[Esoteria]

I'm not going to lie to you gentlemen. I'm totally inexperienced with revolvers. I own a Walther G22 (a bullpup .22 rifle) which is very picky about ammo, and a Kimber 1911 Eclipse Custom II, which I absolutely do not deserve, and which would complain daily about the lack of marksmanship its owner exhibits.

That said, I'm into the aesthetics of guns and I want to make the next step to a unique-looking but still very functional revolver.

What I'm looking for is a .357 with a 6" barrel. Not hard to find. The harder stipulation is I need a shroud on this beast that extends at least one more barrel's distance below it and all the way to the muzzle. The shrouds on factory S&Ws and the like aren't what I'm looking for. The shroud I want looks more like a flat brick.

Here is an oft-cited example:
http://www.dreadgazebo.com/gunporn/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/gunporn-dan-wesson-ppc.jpg

I am fully aware that fancy guns like this often draw the ire of more experienced wheelgun users and enthusiasts. If you are one of these, I do apologize. :(

If you're not, maybe you can help me.

The DW in the image I posted has a gigantic sight rib (is that the right term?) which isn't necessarily what I'm looking for, but the adjustable rear sight is a definite plus.

The shroud's shape and dimensions, however, are nearly perfect, as is the standard large frame shape and grip. I realize this particular "shroud" is probably solid, and a custom job, and that that's out of my price range. All other features are negotiable.

Now, my Kimber cost me upwards of $1200. I can't pay that much this time, which is why I'm looking at modifying a less-expensive factory piece or a decent used one.

Keep in mind that I'm not much of a marksman, but adjustable sights, a shroud, and a 6" barrel implies I will be shooting this thing at 50 yards from time to time, perhaps from a rest.

- What price range am I looking at? (Absolute maximum would be $800 for the whole deal)
- What used or factory weapons fall within it?

And most importantly...
- Who do I go to to find a shroud like this and get it installed?

Finish is unimportant, but consistency with the shroud is a must.

I humbly request your assistance, sirs.

[MrBorland]

Sounds like you're describing a revolver built for PPC competition, which often have heavy aftermarket slabside barrels installed. Used examples show up used every now and then online. Or you can have someone build one for you. Jim Clark Jr or Frank Glenn come to mind.

http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/revcon.htm
http://www.glenncustom.com/pricing_ppc.html

[Esoteria]

Your post and links reminded me of the terms I found the first time I started looking at this stuff.

I think my main issue is that I don't intend to compete (so I don't need the other PPC package stuff) and that I can't seem to find someone with shrouds like what I'm looking for. You can give me a $1000 DW or S&W with a $800 PPC mod on it and I'm still going to be disappointed if the shroud isn't quite right.

I realize most of these gunsmiths are small-quantity, awesome-job guys who also aren't exactly HTML or PHP whizzes that can give me a website and photos that will convince me they can make my gun look pretty.

But that's why I'm asking. =)
Should I just look out for used ones with a shroud already installed rather than hoping to find someone who can meet my (apparently) strict and outdated aesthetic requirements? =D

[pmbiker]

I always liked this one. Built by Ned Christiansen, his website is www.m-guns.com. Unfortunately as stated on his website he is backed up and not taking any work at this time. And if he was, it'd be a bit more than $800 I'm sure.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/pmbiker/ned_revo2.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/pmbiker/ned_revo1.jpg

[BCRider]

Any time I've opened up a "For Sale" link to a gun marked with PPC it's almost always had a big blocky barrel and often a heavy sight rib on it. If you use PPC or Police (or is it Practical?) Pistol Competition you'll find guns for sale of this style as well as pictures related to them.

Good luck with finding your perfect Hellboy revolver.... :D

[Walkalong]

Gunbroker (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=130444999)

[kludge]

Save you money, get this:

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=1704&return=Y

[Esoteria]

It's been awhile, but I'm reviving this thread!

@pmbiker:
That is a very interesting looking mod. I like it except that the end doesn't match the rest of the gun. Obviously this guy would cost too much for me even if he was available, but I had fun looking at his site!

@BCRider:
"PPC" doesn't seem to be a magic word in my experience. I very often get rifles, snub-nosed revolvers, and other things that aren't what I want at all. I seem to have better luck searching for "slab" and manually filtering out results like .22 target semi-autos.

@Walkalong:
I didn't get to see the gun you posted because I took too long to click on it. =( I did find a nice "race gun" that fit the bill except that its finish was a little too worn and it was a .38 special and I need .357. But there is hope!

@kludge:
This or a Taurus 6" .357 would work fine, but I need that slab shroud or barrel! I wish I could find someone who just "did that" and could sell me a shroud installation that looks nice for $200 or something. *sigh*

[highorder]

Everything I see that's even close to what you want says Dan Wesson on the side.

You're going to have to buy a DW, or pay for a gunsmith to make you what you want. There appears to be no source for stock components that will allow you to retrofit a revolver to look the way you want.

