Removing Barrel Underlug?

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greenlion

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I have a S&W model 686 (no-lock) I really like, but after shooting Glocks for years, I've noticed that the weight of the barrel underlug makes the gun unweildy for transitions between targets. My smaller model 65 is much easier to "steer" between targets, but has fixed sights.

I wonder if anyone knows whether gunsmiths can remove the end of the underlug on a Model 686 barrel. It wouldn't have to be as light as the new model 620's skinny barrel, just lighter than it is now.

I know I could replace the barrel entirely, but I keep thinking something between the skinny barrel of the 620/619 and the fat 686 might be the perfect balance. I'm not really interested in paying as much as S&W is asking for their new guns with the lock on them.
 
If you are handy at all, you could use a grinder to hog out the bulk of the metal to be removed, and then proceed slowly with a file to shape more finely, then use emory paper/sandpaper to remove file marks and ultimately polish to the level of the gun's finish. Since it is stainless, no need to refinish, just bring it up to the level of polish on the rest of the gun. If unsure, pay a good smith to do it. Better than boogering it.
 
S&W sells the 686 without the underlug, or at least they did. Anyway, your observations fit my views completely. S&W's and Ruger's decision to make full underlug barrels was a huge mistake.

I love the 686, but would recommend you try to pick up a primo Ruger Security-Six. It's as strong as a 686, but lighter and somewhat smaller.
 
Find a milling machine and a person who knows how to use it - tell him/her what you want done and they should be able to take care of it. Stainless does not mill as easy as regular carbon steel , but with a good carbide cutter, it should be no problem.
 
Frankly, sounds like a bad idea to me. You'll have a hacked-on gun that may or may not meet your needs, and reduce it's value if you want to sell it. Especially when the gun you want is already out there.

If you already have a 65, then you have a lighter weight, faster pointing gun. The idea of the lug on the 686 is to help tame recoil on full magnum loads. The 620 doesn't have a "skinny" barrel - it's the same size/shape as a 686, just no lug.

If you need a light, fast point ss .357 with adjustable sights, that's the Model 66. Or sell the 686 and get a 620 if you want an L-frame without the lug.
 
I can tell you one thing: It saws and cuts with GREAT difficulty. I know, I did one. Probably shouldn't have, but I did. Hacksawed and filed. I did a good job of it, I think, but man, that stuff is tough. And now, many years later, I wish I would have just left it alone.
 
Who wants a butchered up revolver? :eek:
No need to deface a nice Smith & Wesson classic. :rolleyes:They're sure not making them anymore.

Sell it to somebody who will appreciate it and get what you want!
 
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+1 on just getting a Model 66 (the finest .357 revolver ever made, IMHO).
 
Consider slab-siding, which will be easier to grind, and easier to finish once the metal is ground away. (Less expensive, too, if paying a 'smith; they usually bill by shop hours for this kind of thing.) I recall gunwriter Jerry Ahern having an L-frame slab-sided, and I liked the look, at least in the photos.
 
Jerry Ahern's slab-side gun was done with the sides parallel, but I seem to recall another lugged-barreled sixgun with the sides done in a slight V. I thought it looked sharp, too.
 
Top left is the 586 I had.
This thread
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=41510
attachment.php
 
At one time S&W offered 686 Mtn. Gun barrels. These had a thin barrel with no underlug. A 686 7 shot Mtn. Gun weighed per S&W specs 1/2 oz. less than a 4" 19/66 K frame.

The barrel can be slab sided and the lug trimmed way down. Might try Cylinder & Slide but any good S&W gunsmith ought to be able to duplicate the appearance of the 686 SSR:
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...d=10001&productId=53929&langId=-1&isFirearm=Y
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. Glad to know I'm not the only one who thought of doing it.

I think a lot of you skipped the part where I said I'm not interested in a new gun with the key-lock in it. S&W never made a gun with the frame size of the 686 and the lighter barrel of the 620 in the pre-lock era, as far as I know, so the gun I want is NOT out there. If Rugrev is correct, a 686 mountain gun configuration would be perfect, but if it was pre-lock, it must have been a small run of guns. I've never seen one. The odds of finding one in great condition is slim

I don't consider custom work done by a competent gunsmith a "bubba" job, unless someone is dumb enough to let "bubba" work on their guns, which I am not. I know I'd never attempt it myself, and would want the work to look professional. There's nothing wrong with having custom work done on a revolver.

The model 66 is close to what I want, and i've had a model 19, but they, and the model 65, don't hold up as well as the L frame guns. I shoot a LOT. The 686 SSR and the 686 plus with the 3 inch barrel look like good candidates, if I ever decide to buy another Lock-equipped gun.
 
If you concern is with the lock, another option is to buy a new/newer ILS equipped gun and have a gunsmith remove the locking mechanism and fill the hole in the frame. There are a few reputable smiths out there that will do it, can't remember who they are right now.

Not sure this is the best option, just another choice.
 
The 686 Mtn. Guns were made in a run of, I believe, about 2,000 units. They were built on the 686-5 which was when MIM came in with the frame mounted firing pin but before the locks. I bought over time 2 of the 686 Mtn. Gun barrels from S&W and had them installed on pre-lock guns. At one time did this to a 629, too (got a .44 mag bbl. Mtn. Gun) as couldn't find the gun I wanted so built it. Actually, in one sense this is even more ideal as when replacing the barrel one can set headspace, reduce endshake and get the desired barrel/cylinder gap set.
 
I solved the problem by getting a Colt Trooper Mk III.

I like feel of the 4" 5/686, but the 6" ones are too barrel heavy to suit me.
 
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