help me decide!!

[boo586]

Hello all.

I picked up a used, but in overall decent shape S&W 65-2, pinned and recessed, square butt and 4" heavy barrel thanks to Boss Spearman on this board. Great guy to deal with by the way.

I am going to shoot the gun as is before I do anything, but I was thinking about a project gun. I am thinking about round butting the grip frame and chopping the barrel back to 3 inches. For those in the know, especially those that do this kind of work, how much would it cost to get the barrel cut back to 3 inches and a new front sight put back on? I can probably round butt the gun myself no problem and since the gun is stainless there won't be any refinishing issues.

I will probably have to get rid of my like new S&W Model 15-4 with 2 inch barrel to fund the project so let that weigh in on your opinion. But remember I won't need the Model 15 for carry purposes after I do the work on the Model 65.

Everyone's opinions are welcome and requested.

Boo586

 

[MikeJ]

I just recently checked on having a Ruger Redhawk's barrel cut down and was quoted a price of $250-$300 depending on the sights I put on it. I would assume that this price range would hold true for that type of job on any revolver. BTW, I decided not to have it done.

 

[P95Carry]

Boo - just me but - it usually strikes me as an expensive way to get what you want. Rather I would survey the scene to find something much closer to the desired spec'.

Always seems a pity to to part with a gun to ''finance'' work on another - as against maybe a necessary sale to buy another gun.

 

[boo586]

Let me rephrase or change my approach.

How hard is it to remove and install a Pinned Smith and Wesson barrel?? I have read in many of the posts on this board that it is much easier to remove and reinstall a pinned barrel versus the new type of barrel that Smith installs.

I ask, because a friend of mine is a machinist and has a metal shop complete with lathe and mill. He could shorten the barrell and Brownell's sells a kit to recrown the barrel. Just putting the question out there.

If I do anything to the gun it will be to convert it to a round butt because I can do that myself at no cost and the gun being a square butt is the main thing that makes the gun harder to conceal, not the 1 inch of extra barrell.

Boo586

 

[Old Fuff]

Removing the barrel isn't difficult, IF (big IF) you have a barrel vise and the right blocks to hold the frame and barrel, If the job is done incorrectly you can end up with a bent frame, and a ruined gun.

If you have a lathe and machinest avilable you don't have to buy any tooling from Brownells' to cut and recrown the barrel. Brownells' tools are handy for those that have to do this job by hand.

Your friend might have to buy the correct dovetail cutter (from Brownells of course) but then one of the front sights used on many popular automatic pistols can be mounted. The sight can then be driven in the dovetail to correct for windage, and filed down to zero the revolver for your favorite load.

I suggest you go to www.gunbooks.com and buy a copy of Jerry Kuhnhausen's "The Smith & Wesson Revolver - A Shop Manual." No one should start a project on a S&W revolver without first obtaining and reading this book. It will answer most if not all of your questions, and show you how to do almost anything you want.

Edited to add: It is not the square-butt frame that sometimes makes the gun hard to conceal, but rather the stocks that some people put on it. If you prefer the round-butt that's altogether a different thing.

 

[Elmer]

STOP!!

No reason to pay a lot of money to have the barrel shortened. The barrels are around. I bought one off of Ebay, but egunparts.com probably has them. It'll look a lot better than a chop job, and you can change it back if you choose.

Best answer is to find a 3" 65 that you can make a trade on though...