Removing the hammer spur and making the weapon double action only would serve no purpose on a range gun. It would reduce its value because the work would be non standard. On the other hand, this action work is a great idea on a carry weapon. I say use the money to buy a second revolver. Congratulations on the purchase. You have good taste.
Suggestions for some nice practical wood grips for my new 13?
Depends on what you mean by "nice" and "practical." One thing about revolver grips: they're very personal. Although there are common features that many, perhaps most, shooters like, I've found that I've had to modify or change almost every pair of wood grips I've ever had, so experimentation is the name of the game if this is your first S&W revolver.
You might try finding a gun shop with a box of old grips and buying a few pairs of rubber Pachmayr and Hogue grips; even better, if you are willing to do a bit of woodworking, a beater pair of wood K-frame target grips from the 70s-80s will have plenty of excess wood on them that you can sand and shape to your hand. I've done that several times. One advantage to that route is that you also can build up areas of the grip with epoxy or rifle bedding compound if you sand off too much.
Such grips are not much to look at, but will give you an idea of what types of shapes fit your hand and work best for your shooting grip. Do you intend to use speedloaders? If so, many commercially made wood grips may not clear your particular speedloaders--I have had grips that worked with HKS loaders but not Safariland loaders, and vice-versa. Again, experimentation is worth the time and keeping your cash outlay minimal by buying used grips and rubber grips can facilitate your finding out what works best for you, before you invest in a good set of wood grips.
After a decade and half of shooting and acquiring revolvers my S&W grips fall into three categories: beat up S&W factory grips sanded to fit my hands; rubber Pachmayr's for long strings of shooting magnums or shooting in inclement weather; and custom made Ivory Micarta grips on my N-frame Magnums because the material is impervious to the elements and looks really cool. Different grips for different purposes.
Ahrends.....intersection of yummy, pretty, ergonomic and cost effective.Originally Posted by rd62
Nice meaning quality construction and aesthetically pleasing and practical meaning thicker, able to conceal, and providing ample grip. I haven't seen anything from Altamont that catches my eye. Ahrends and Hogue both have some that look nice. What others should be considered?
Herretts
A range gun should be double action as well. DA revolvers should all be DAO, and if someone wants an SA revolver there are plenty of Ruger Blackhawks on the market.
Retaining the SA notch on a revolver is like keeping training wheels on your bike when you're 30.
But what if a burglar enters your home and you want him to know you’re super serious about home invaders?
Well, you may be a man. You may be a leprechaun. Only one thing’s for sure… you’re in the wrong basement.
Stab him with a boar spear!
My point is that I see no point in spending money to remove the single action feature. Doing so will reduce value of a collectible handgun. This action would be in the same category as reshaping a Colt Single Action hammer, rebluing a nice 1950's Belgium Browning shotgun, installing a Poly Choke on any shotgun, cutting the barrel on a collectible Winchester Model 12 shotgun, or performing similar alterations on other collectible firearms. A fact that I did not state is the owner risks having an untrained person grinding on a fine revolver.
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