Brass Wedding Band And A Flat Top

Sharps40

Sharps40

Price, it's all about the price
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Dec 18, 2016
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Pekin, NC.
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Been at this gunsmithing thing for about 35 years now.....still learning. But, I finally did it, learned how to handle a file half-azz gooder and lately, after a year off from doing any customizing of anything, its good to see I ain't forgetted how to solder......low and slow with the heat and the solder flows and the blue don't boil......

So....Late 1960s Hammerli SAA steel ejector rod housing shortened about 3/16 at the back end and fitted to a new stainless Blackhawk that got its 5 1/2 inch barrel shortened to just short enough to use the back half of the original sight ramp for a dovetail sight......then added a brass wedding band to the ejector rod housing, kinda a signature for me......all that soldering and file work to get it 95% fitted up to the gun and I didn't scratch the bluing!!!!! or burn it neither. Happy joy. Next to get the mortise on the side of the frame, the wedding band and the ejector rod housing all blended into one smooth and seamless line from back to front.

Then, feeling confident and energetic after a 12 month hiatus, I took all that extra metal off the top strap, shaped in a slight contour to make it appear thinner and rounder (blackhawks are so dayum blocky looking) and Holy of Holy's ..... this Blackhawk actually has a steel rear sight!!!!

First one I ever seen in steel, so, to the stones, its hard hard steel too, files skitter right off it, but knocked off all the sharpe corners and edges since the rear sight don't have them big steel wings on it no more......


and, way down on the front end, I ain't ready to show it yet but that massive turd of a front ramp is shortened, lowered, dovetailed, rounded and smoothed and blended into the barrel and actually looks real nice no bigger than the installed sight is long.

Oh boy, and those grip panels, yummy!

Oh, yeah, shortened the cylinder pin a bit so it can actually be removed without taking off the ejector rod housing and then made the grasping grooves wide enough, deep enough and sharp edged enough so's one can actually pull the durn pin out without having to get plyers cause yer fingers are too darn big for the crowded spot the pin head is in......

but.....Shoots good too......45 caliber.....

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Wow! Your work is great!
 
Trust me.......i took several in brown paper lunch bags to my mentors. Each time with similar instructional demonstration of proper use of tools!.....with applicable charges for replacement parts and associated skilled labor. Real fast ya get the skill or quit the hobby!

I can happily report I only ever grip chopped and stippled one glock. A 40 so no great loss and oddly I sold it at a tiny profit and blamed it on the prior owner. Ugly can only get worse in some cases!

Must be gettin old....never admitted to that before! Ha!
 
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Not done yet. Still gotta work out the sight and blending joins and action work and such.
 
You once made a .357 with the Buffalo from a nickel as the front site. I kick myself regularly for not scraping up the funds for that one.
 
Those are nifty sights. Carving buffalo's and Indian heads out of the coins is fun too. Lots of detail work.
 
Because sometimes having a dremel tool is the same as being a gunsmith........seamless now and about 80% fitted.....time to move from ejection to the final treatments so I can get this one done to my liking......just waiting on sights while I spruce up the stainless and the now scuffed off bluing....DSCN5017 (2).JPG DSCN5018.JPG DSCN5019.JPG
 
Workin on my keeper. Retiring next year so ill finally be able to do this, shaker furniture and old cars as much as I want! Shooting too!
 
Good on ya brother! I retired about two years ago and STILL don't have time to do everything I want to do ;-). I recommend it!
 
Oct of 2019 is 303 business days for me....so, roughly 10 months duty, 606 more trips back and forth, 42420 miles to drive, 2424 work hours, 37 more heavily taxed paychecks......not that I'm counting.
 
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Closing in on it now. Its ready for a photo and some shooting today if the proper sight comes in the mail (a taller Williams red fire sight). In any event, I may go back and scallop the recoil shield and loading gate by hand later so for now the finish on the stainless will be left at 180g. Later I'll finalize the frame and the cylinder at 220g but leave the top strap and barrel at 180. Rust blued the ejector rod housing and put it into place and the brass band looks good (good time spent shaping the frame loop to blend with the brass banded ejector rod housing) , really liking the flattop with rounded edges. No alloy on this one anywhere, just good steel. Internal work was limited to cleaning and the trigger breaks after a touch of take up at about 4 lbs 4 oz. I think the only additional work there will be to shim the locking bolt against lateral movement. Mostly it'll get used with 45 ACP. It has a 45 colt cylinder but its likely to remain much
less used.


