ltwguns.com

My first post, found this forum two days ago. This forum is what I've been looking for since I got on the internet a couple of years ago.

In the June/July issue of Handguns there is a picture of a 29/629 that has a round butt and a true 3" bbl and what appears to be a Powers front sight. The article is by a Patrick Sweeney. This 29 trips my Trigger.

I have a 29-4 with the Smith version of a 3" bbl (2.58" in front of the frame) the bbl is also Mag Na Ported. I don't like Mag Na Port processing. And I want a full length ejector rod and a Powers profile front sight.

I'm looking for a good revolver smith who likes to do this type of work?
In other words, He or She, enjoys building smooth,slick, short barreled, working, powerful, concealable revolvers? Oops, I forgot Blued and Appealing to the eye.

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Look up your redemption draweth nigh.

Bronco

I use to have the perfect gun for you. It was a model 29 high luster blue with a 2.5 inch barrel and the grip was converted to K size. The gun was made by Mag na port and called the Terminator I had number 3. I traded it for a Volquartsen Stringray 22. Oh how I wish I had it back. I think if you go to their web site they still do the conversion. I also like the package they do on the Colt Anaconda.

TJ

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The only place you will find success without hard work is in the dictionary

Checked out the Fletcher site. Nice looking 586 and apparantly all the bells and whistles applied. Especially like the forcing cone squared and honed and the cylinder to match the frame and forcing cone. Wonder what the b/c gap is? The Weigand front sight is especially nice, takes away a great selling point from Rugers' GP series.

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Look up your redemption draweth nigh.

High end extremely nice revolver work? Two words... Dave Sams.

~Jim Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

I built two of those, one a .45 ACP and the other a .44 Magnum. I don't recall right now where the other one got to. The finished product is quite a handful, and very useful. But I built them early in my process of learning to be a gunsmith, and they are quite rough by today's standards.

I'd go an slick the reminaing one up, but it's done in Armaloy, and getting through that wouldn't be easy.

Patrick, Thank You for chiming in. I think that revolver shown in the current issue of Handguns is the perfect packing gun.

I've shot S&Ws as a duty weapon and as a personal protection unit since 1970. Are you still building Smiths? Is there someplace I can study your work?

A Model 29 true 3" gives little away to any other 44 for all purpose carry.

Pardon me for preaching to the choir. Looking for a reply.

Tom

_________________
Look up your redemption draweth nigh.

No, I'm not building guns any more, just doing some occasional work for LE, and spending the rest of my time chained to a word processor.

While doing research for an article some time ago, I got to shoot Larry Kellys personal M-29 snubbie. Oh, that was a nice gun. I must have seen a photo of it when it was first done, for I had ended up building my guns pretty much along the lines of his.

Ned has built a 25-2 (.45ACP) on an M-58 frame. Yes, a fixed-sight N Frame .45 ACP snubbie. Or is that a 4" gun, Ned?

Were I building a carry big-bore snubbie I think I'd sacrifice an M-58 to the cause. (Hmm, sounds like an article idead. Pardon me while I go pitch my Editor....)

Speaking of neat N Frame Snubbies on a 58 chassis. Spokanguns back in the early 80s built one on a 58 frame using a 25-2 cylinder and bobbed a 25-2 bbl to 3.3" and rebuilt the gripframe to K Frame dimension. Custom roundbutt grips made out of Walnut. Put a modified post on the front with a gold bead in it.

Gun was set up so tight you couldn't shoot more than 6 rounds of anything that was loaded with Unique. 231 was the powder of choice for that beast. It was Vern Ewer's personal weapon and it was sweet.

Next question is where does one find a 58 to start a project with?

_________________
Look up your redemption draweth nigh.

I'm a little slow what is a m-58 frame?

How about taking a Colt detective frame and making it 45 ACP?
If that can be done I'm in.

TJ

TJ A Det Spec frame is smaller than a K Frame Smith which is two steps down from an N Frame. Probably not possible to even build a 5 shot 45 on a DS frame let alone a 6 shooter.

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Look up your redemption draweth nigh.

I looked high and low before I found my M58. I am here to tell you there are people out there that will do you grievous bodily harm for mucking with a nice M58. Are nice M58 revolvers that hard to find? YES! Why? The recoil of the M58 is similar to a 44 Special and the M58 is a joy to shoot. Regards, Richard

Hey Richard,

Any idea what a decent 90% or so M58 would run, these days? Just curious.

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"Suppose they gave a war, and nobody came?
Why then, the war would come to you!"
(Bertolt Brecht)

I did find this one:
It is listed as a Behlert custom Mdl 58, 41 mag.

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"Suppose they gave a war, and nobody came?
Why then, the war would come to you!"
(Bertolt Brecht)

I went to the Dallas gun show this week end I saw M58 41 mag for 600.00. It was about 93%.
I have no ideal if it was a deal or not.
TJ

Contributing to thread veer, here...

I just found one for $460. After all the 'safety fees' here in Cali, it works out to about $500ish.


Mine's definitiely a shooter, so I might be interested in supplying the gun for this project...

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"Suppose they gave a war, and nobody came?
Why then, the war would come to you!"
(Bertolt Brecht)

That is one of the many 41 mag minis I built in the 80s. We probably built 125 of them in various N frame cal Austin Behlert