Having said that, If you just like the way it looks,

why not buy a beat up 6" revolver and make the underlug from bondo?

Form, finish, and paint and you will have the aesthetic toy you seek, without the weight or cost.

Keep in mind that I'm not much of a marksman, but adjustable sights, a shroud, and a 6" barrel implies I will be shooting this thing at 50 yards from time to time, perhaps from a rest.


The shroud has little to do with attaining accuracy with a 6" revolver at 50 yards.
Adding a shroud to a standard 6" gun will likely be a detriment to accuracy.

[Jim Watson]

Except on the Dan Wesson, that isn't a shroud, it's the barrel. They machine a big fat barrel blank down to the slabsided shape.

If you study the Clark website closely, you will find that they will install a bull barrel on your .357 revolver for $225 blue or $275 stainless. A front sight on the barrel is $85, a rib will be more but I don't see an exact price for that. I bet if you called them up they would give you a quote for just what you want.

A lot of us would like $300+ worth of stuff for $200 but that is not likely.

[Hawk]

If it's just a big old honkin' slab-sided affair you're looking for and you're trying to avoid a custom gunsmith, S&W has a Buck Rogers shaped object.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson/upload/images/firearms/170296_large.jpg

A somewhat less, unh, dramatic attachment for the muzzle is provided (and usually a set of wood stocks). And they were made in all stainless, all painted stainless and various combinations thereof.

Regrettably, I doubt you'd be saving much, if any, money going the "new" route.

You'll likely be hunting used anyway so you may as well hunt the colors you want. The current MSRP is rather optimistic on S&W's part but street prices are less and used better still. New street pricing would be in the same rough ball park as your Kimber.

Oddly enough, I have an Eclipse II and it gets along famously with my 627 which has pedestrian case colored hammer and trigger but is otherwise like the illustration.

[Oro]

These show up regularly on Gunbroker in the form of used PPC guns. They usually don't fetch very high prices as the demand has dropped off the cliff for them in the last 10 years. You can find one built by Clark or other top gunsmiths for a fraction of the price you'd pay for a new one to be built.

I have seen several very nice Clark built ones go for $500 or sometimes less over the last year. Much more effective than building it new. You will need to be persistent and thorough about searching to find the gun in their myriad listings, but the values and guns are there.

[mnrivrat]

Clark Custom Guns will sell just the slab sided barrel for $100

[Esoteria]

Reviving the thread again, but this time mostly to thank/respond. Tons of good information came in since my last post.

@highorder - Well, I have nothing against paying for a Dan Wesson, especially since they're pretty reasonably priced for the quality. Frankly, if the gun in the image were to appear on Gunbroker for $900 in excellent condition, I'd have a hard time passing it up. The bondo idea isn't one I'd thought of, but I'm not familiar enough with hobbying and the material to know what my end result would be. I'm particularly dubious that I could get the finish to match. But more importantly, the weight and feel (and even temperature) of that slab of metal is part of it. It's not purely a visual aesthetic I'm going for. Still, it is something to look into.

@Jim Watson - Well, from what I can gather, the barrel they sell outright isn't what I'm looking for, but you bring up a good point that their offerings seem to suggest they could do what I want. I have to weigh my options, and probably call to find out what they're capable of. Then, assuming I get them on my wavelength, I have to find a base for this barrel to be affixed to, which should be easier.

@Hawk - I have actually seen that gun before. It's really got 80% of the aesthetic I'm looking for, so for a "standard" new offering it's about as close as it gets. That said, the size of the slab barrel is too small (but I do like the more curvy look). It says "this gun is powerful" instead of "this gun is ridiculous," where the latter is what I'm going for within my own subjective views of what looks good. Also, I've never liked two-tone, so that muzzle attachment is an eyesore for me. If only it had the same finish. Sure, it goes with the cylinder, but the cylinder is allowed to be a different color just like the grips are. 1/4 of the barrel is not. =P (again, subjective, of course)

@Oro - You raise my hopes skyward, sir. You may very well have hit the nail on the head, though -- I haven't been persistent enough in searching for these. While I still raise an eyebrow at the notion that these show up "regularly," it may very well be that I've just gotten unlucky in my searches.

@mnrivrat - ...Obviously, that would be an ideal case. Seems a bit too good to be true. I'll find out. =)

Thanks a million to all.

[MrBorland]

Check out tgford58's reply (#8) in the post below. He may have something you might be interested in checking out.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=410098

[9mmepiphany]

give Apex Tactical a call, ask for Scott, tell him what you want and he'll give you an honest opinion as to cost...he is a master machinist.

i passed on the slab barrel, with it's additional underlug when i had a PPC revoler built to compete in PPC shooting...i went with the heavy round barrel instead on a gun by Bill Davis.

adding a underlug to your specs isn't hard, all you need is to decide which frame you want to build it on...i started with a S&W K-frame