I want a concealed hammer .45acp Snub

[MCPreacher]

Does anyone, or did anyone make one?

I have seen a few short (2-3") barrel .45acp revolvers by S&W & Taurus (all discontinued) but did anyone make one with a concealed hammer ala S&W M40/M49?

[LSP972]

I recall, many moons ago, seeing a photo of a Fitz Special (1917 cut down to almost nothing) with a hammer shroud. IIRC, the shroud was a slightly scaled-up copy of the Colt offering for the D frame and had been hand-made by someone.

Now, THAT would be one hell of a project gun!

.

[MCPreacher]

I thought about buying a set of those bolt on shrouds, but it just wouldn't be the same.

Maybe I can buy a larger pistol, have it cut down and bobbed. Not the same, but better than nothing!

[LSP972]

Maybe I can buy a larger pistol, have it cut down and bobbed. Not the same, but better than nothing!


S&W made a snubbie Ti-Scan N frame in .45 ACP, the 325 (might still be in production; dunno). You could whack the hammer spur.

But those AirLites are NOT fun to shoot. A pal had a snubby 325, and got rid of it because it was downright unpleasant, and too big to carry. The Ahrends grips on the round butt felt very good to hold, however...

Many of us hold the same opinion on the AirLite J frames. Even with mid-range .38s, they are painful to shoot more than a few times. But we keep them, because they are the PERFECT carry piece if you're into small, light, light, yet adequate. I had to semi-retire my five-year-old 360PD because of that stupid lock. I've been carrying a 442, but the three ounces less of the Ti-Scan spoiled me, so I'm buying a pre-lock 342 to replace it.

Unless you simply WANT a .45 snubby revolver, whatever you come up with would be as large and bulky as any number of small .45 ACP pistols, so it doesn't make any sense from a practical standpoint. Fitzgerald made his mods because he was a die-hard big bore man, and the era of reliable cut-down 1911s hadn't arrived yet. He also wore European riding breeches (jodphurs) regularly, with huge side pockets, that those big revolvers fit into easily (he always carried two of them).

There are folks who regularly pack around N frames guns efficiently, so it can be done with some effort on your part. Its just a matter of how bad you want to do it... ;)

.

[G33]

Not fun at all to shoot.
:whistling::supergrin:

[MCPreacher]

Unless you simply WANT a .45 snubby revolver, whatever you come up with would be as large and bulky as any number of small .45 ACP pistols, so it doesn't make any sense from a practical standpoint.
.

You hit the nail on the head. I want one.

I already own a Springfield Ultra Compact .45 and a G36, so I have the small .45 autoloader category covered.

I am seriously thinking about trying to find a beat-to-hell revolver and cutting it up, have it re-finished.

[MCPreacher]

Not fun at all to shoot.
:whistling::supergrin:

I like the fiber-optic front sights, I have them on my IPSC Limited 10 pistol, but they are not exactly carry friendly. Are they an option on that revolver or would you have to look at aftermarket sights to replace them?

[RussP]

I recall, many moons ago, seeing a photo of a Fitz Special (1917 cut down to almost nothing) with a hammer shroud. IIRC, the shroud was a slightly scaled-up copy of the Colt offering for the D frame and had been hand-made by someone.

Now, THAT would be one hell of a project gun!

.I think I saw that 1917 cut down...let me look through my scanned articles...remind me in a few days if I haven't found it. The files are a bit of a mess.

:cool:

[G33]

I like the fiber-optic front sights, I have them on my IPSC Limited 10 pistol, but they are not exactly carry friendly. Are they an option on that revolver or would you have to look at aftermarket sights to replace them?


Came standard that way.
:supergrin::wavey:

[SeriousStudent]

I think I saw that 1917 cut down...let me look through my scanned articles...remind me in a few days if I haven't found it. The files are a bit of a mess.

:cool:

A friend did that, it was sweet.

About fifteen years ago, a lot of M1917 service revolvers were being brought back into the country from South America. A friend of mine bought a pair of them. One he kept stock.

He did the following mods to the other one: Removed the lanyard loop, bobbed the hammer, cut the barrel down to 2.5 inches and recrowned, had a new front sight blade mounted, had the frame converted to round butt. He made a set of stocks himself, from some old black walnut I had.

He bought about a dozen full moon clips, and carried it with six Federal Hydra-Shoks. Looked wicked from the business end.

We all wore wool topcoats in the winter, and this pistol rode in a pocket holster in his right front pocket 4 months of the year. We practiced drawing and firing from our coats. He got pretty good with it. He carried a spare full moon clip in the left hand pocket.

I carried a Model 60 in .357 Magnum, and it recoiled more with full-power loads than the M1917 snubbie. But it was smaller, and had a faster presentation. My friend had the pocket openings on his topcoat enlarged by a tailor, and had the linings redone with stiff canvas, along with a thin sheet of horsehide on the outward side of the pocket lining. It carried well that way.

We both had CCW permits, and frequently carried large sums of cash and checks in our line of work. We both wanted something a bit more powerful than the Model 642's we started with.

I'd love to have that .45 snubbie of his now. He called it his "pocket artillery". ;)

[Berto]

Fitz specials..


http://www.shootingtimes.com/gunsmoke/STgs0605_020807A.jpg

THose top two might be 1917's...not sure.

Closest modern thing I can think of is the 296 Smith, but it's a .44sp.

[Mushinto]

Several years ago, S&W made a 2" scandium N-frame in .44 Special with a concealed hammer that looked like a Bodyguard. It was too ugly to sell.

Here are some Fitzs and Fitz like pieces:

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa137/Mushinto/Colt1917Snub.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa137/Mushinto/Colt19173a.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa137/Mushinto/ColtFitz3.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa137/Mushinto/ColtFitz4.jpg

ML

[beaversgs]

Preacher,

I've been wanting the same thing for a long time. Closest thing I've had is a 625-10 (also discontinued) with a bobbed hammer. Be careful what you ask for. I thought the 625-10 would be the perfect pocket carry gun. Now I don't consider myself recoil sensitive. I had a 17oz Taurus titanium snubby in .357 and if it hadn't of had a bad cylinder I might have kept it. It cut 3 of the 4 people that were willing to shoot it and I was one of them. Still I loved that little gun, but still wanted a big bore, hence the $1K pocket gun (625-10). I didn't keep it 6 months. Three of us shot it and we all thought it should go. It was pulling bullets with gold dots. I tried 3 different sets of grips and even with full sized hogue grips and gloves it was painful/uncomfortable. I loved the little gun and have thought of buying another and having it magnaported, but I don't know how much that would help.

Anyway, closest thing I've seen is the also discontinued S&W titanium/scandium framed 5 shot L framed .44 Special, I think it was a 296?

I'm placating myself with a 17oz 6 shot Colt Agent for the moment, but I haven't given up the dream of a pocket revolver in .45acp that's affordable and shootable, although I'd prefer unported, I might have to reconsider, given the recoil on my friend's all steel 3" 625. You definitely feel it after an IDPA match with full power loads.

GregB

[sw sabre]

As others have said, the closest thing to what you want that I'm aware of is the S&W model 296. It was built on the alloy L frame with a 5 shot titanium cylinder. They weigh about 19oz and even with 200gr 44 SPL loads are not a bunch of fun to shoot.

http://www.fototime.com/553BF8086DD44C4/orig.jpg

I would expect to pay $450 - $600 for a nice used one.

Bill