629-3 Classic 6.5" barrel originally, now 4". Very well balanced revolver to shoot.
686-3 started life at 6.5" and is now 3", has been round butted and has a 7 round cylinder installed/timed and a lot of double action smoothing/polishing.
Pre-18 with stainless magnum cylinder installed.
Mike Curtis 1911 bullseye gun. Not much more to say there.
I bought an unfluted .45 Colt cylinder from Numrich and had a gunsmith fit it and add the 5" bull barrel. I polished the action a bit, added a wide, smooth trigger and installed Wolff springs. It had an Aimpoint 7000S red dot sight on a Weigand mount. About 2 years ago I switched to a Burris Fastfire III on an Alchin mount. The grips are Ahrends made from a block of rosewood I sent them.
Here is one of the first revolvers I built to suit a need, a S&W Model 1917. On this one, all I did was spin out the long barrel and install a 4" barrel I had on hand. It was my EDC for a few years until I rebuilt the S&W Model 28-2 to 45 ACP, (see post 7).
Here is a "slightly" modified Brazilian with a 16 1/2" barrel and adjustable sights with a 1955 sporting a recessed 45 colt cylinder made from a 44 mag cylinder
Here is a Smolt pinto
Here is a 642 turned into a pinto 327 mag (lock deleted singe pic)
here is a 1917 with sights, cut dowwn grip frame, 3" 1950 barrel and cylinder made to fire ACP and colt
a couple 629-1 turrned inrtto a 4" ACP/Colt and a 5" 45 colt
a 25-5 cut to 5" sporting a recessed cylinder made from a 44 mag cylinder.
A Brazilian that became an adjustable sight 45 colt with a 4 11/4" cut 1950 barrel
J&G had a sale on 10-7 frames without barrels weeeeeeeeee
a 4" Smolt made using a 10-7 frame
another 10-7 made into a 3" 327 mag
and here is another 10-7 I had just finished making into a 6" adjustable sight 327
here is a 10-7 that became a pinto faux model 13 using a recesses model 19 nickle cylinder and nickle 13 barrel
This one went to a Mass state trooper, the action is silly short. Bunch of voodoo on the inside to accomplish that.
This one is a subtly modified gun, just the front sight + some checkering on the frame. It was a treasure trove of SWHF letters though, if you like reading neat old letters from the 1920s about guns, you will enjoy this: Half Target M&P, Update: Another Police Gun!
This one is a King modified Colt 1911 from 1915, the Ropers on it include most of the features you could order and miraculously they fit my hand perfectly. Which is really a neat thing for me since most Ropers were custom made for a person's hand, to find a set that were made for someone with basically my hands?
In any case, it makes for a perfect showcase of the different features that could be found on a set of Ropers. Which I personally think is important because people see pictures and think they are pretty, but don't realize just how incredibly technical they actually are.
This 1917 was obviously upgraded to be a target, with a king sight blade on front. It has a particularly odd thing going on with it internally, and slightly externally.
The grooved hammer is actually from a Registered Magnum, and the action is weirdly...snappy? It's hard for me to explain in words. The best I can say is that someone set this thing up for double action shooting and had King do some internal voodoo to accomplish that.
One of my favorite guns, despite being a colt, purely for the vision a gunsmith had for it.
Those two lines there are where he brazed a piece of steel back in to create a frame shaped like a Pocket Positive. Even though the gun was originally a police positive. Coupled with a Detective Special barrel, the guy basically made himself a Colt .38 S&W Terrier.
Speaking of modified colts. This is the one used to wack Jimmy Hoffa. I bought it out of a miami pawnshop. Actually put a bid on it on gunbroker that was so low I didn't think I would win it. Couple months later I was going through my old email and saw a YOU WON message, contacted the shop all apologetic and they said they still had it of course. No one else wanted it. I can't imagine why!
And I guess if we are talking Colts. This is a selection of antique SAA parts put together by Christy gunworks to be a .22lr. It weighs a metric ton, shoots gloriously, and some past owner used a file to note ranges on the front sight ramp.
I'm pretty sure this thing has been used to slay at least a million squirrels.
Back to Smiths where we belong:
This one is from 1905, shipped to the San Francisco Police Department. I love it because it's a great example of how D.W. King would use parts on hand to quickly upgrade a gun. In this case the gun stayed fixed sight, but now sports what would functionally be considered a very modern set of revolver sights. Which they did by grabbing parts already made off the shelf and installing them in an unconventional way.
K22/40 and M&P .38spl King super targets.
I love King guns, but still just have the two Smith & Wesson Super targets.
There is a Colt though in the stable:
Also has work by Giles and A.E. Berdon.
King upgraded New Service in .45LC
King upgraded Colt Camp Perry (I can't really abide old Colt sights, but they ca be very very pleasing guns after King worked them over and upgraded them).
And we may as well finish this post with the gun that set me down the path of modified guns:
Pretty sure its King modified. There are certainly King parts on this 38/44 outdoorsman. It's an amazing shooter. Not sure who made these grips, they were a random pickup off of ebay. I like to try to find the "right" vintage grips for my guns, which very rarely come to me wearing anything other than the most vile of rubber or plastic.
The gun itself was just a few hundred, labeled model 10, from a pawn shop. That was the most expensive 300 dollar gun I ever bought.
Here is a 3.5" Model 27-2 that was rusted and pitted and bought as a project for the previous owner. He sent it to a gunsmith friend of his and he round butted the frame. Then he tuned, and timed the action, rounded the back of the hammer and added a smooth combat trigger. He fine bead blasted away the rust and almost all of the pitting, then blued it. Finally, an easy to pick up front sight insert was added to the plan blade. I really like it and think S&W should have made a 3.5" model 27 with a round butt a normal catalog item.
28-2 rechambered to 44 Special and fitted with a special 8-groove barrel.
Gun is signed by Dan Dwyer of San Diego.
He invented the Group Gripper.
No idea as to the original intended purpose of it.
Posted last year when aquired...more of a good thing...
1984 S&W 686 No Dash 2.5" Magnaport Custom (1of2 known to exist)
Purchased and received from the original owner; an older gentleman in NC. He purchased 2 Brand New in 1984 and immediately sent them to Magnaport for the work. The list below is over $800 now. Then anyone's guess on cost.
Magnaport actually sent both to S&W for the "M" Stamp recall work. They would not work on the guns otherwise. No matter my original 1984 686 4" had the "M" Stamp performed. GTG.
Once complete when returned to his FFL he convinced the owner to sell him 1 which he did as he was a friend. Does that still exist somewhere today? Check your WeeGee Board and let me know.
Services Performed:
Jewel and Polish Trigger and Hammer
Inverted Muzzle Crown
Front Sight Insert (Red)
Combat Trigger Conversion..Smooth Face and Polish
Action...S&W Double Action
Etch MagNaPort Logo
Velvet Hone Finish
Polish Cylinder Flutes, Cylinder Release, Screws and Ejector Rod
Number chambers and Install Wolf Springs
I usually leave my revolvers alone except for some spring tweaking. I did have a new front sight put on a 686. And have several 1911's that are full blown customs
Not mine. An FFL holder friend purchased it at an estate.
Asked for my help examining and testing.
Very fine workmanship.
Needed full power heavy bullet loads to function.
Recoil was nil.
Were it mine, I would have cut the barrel.
