I'm not certain how they go about a Meltdown. I'm guessing it's a bit of circular sander work, a bit of Dremel work, and a bit of file work. A combination of all three. This is my second Meltdown gun. I've seen and held several. One thing you notice about their work is the lines of the gun stay straight, and the curvatures stay as they should. I've seen a few guns that the owners attempted to do the same thing to, and the results were horrendous. Ruined guns.
Ken, Jimbo doesn't plan on offering the Trijicon sight, or even removing another J frame front sight to dovetail in a different sight. I was fortunate enough to visit last year when he was experimenting with a buddy's gun, placing a XS Shotgun front sight on the muzzle. He showed me the work he was doing, and I asked if he would like to have another to play with. I just happened to have my 649 with me. I agreed to let him experiment on mine as well, and wait as long as necessary. While he could place the modification on his menu, he has a year backlog on comp guns right now. Jimbo's bread and butter is comp guns. He enjoys trying new stuff, but he knows what keeps the lights on.
The ramp front sight was removed, the barrel rib was serrated and a dovetail was cut for the XS Trijicon shotgun sight. The rear sight notch was opened up to match the XS sight. A Meltdown and bead blast was done. Trigger polishing and action polishing was done. I wanted to keep the original trigger pull. I asked that the sideplate screw forward of the trigger remain domed. I use it to index my finger. I decided to keep the old Uncle Mike's grip. It fits my hand well and I like how it fits in my pocket. If I can find a walnut grip with the same profile, I might consider swapping it out. I asked that the Clark trademark be etched into the sideplate. Jim will leave it off if requested.
The Meltdown does make the gun nicer in your pocket, and it reduces wear on the holster. My Colt Commander that received a Meltdown still fits correctly in a standard 1911 holster. I use a Uncle Mike's pocket holster with my J frames, but I suspect it will fit a leather holster as snugly as it did prior to the Meltdown.
Total cost on the job was $362.64, with Clarks furnishing the front sight. The revolver Meltdown with a bead blast finish by itself is $225. That is a standard item, although not many people get their revolvers melted. Frame size of the gun doesn't change the price of the job. If a finish other than a bead blast is needed, it will be added to the cost of the Meltdown.
For comparison's sake, here is the same 649 prior to the work.
