S&W purists... look away... ugly gun gets lipstick... how'd I do ???

[Magnum Wheel Man]

before... antique S&W #2... barrel was cut by some former owner to make it more concealable, & ugly wood grip added... this gun was carried way more than shot, as the function is perfect... cosmetics... err... not so much... BTW... I used this gun to re-qualify for my last CCW renewal, & out shot a lot of the newbies with their bottom feeders

after... 6 months wait, which was worth the while ( IMO ) what little nickel left was stripped, the gun was polished out & blued to what they called master blue... I added a serration to the top sight rib, prior to the cosmetic work, to remove the 1/2 factory stamping on the barrel rib, they did a gold filled 38 S&W engraved on the side cover, & gold plated hammer & spur trigger... oh... & I had these grips I ran across a while back ( the grips were actually worth more than the gun to start with )

how does she look today??? my 1st "painted lady"

 

[kutz]

WOW !

 

[CWKahrFan]

Now there's a one-of-a-kind unique gun... Like it!

 

[smee78]

That looks good, I think it is better in its current state than before, you just finished the job someone started .

 

[lee n. field]

Everything's in good shape and functional? heck, go for it!

Black powder, or smokeless?

BTW... I used this gun to re-qualify for my last CCW renewal, & out shot a lot of the newbies with their bottom feeders

<snicker> Just thinking about the befuddlement of others present as clouds of BP smoke waft downwind.

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

Thanks for all the positive comments... I know this had little collectability, with the barrel chopped, so I didn't feel guilty with the custom work I did... I actually prefer to collect old custom guns, S&W made 1000's in the factory configuration... I think something that someone customized to make it a better CCW gun is cool...

this was / is a black powder cartridge gun, but I have several loads I've shot it with over the several years I've owned it, using Trailboss ( this gun has actually fired all 3 load levels of my 38 S&W handloads using Trailboss ) I think now that she's pretty, I won't feed her any of the hotter loads any more... only pop gun, & general range use, no dedicated self defense loads anymore

 

[Ozzieman]

You took a gun that at one time had a high value but that value was taken away before you purchased it,
You took that ugggly beast and made it into a very handsome gun. The value now must be much higher and not just for you.
Nice work

 

[Salmoneye]

I'd take her to the dance...

 

[James K]

I have used that trick of putting J-frame grips on older S&W's and I don't think they are that ugly, but the new grips look a lot better. Since the gun was ruined as a collectible, the final result was good.

Is such a gun a good carry gun? It is slower than a DA revolver or most auto pistols, but it is very concealable and adequately powerful.

Jim

 

[Bob Wright]

I like that very much.

Makes me a little jealous.

Bob Wright

 

[357 Python]

Beautiful reserection. The only thing I might have done differently would have been to put the 38 S&W on the right side of the barrel instead of the sideplate. Either way, outstanding.

 

[bedbugbilly]

Hey . . . I think it looks terrific! I love it when someone rescues these "oldies" that otherwise would probably be parted out. That is one nice little revolver and you did a beautiful job! I would imagine it is a fun little gun to shoot as well. Thanks for posting the photos - I love good "gun ****" of more "matte" models!

 

[Webleymkv]

That's quite a classy little gun. If you don't mind my asking, who did the refinishing work for you (I was under the impression that S&W would no longer work on guns that old due to parts availability).

 

[loknload]

Looks great! Enjoy!

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

At least it wasn't a Baby Russian. 38 Single Action, 2nd Model. Here's mine. Not quite so pretty as yours, but everything is original.

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

Thanks for the positive comments guys... WEBLEY... the gun functioned perfectly, so no parts were needed... the cosmetic work was done by Ahlman's in Morristown MN

DRIFTWOOD... I have a long barrel #2 ( 6" ) in very similar shape as the one you pictured... also have a S&W #1.5 that is very similar to my pictured #2 ( nickel is better ) but also had the barrel shortened... for that one, I found some 60-70's Gil Scottie Redwood grips, I added some nickel S&W medallions to those grips... after I get a couple others done, lil brother will go in, & also get a master blue, nickel hammer & trigger, & silver filled 32 S&W on the side cover... ( I went with gold accents on the 38, because of the brass S&W medallions... will go with silver accents on the 32 because of the nickel medallions ) I think the pair will be quite stunning...

but I have 2 other guns in line for work, before the lil 32... one of which is my Walker cartridge conversion gun

 

[skoro]

MWM -

That's a real nice job of renewing an old shooter that still has some life left to it.

Enjoy!