# What's a good project gun?



## azmark (Aug 26, 2007)

I'd like to try my hand at a little basic gunsmithing. I thought I might look for a project revolver. Can I get some advice on what to look for?


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

If you wish to start with revolvers I would get an old S&W K,L,or N model. Then I would get the CD by Jerry Miculek called the Complete Revolver Disassembly and Reassembly. You can learn a lot from it. Good luck.


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## Snowman (Jan 2, 2007)

Baldy said:


> If you wish to start with revolvers I would get an old S&W K,L,or N model. Then I would get the CD by Jerry Miculek called the Complete Revolver Disassembly and Reassembly. You can learn a lot from it. Good luck.


Good advice. If you rebuild it well enough, it might be almost as good as a Ruger. :anim_lol:

jk Baldy...love my SW1911. I actually used it for my concealed carry class the other day. :smt023


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

*Well, Now...............*

For a beginning project, the single action revolver is the best suited for that. The single action, Colt, Ruger, Uberti, USFA, etc., are easily taken down and re=assembled. And, there is a good supply of parts available.

The New Model Ruger Blackhawks are a little more complicated due to their transfer bar mechanisms but still are easy to work on.

The old Three-Screw Rugers are good starting points. Remove the aluminum grip frame and original trigger. Buy a wide trigger from gunsmith Dave Clements and order an Old Army steel grip frame from Brownells. You will have to do some fitting to match the grip frame to the gun's frame, and this is an exercise in fitting. Then either cold blue the grip frame (if carbon steel) and put it and your new trigger on the gun. Replace the aluminum ejector rod housing with a steel one, or better yet, replace it with a new crescent headed ejector rod and cam-cut housing. Relpace the rear sight with a Millett or Gary Reeder sight assembly.

Or, use one of Dave Clements' Bisley conversions for the three-screw.

For Colt copies (not advisable on an original Colt) file out and fit a Smith & Wesson rear sight. Make a new ramp front sight from bar stock and siver solder it yourself or take it to a gunsmith for the work.

For some single actions, you can fit either the Colt 1851 Navy or the 1860 Army style triggerguard and backstrap to the gun. these can be either blue steel, brass, or silver plated in any combination.

Brownells, Miday, Dixie Gun Works are places to look for parts.

If you're REALLY handy, rebarrel a Smith DA, or drill and pin an un-pinned revolver. Older Colt DA revolvers are simpler to work on as there is no forward locking pin, as on Smiths, to contend with.

Project guns, properly done, creat hours of recreation otherwise spent in front of the boob-tube, and result in a one-of-a-kind revolver.

Bob Wright


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

*More on Project Guns..................*

My very first project gun was an old Colt New Service, in .45 Colt. I rounded up a cylinder and barrel for .44 Special and had these installed by a professional gunsmith. Then took the gun to a machine shop for milling out the frame for a Smith & Wesson rear sight. I put on a Micro ramp front sight and then had the gun re-blued professionally. I finished it up by making a home-made pair of walnut target stocks.

This over fifty years ago.

Bob Wright


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

Here's a good example of a project gun, though I didn't do all the work myself. Here is a Colt Single Action Army in .357 Magnum. the backstrap is brass, from an 1851 Navy Colt blackpowder revolver:









The grips are one-piece style walnut. I made the grips in two pieces and glued a filler between the panels.

And, as shown on the bottom gun, a nS&W rear sight and the front sight from a Ruger Blackhawk:










The gun shoots well, and nobody else has one exactly like it.

Bob Wright


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## azmark (Aug 26, 2007)

Bob,

Those are awesome guns. I like single actions, too. I used to have a single six and would love a blackhawk, although I do like SAA clones a lot, too.

Where do you live in Memphis? I still claim it as my home town even though I haven't lived there since I joined the Air Force in '81.


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

azmark said:


> Bob,
> 
> Those are awesome guns. I like single actions, too. I used to have a single six and would love a blackhawk, although I do like SAA clones a lot, too.
> 
> Where do you live in Memphis? I still claim it as my home town even though I haven't lived there since I joined the Air Force in '81.


I live in what used to be called East Memphis, near the University of Memphis, close to where Berrettas used to be.

Bob Wright


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## azmark (Aug 26, 2007)

My Dad taught there back when it was Memphis State. I went to 4th grade at the MSU Campus School. I'm familiar with the area. We lived in the Raleigh-Bartlett area (at least that's what they used to call it) and I ended up graduating from Craigmont HS back in '78.

I really do like the revolvers. Got anything else to show off? :smt047


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## JimmySays (Jun 8, 2007)

Find one that is inexpensive and you are not concerned so much about redering it useless as a shooter.
Get a Gun Digest or similiar book that has exploded diagrams and start by taking it apart and putting it back together. Then go from there.
There are a million books and websites now that can assist you in whatever you desire.
Always remember, safety first. If you do something questionable, take the firearm to a gunsmith to have it checked to be safe to fire. 
You don't want to lose a finger or an eye to your new hobby.
Happy shooting! :smt023


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