(I've posted a version of this elsewhere, but what the heck, it's my content)
I love the idea of the combat revolver. And I agree with the choice of the .44 since it allows for a broad spectrum of power options. Use the light loads in an urban setting where quick recovery is more important. Pick the heavy hitting monster loads when your travels take you to the land of large carnivores.
Ultimately, I blame Hal Swiggett for my love of this style revolver.
The reason for this is an otherwise unremarkable review he wrote for the Rossi .44 Special revolver in the November, 1992 issue of “Gun World”. While Hal liked the little snub, that wasn’t what really affected me. He compared the new gun with several custom pieces he owned, including a “Fitzed” 1917 S&W and a Jovino-modified Astra .44 Magnum that he called “The Terminator” (no doubt sending Mas Ayoob into a swoon of liability panic). I REALLY liked those custom bulldogs.
As he was summing up his feelings, he wrote:
“Sooner or later, all thinking people get back to basics. Basic handguns were revolvers.”
Except for the past-tense of that last sentence, I think he really hit the mark. Of course, in those pre-Brady days, revolvers were playing a sad second-fiddle to the Wundernine Wars as all the big manufacturers tried to market their latest and greatest autos to the police and general buying public. I doubt many people paid much attention to the idle musings of Hal.
I did. And I conceived of the two revolvers you see here. It has taken many years and much work to get to this point, but I am pretty happy with the results.
First: The Nightstand Gun
This one started as a Model 29-4. This was one of those “Gun of the Week” specials that S&W was running off during the early 90’s. 3” barrel with full underlug and an unfluted cylinder give this piece both visual and actual heft. I actually have two, only a few serial numbers apart. One remains unmolested; the other was modified as follows:
* From Weigand Combat
o “Tame the Beast” barrel porting
o Double action only conversion
o Bobbed hammer
o Smoothed and polished the wide target trigger
o Action job (smooooooth!)
* From Tarnhelm Supply Company
o Magna-Trigger Conversion
* From Accurate Plating & Weaponry
o Matte Hard Chome
I had this work done over the period of several years. The Weigand mods were the first and really changed the nature of the piece. Recoil, while still stout, seems much reduced, no doubt attributable to the almost complete elimination of muzzle flip. Unfortunately, this is paid for by significant muzzle blast and flash. In a close encounter, the blast will be formidable.
The Magna-Trigger was added after my children were born. I wanted to make it as difficult as possible for there to be a tragedy involving unauthorized use with this gun. During the day, the revolver and ring are locked in the safe. At bedtime, they come out. There is only one ring, and it resides on my hand. Besides protecting my children from themselves, it effectively renders the gun inoperable for any intruder. That just might give me a momentary advantage in a confrontation. As a side note, my children don't require this level of protection now, but at the time, it seemed prudent.
I lived in South Carolina, so hard chrome was a desirable choice. I wish I had opted for the brushed finish rather than the matte. I had a 1911 pattern pistol done in brushed at the same time and I find it much more attractive. Your preferences may vary. I like the Hogue monogrips. I got these from a sale bin at a Pittsburgh gun shop. I’m not sure what the wood is. The night sights are from Meprolight.
Seen here with its unmodified sibling:
From the front:
From the rear:
Second: The Trail Gun
Around 1994, S&W issued a 3” Model 629-4 they called the Backpacker. I found a gently used (the apocryphal “less than a box through it” sale) one for sale at a Virginia Beach gun show and salted it away for future use. Fast forward a dozen years, and I now live in Idaho and have a need for an easily carried and powerful revolver for my hunting and fishing trips into bear country. I could have chosen to modify the other Model 29, but I decided the 629 was a better candidate for what I had in mind.
I decided to place an order with the folks at Cylinder & Slide, over in Nebraska. After spending an inordinate amount of time looking at the wide array of options offered for S&W revolvers, I chose the following modifications:
* Recrown Barrel
* Ball Detent for Crane
* Chamfer/Polish cylinder
* Action Job (2.75# single / 9# double)
* Smooth/Radius/Polish trigger
* Radius/Bevel exterior sufaces
* Bead blast
* Install and regulate Extreme Duty Fixed Sights (the principal reason I chose C&S for this work)
Chamferred cylinders:
Ball detent on the crane:
The competed gun, with Ahrends grips in Cocobolo (not the best fit, unfortunately):
Here's a shot of the two from the working end:
And here from the operator's perspective:
I have a Milt Sparks PMK for the 629 and it really makes carrying a breeze. It is a very comfortable holster.
Rick
That would be too easy.