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got it shot in today. the .570 tall Williams red fire sight finally arrived. good pick since I lowered the front ramp and shortened the tapered barrel. (I think the ruger blade was .585 over the barrel when I first measured it.) but the fire sight is really visible, looks decent and made of steel with three straps to protect the light pipe. centered it up, centered up the rear and dropped the rear all the way and then brought it back up till the rear sight base was level. the federal 230g fmjs were printing on top of the front sight and a touch left at 10 yards. gave the rear a few clicks to the right and it was where it needs to be. quite pleased, shoots straight, hits hard, loads easy, and lots less cost to shoot than 45 colt, handles easier than an automatic for me too, kinda looks nice in two tone. I'm real happy with the grips, factory fit and real pretty, kinda grippy with the carving too. bet I'll be bungin em up soon but oh well, that's the biz. can't countenance a dog that don't fight, no matter how pretty. so, guess its a win. stuffed it full of 230g hydrashok for duty around the property. will have to make up some shot shells this week or next but, shoots close enough if I do my part, oughta take out snakes and such when I'm out and about.
 
Front sight is a huge improvement over stock; lots of other nice details too. Did you use files to round off the top strap? Takes some guts to tear into a nice new stainless frame!
 
Yep. Filed off the ears. Layout lines and hand filed the long edges then draw polished and bootstrapped. I do almost all my work by hand.
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
Good work. I admire your work. Do you take any projects??
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There is no simple living to be made in gunsmithing for the average fella. The nitches are already filled by gents like turnbull and bowen commanding prices that would take food off the average familymans table. (That's why there are factory "loaded" guns, regular fellas want em and only the factory can push em out with the wizbang doodads at a price more folks can afford....but there will always be nitches for the hand crafted stuff too.)

I observe lots of smiths struggle less with craft and creativity and more with price vs number of jobs vs overhead vs time, etc to keep the lights on. I often thought of opening a bluing shop but even if I could access borrowed equipment (so no overhead) folks always want it so cheep that a minimum wage job will often pay better....we customers certainty don't value time/skills at the same rate as craftsmen.

So, I do it for fun and one project leads to the next and the profit is a feeling of satisfaction rather than a hard-fought paper bill. And I can do what ever I want during that creative process since there is nobody on the other end to like or dislike it, pay or not pay for it or say I want this, delete that, etc....and that my friends is a powerful incentive....No mind but my own, pure craft.
 
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Red Marley said:
Nice. Let's see the whole thing!
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@Red Marley. Got the Hammerli back. Shortened it a touch more to a true 4" bbl. Found 2 old Army Jager blued steel cam cut Ejector rod housings for true 4" bbls! Has that 4 3/4" look but short enough to sit comfortably when holstered and no dismounting the ejector to remove the cylinder pin for cleaning! Just gotta shoot it to verify the fire sight is the right height. Then I'll drill the bbl for the ejector mounting screw.
 
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Excellent, good on ya. You ain't gettin' mine back ;) Looking forward to seeing them.
 
Stuff like this makes me want to get more into wheel guns. Stop it....or don't...
 
Sharps40 said:
Closing in on it now. Its ready for a photo and some shooting today if the proper sight comes in the mail (a taller Williams red fire sight). In any event, I may go back and scallop the recoil shield and loading gate by hand later so for now the finish on the stainless will be left at 180g. Later I'll finalize the frame and the cylinder at 220g but leave the top strap and barrel at 180. Rust blued the ejector rod housing and put it into place and the brass band looks good (good time spent shaping the frame loop to blend with the brass banded ejector rod housing) , really liking the flattop with rounded edges. No alloy on this one anywhere, just good steel. Internal work was limited to cleaning and the trigger breaks after a touch of take up at about 4 lbs 4 oz. I think the only additional work there will be to shim the locking bolt against lateral movement. Mostly it'll get used with 45 ACP. It has a 45 colt cylinder but its likely to remain much
less used.


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Update. Glad I got this one set up in 45 acp . Underwood 45 Super 255g LFN at 1075 fps and 650 ft lbs is plenty stout and accurate and dirt cheep compared to 45 colt. It'll be my go to working load and at 10 yds hits only a touch higher than 230 hydrashoks or 230 FMj. So. One site setting for three loads. Practice. Home defense. Varmint and deer/hog. Now to get shotshells. I'm happy!
 
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