Hawgleg44
Member
This is why!
Karl (http://chestnutmountainsports.com) has been building my custom carry and competition Smith and Wesson revolvers since my first carry gun (a 3" Model 65) when I turned 21. That was a long time ago, and he's been building competition revolvers for my father longer than that. He's done other rifle and shotgun jobs for me too and I've always been very happy with his work.
Several years ago I had Karl build me two more carry guns, a 3" 13 and a 2-1/2" 66. I use them both constantly for carry and IDPA, but there are a few details I wanted to change.
First, I like the 2-1/2" barrel length but I hate the fact that you don't have a full length extractor with it. Even if I would overlook that, the 66 has adjustable sights and I prefer fixed. So I decided to spec out my "Perfect" carry revolver and have Karl tackle the project.
First off, it had to be a K-Frame. I find the K to be just the right size, large enough to shoot all day and small enough to easily conceal with a good holster. Next, I wanted a .357 magnum, so I could train with my .38 Special cast bullet reloads and carry my favorite 125gr Hornady Critical Defense .357's. Stainless Steel, fixed sights and a round butt were also necessities.
I dug through my pile of Smith K-Frames and found the perfect donor gun for the project, a 4" police trade-in Model 65-3 that was still mechanically tight. Now for the specs:
-Square to Round Butt conversion and the same smooth Precision Gun Specialties hard nylon "Hideout" grips that Karl put on my first 3" Model 65 he built for my 21st birthday.
-Double Action Only conversion. If you don't know why, take Michael de Bethencourt's snub class and LEARN!!! I decided to retain a small rounded hammer spur so I can thumb back the hammer for the ability to spin the cylinder to check for high primers without having to slightly pull the trigger.
-Chambers chamfered for easier reloads.
-Internal trigger overtravel stop.
-4" barrel shortened to 2-1/2". Obviously, the barrel markings would be partially cut off so Karl slab-sided the barrel and recessed the muzzle. On a factory S&W revolver there are two cylinder locking points. One is at the rear in the middle of the extractor star and the other is at the front of the ejector rod. With a 4" barrel shortened this much the front locking point has to be removed. Karl left a small amount of the front locking point under the barrel after TIG welding the hole to protect the ejector rod from being bent. Karl then added a ball detent on the yoke to act as the second cylinder locking point.
-Every carry revolver I've ever had Karl build for me has the same specs for the trigger. I always tell him to smooth the action without lightening the weight of the pull. I've never found that a light revolver trigger pull is necessary for accurate revolver shooting. As long as the trigger pull is smooth and consistent throughout the pull, the weight is irrelevant.
-Next came the front sight. Karl dovetailed the barrel and made a custom fiber optic sight. You can't buy a fiber optic short enough to work on a Smith revolver with fixed sights. Karl simply machined a front sight, then when he had the sight height regulated, he machined it and installed a red fiber optic rod.
-All that was left was a complete dehorning of all the sharp edges and a bead blasted finish.
I took all of these pictures tonight because starting tomorrow, the holster wear will start. This is a tool, not a safe queen. When I pass it on to my daughter, it's not going to look anything like it does now!
Here it is. It is truly my perfect carry revolver. Even when I tackle my 5-shot .44 Special Ruger GP-100, I don't think this one will ever be dethroned as the King of my carry guns.
Karl (http://chestnutmountainsports.com) has been building my custom carry and competition Smith and Wesson revolvers since my first carry gun (a 3" Model 65) when I turned 21. That was a long time ago, and he's been building competition revolvers for my father longer than that. He's done other rifle and shotgun jobs for me too and I've always been very happy with his work.
Several years ago I had Karl build me two more carry guns, a 3" 13 and a 2-1/2" 66. I use them both constantly for carry and IDPA, but there are a few details I wanted to change.
First, I like the 2-1/2" barrel length but I hate the fact that you don't have a full length extractor with it. Even if I would overlook that, the 66 has adjustable sights and I prefer fixed. So I decided to spec out my "Perfect" carry revolver and have Karl tackle the project.
First off, it had to be a K-Frame. I find the K to be just the right size, large enough to shoot all day and small enough to easily conceal with a good holster. Next, I wanted a .357 magnum, so I could train with my .38 Special cast bullet reloads and carry my favorite 125gr Hornady Critical Defense .357's. Stainless Steel, fixed sights and a round butt were also necessities.
I dug through my pile of Smith K-Frames and found the perfect donor gun for the project, a 4" police trade-in Model 65-3 that was still mechanically tight. Now for the specs:
-Square to Round Butt conversion and the same smooth Precision Gun Specialties hard nylon "Hideout" grips that Karl put on my first 3" Model 65 he built for my 21st birthday.
-Double Action Only conversion. If you don't know why, take Michael de Bethencourt's snub class and LEARN!!! I decided to retain a small rounded hammer spur so I can thumb back the hammer for the ability to spin the cylinder to check for high primers without having to slightly pull the trigger.
-Chambers chamfered for easier reloads.
-Internal trigger overtravel stop.
-4" barrel shortened to 2-1/2". Obviously, the barrel markings would be partially cut off so Karl slab-sided the barrel and recessed the muzzle. On a factory S&W revolver there are two cylinder locking points. One is at the rear in the middle of the extractor star and the other is at the front of the ejector rod. With a 4" barrel shortened this much the front locking point has to be removed. Karl left a small amount of the front locking point under the barrel after TIG welding the hole to protect the ejector rod from being bent. Karl then added a ball detent on the yoke to act as the second cylinder locking point.
-Every carry revolver I've ever had Karl build for me has the same specs for the trigger. I always tell him to smooth the action without lightening the weight of the pull. I've never found that a light revolver trigger pull is necessary for accurate revolver shooting. As long as the trigger pull is smooth and consistent throughout the pull, the weight is irrelevant.
-Next came the front sight. Karl dovetailed the barrel and made a custom fiber optic sight. You can't buy a fiber optic short enough to work on a Smith revolver with fixed sights. Karl simply machined a front sight, then when he had the sight height regulated, he machined it and installed a red fiber optic rod.
-All that was left was a complete dehorning of all the sharp edges and a bead blasted finish.
I took all of these pictures tonight because starting tomorrow, the holster wear will start. This is a tool, not a safe queen. When I pass it on to my daughter, it's not going to look anything like it does now!
Here it is. It is truly my perfect carry revolver. Even when I tackle my 5-shot .44 Special Ruger GP-100, I don't think this one will ever be dethroned as the King of my carry guns.
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