Tinker Pearce
Member
Few years back I purchased an old 6-1/2" barrel hand ejector. The front sight had been cut to a target-style sight, and the frame, barrel and cylinder had been chemically etched and given an ugly black finish of some kind. It was wearing a set of Pachmayr grips that were completely out of character for the gun; in short it was ugly. But everything worked, the trigger was sweet and the price was right so I snagged it.
The S&W logo was badly worn, and with all the changes collector value was nil, so I decided to refinish the gun in antique gray and made a set of wood grips for it.
It was a handsome gun and a decent shooter, but as I've gotten older issues with my eyes have made long-barreled revolvers problematic; the front sight winds up at the edge of my focal range and precision is difficult. As a consequence the gun didn't get shot very often.
This year I have decided to pare down my collection, specifically parting with guns I don't shoot. I was reluctant to part with the hand-ejector though; I'd put a lot of work into it and with no collector value it would be likely to sell for peanuts. Then a buddy of mine swapped me some Elk antler, and the pieces right at the crown were just big enough for a set of pistol grips. An idea was born...
I cut and re-crowned the barrel at 3", which I consider an ideal length for a civilian carry revolver. I made and mounted a target-style front sight, then stipped the gun, sanded the barrel, frame and side-plate and rust-blued the gun. As the cherry on top I made a set of grips from the elk antler.
The result balances well in the hand and visually, and the rather fat antler grips work well for my hand; they're comfortable and help the gun point naturally. I'm quite pleased with how it came out, and am making a holster for concealed carry. Loaded with Buffalo Bore standard-pressure LSWHPs it ought to do the job just fine.
I do love giving an old gun a new life!
The S&W logo was badly worn, and with all the changes collector value was nil, so I decided to refinish the gun in antique gray and made a set of wood grips for it.
It was a handsome gun and a decent shooter, but as I've gotten older issues with my eyes have made long-barreled revolvers problematic; the front sight winds up at the edge of my focal range and precision is difficult. As a consequence the gun didn't get shot very often.
This year I have decided to pare down my collection, specifically parting with guns I don't shoot. I was reluctant to part with the hand-ejector though; I'd put a lot of work into it and with no collector value it would be likely to sell for peanuts. Then a buddy of mine swapped me some Elk antler, and the pieces right at the crown were just big enough for a set of pistol grips. An idea was born...
I cut and re-crowned the barrel at 3", which I consider an ideal length for a civilian carry revolver. I made and mounted a target-style front sight, then stipped the gun, sanded the barrel, frame and side-plate and rust-blued the gun. As the cherry on top I made a set of grips from the elk antler.
The result balances well in the hand and visually, and the rather fat antler grips work well for my hand; they're comfortable and help the gun point naturally. I'm quite pleased with how it came out, and am making a holster for concealed carry. Loaded with Buffalo Bore standard-pressure LSWHPs it ought to do the job just fine.
I do love giving an old gun a new life!
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