S&W 929

[Timothy]

I know you told me once you don't need any .38 spcl brass but I still have a few hundred once fired in bags around here. 

Any takers???

[alfsauve]

[Timothy, thank you but, I've got two large buckets of .38 brass I haven't touched yet.]

Update:   Did a lot of reading over at Enos's forum.   I'm considering cutting off the 1/2" nub of the barrel and reshaping the under lug.  Fairly doable myself.   

While waiting to get some 147gr bullets to reload, I decided, as have a number of other 929 owners, to try .357" dia bullets.  So I loaded up a small batch with 125gr .357's I use for my .38spl.  Cut back on the TiteGroup by 10% AND........

50 Yds hand held with bag support.  The vertical stringing is my poor sighting.  The club has a Ransom rest which I'll check out next time.   Velocity came in just a tad low averaging about 980fps.  Horizontally that's about 2.75" 



Now don't ask me how, I think when I was chrono testing, and not aiming too exactly, I bounced one off the ground in front of the target.  I found the round in the target, halfway embedded, backwards facing.  I guess I could measure the grove size as it's about the same as slugging a barrel.   The lands are not as deep as the picture appears, btw.

[alfsauve]

Almost there.  FO site installed.  Just got to decide what to do about the barrel.

Cut it off?   Leave it alone? 




Here.  Hold my beer.  What the worst that could happen?

[alfsauve]

Thanks for holding my beer.   The local candy store, Adv Outdoors, in its price list says the gunsmith will cut and recrown a barrell for $80.   I took him up on it.  He was surprised at what it was.  Since it wasn't a whole barrel he only charged $75.

The gun handles so much better without the weight up front.  Ran 240 rounds through it mostly on plates.  It felt very good.  No outstanding times, but I could move from plate to plate very consistently.   

What a waste that whole barrel weight/compensator is.  It's a 9mm for goodness sake, not a .460.  Now it's up to me to reshape the under lug.  The plan is to start using this in ICORE Limited and USPSA Revolver after the IRC this fall.   

Don't make fun of how dirty it is.  I just got back from the range. 

The perspective makes the barrel look shorter, but it's a 6" barrel.





This didn't come out as clear as I would have liked.

[tombogan03884]

Cut ? ?
I thought S&W barrels just unscrewed ?

[Sponsor]

[les snyder]

Alf... I know you are an experienced revolver shooter, but have you measured the exit diameter at the front of each chamber?... your pistol smith should have a precision ground plug gauge...at least put a "bullet on a stick" to see if one chamber is tighter than the rest... this was a big problem with Ruger single action guns

[alfsauve]

Cut ? ?
I thought S&W barrels just unscrewed ?

Well yes, they do unscrew but I just want to remove the stupid 1/2" nub on the front. 

Ultimately, I'd like a 5" barrel on it.  When I have more money than sense I'll get my gunsmith to see if the 5" 627 barrel will fit. 

[alfsauve]

Alf... I know you are an experienced revolver shooter, but have you measured the exit diameter at the front of each chamber?... your pistol smith should have a precision ground plug gauge...at least put a "bullet on a stick" to see if one chamber is tighter than the rest... this was a big problem with Ruger single action guns

Why thank you, but my "experience" is by hard knocks and I'm not all that good.

I'll check, but I think this particular gun got special attention back at the factory.  The gun store returned it twice for obvious flaws before they even sold it.   I haven't checked the groups since I had it bobbed.  I'll do that in the next couple of weeks.  And I'll see about measuring each chamber.