Not sure.
At any rate, when I pulled her apart, I noticed the Target Trigger and Target Hammer were heavy gouged on their sides. I replaced them with a .400" Semi-Target Hammer and a .265" Service Trigger. Both of them had vibrant CCH colors and no rub marks. HUGE bonus for my project.
When I put the whole works back together (after giving a slight polish job to the rebound slide and its corresponding area of the frame), I found the reason WHY the original hammer/trigger were gouged. The sideplate is too thick. When I bottomed the sideplate screws into their holes, I did a function check and found that the trigger wouldn't return and the hammer wouldn't fall. Backing off the screws 2 turns each netted a perfect DA pull stroke of approx. eight pounds with no discernible side-to-side hammer wobble on the pull stroke.
Hmmm. I found that when the sideplate was in place with the screws backed off for the least interference possible, that the sideplate still protruded into the frame's hammer way about 001"-002". It should be flush when cinched down properly. With that, I deduced that the sideplate wasn't milled correctly.
I've seen many 1980s-vintage Lear-Sigler guns like this before. But I've also seen many that didn't possess any maladies.
Many will notice that the blue looks to be in decent shape. It is, but it's the 1980s blue, not the blue of the Bangor Punta era exhibited by the 3-1/2 inch barrel. For this reason, I will have them re-blue the entire piece in their high-polish blue. Many of you will recall what they did for my Model 10-6. Their new bluing rivals the stuff of old.
I'm sure many will decry the use of the short barrel on a gun that isn't worthy of having it mounted. To them, I say "Kalifornia". Here in the Golden State, we get what we get. I don't have the luxury of ordering my dream gun on gunbroker. This 27-3 was a trade-in and was bought via the Private Party Transfer rules of the CA DOJ. I was a day late on the Pre-27, alas.
So, if I want a 3-1/2 inch Model 27, I have to make it. In the long run, I will most likely spend more $$$ for this project than I would have if I was fortunate enough to buy the Pre-27.
I changed out the 1980s Target Grips in favor of the set of Culina French Walnut Magnas (Item # S18) taken off of my Model 22-4 Project. They be replaced with a set of Tung Oil finished French Walnut with medallions for a more martial look.
Needless to say, I'm happy thus far at what the future holds for this project. Roz Sousa and "Art" at the Performance Center are central to this project working. I'm indeed indebted to them for their willingness to help.
I'll be sure to keep everybody abreast of developments as they occur.
