Custom Practical Revolvers

[talos]

Most of the custom revolver work I see these days is to make the, fancy lookin. Nice wood grips, sometimes porting.

I kinda want a custom revolver that’s all work no play. G10 or micarta grips. Nothing fancy looking. Modern revolvers seem ho-hum to me. Locks on s&w that need to be filled in. MIM parts to save money.

I’m eyeing up Cylinder and slide for custom work but everything on their site seems fancy to me. I guess because I’m the only moron who wants to drop the money to customize an old k-frame.

So what I’m asking is if this is a good idea or goofy? What mods should I ask for?

I can only afford one custom revolver now so I’m not sure if that should be a 4” K frame, maybe a 6” 686, or maybe even a single action 357. I currently only own some older k frames in 4” so if I went the 6” 686 route I’d need to buy a base gun too or trade into it with one of my Ks.

Why do I want this? I listened to Darryl’s podcast and it makes sense to have a nice revolver for places semis are frowned upon. And if I’m going to carry one, I want it tuned up nice.

I’m eyeing up some of cylinder and slides rear fixed sights. I think most people prefer adjustables on revolver but maybe I can get a dovetail front sight custom installed on an old Smith n Wesson and adjust elevation based on changing out the front sight height.

[03RN]

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....nsive-Revolver

[spinmove_]

Following with interest. A proper 3” .357 Magnum is in my future eventually.


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[Stephanie B]

S&W once offered a combat revolver tuneup for not terribly a lot of money.

I don't know if they still do and whether or not it's a good value.

[Hizzie]

Fancy/pretty guns are what catch eyes and sexy sells. Look at all the gucci glocks out there.

All work no play? Easy.

Action job
Bob and DAO (if that’s your thing)
Chamfer Charge holes
Sights

There are plenty of options too. Radius and polish trigger face, over travel stop, number the charge holes, install ball detention on yoke, stipple back strap etc.

Grips? K/L sized I’d suggest VZ. Hogue is another G10 option.

[Wheeler]

Following with interest. A proper 3” .357 Magnum is in my future eventually.


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So what exactly is a “proper 3”, 357 revolver”?

[TC215]

So what exactly is a “proper 3”, 357 revolver”?

[oregon45]

It depends on what you mean by "custom" and "practical." You appear to imply that most of the custom revolvers you see are not "practical." You might begin by explaining why you consider that to be true, and that likely would provide context for advice you may receive.

Here is one of my custom revolvers. It could be considered "fancy," but I consider it to be exactly what I wanted in a single action .45 Colt after learning a decade's worth of lessons from multiple big bore revolvers.



The most important advice I ever received about custom revolvers was to wait to have a gun built until I could explain exactly why I was not satisfied with a lightly modified or personalized factory gun. What are you looking for that your current revolvers aren't giving you?

[oregon45]

Why do I want this? I listened to Darryl’s podcast and it makes sense to have a nice revolver for places semis are frowned upon. And if I’m going to carry one, I want it tuned up nice.

I’m eyeing up some of cylinder and slides rear fixed sights. I think most people prefer adjustables on revolver but maybe I can get a dovetail front sight custom installed on an old Smith n Wesson and adjust elevation based on changing out the front sight height.

For the front sight, the DX system of interchangeable front sight blades, which was standard on some S&W's back in the 90s and 2000s, can be fitted to any S&W barrel that has the target rib--so most L-frame barrels and the heavier K-frame barrels. Weigand Custom used to produce these bases, and others have as well. Blank sight blades can be obtained from a variety of sources and your gunsmith could file them to height for use with a fixed rear sight.

[TGS]

It depends on what you mean by "custom" and "practical." You appear to imply that most of the custom revolvers you see are not "practical." You might begin by explaining why you consider that to be true, and that likely would provide context for advice you may receive.

Here is one of my custom revolvers. It could be considered "fancy," but I consider it to be exactly what I wanted in a single action .45 Colt after learning a decade's worth of lessons from multiple big bore revolvers.

Right. Is this a fancy gun, or a practical gun?



Looks like it might be a fancy gun, but to me it's very practical. The fancy adjustable, fiber optic Bowen sights are objectively more practical than fixed sights. The fancy NP3 finish has fantastic corrosion resistance (this revolver having been brought back from the dead and already suffering from corrosion damage), and is slick as snot which means clean-up (and thus keeping it in practical good working order) is much easier. The interior being NP3'd also ensures the gun will last as long as possible, and made the trigger job that much better compared to its brother which lacks an NP3 finish. The fancy stainless steel medium width, smooth trigger allows for excellent double action trigger control and comfort over long range sessions of practical shooting compared to the serrated, narrow target trigger.

The fancy wooden stocks are very grippy in practical shooting and very comfortable.

Seems like an eminently practical gun to me.....more practical than either of my retired agency service revolvers which are matte blued with black sights. Defining what is practical and what is not needs to be parsed better, IMO. This thread sort of reminds me of one of our late members (requiescat in pace) wanting a "bare bones, no frills" AR15 and choosing basically a one-off custom gun design from a very small manufacturer using a notably temperamental gas system.