For all you gun nuts, here’s what I did and what I’m fixin to do:
I recently purchased a brand spanking new S&W 44mag nightguard. I got a real good deal. I’m a traditionalist and I like the old style revolvers...as in pre 1950. I like roundbutt revolvers with minimal grips(maybe a tyler t grip added) and the old fashioned low profile fixed sights, and long skinny barrels.
What attracted me to the nightguard was the fixed sights and the grips that are somewhat plain like the old days(no finger grooves and not huge). Also the cylinder appears to have a little more bevel on the forward edge...almost like they used to do a hundred years ago. I’ve never shot anything made of scandium or titanium so that was also an attraction. I bought it through the mail without actually ever seeing one in person.
Well, now I got the gun and actually shot it a few times and decided I can’t stand it. So I’m in the process of re-making it to my specs. I need an old set of small smooth ivory grips, and narrow (uber skinny) trigger and matching skinny hammer. Possibly a flat latch cylinder release. Possibly a bobbed hammer. Remove the lawyer lock, then figure out how to make those sights low profile. If I can do all that maybe I’ll even try to UNSHROUD the ejector and then nickel plate the whole thing.
I just read what I typed and I am nuts.
Sounds like there’s a possibility you’re going to spend a lot of money and find out you still don’t like it.
Have you considered selling it and buying an old style?
Lose the hammer thumb cocking tang, make it DA only ,, significantly lighten and work over the trigger ,, add a narrow trigger with a positive stop for overtravel.. and enjoy.
Progress so far...
Bought a stone from brownells and watched a few vids on youtube, then took my brand new N frame apart and went to work. Added a low power wolff hammer spring and a very low power rebound spring.
Bought an old forged skinny trigger off the internet for 25 bucks I think, then stoned it, and contoured the trigger face, and swapped out the original wide face trigger.
Whittled down an old nasty beat up pair of S&W K frame square butt target stocks to fit the new round butt N frame. They are not a perfect match. The hump behind the hammer on an N frame is bigger than on a K frame so there is a small area where the crotch of your hand meets the gun that the stocks don’t line up right. But they are good enough for now.
Installed side plate shims.
Removed the lawyer lock
Removed a little slide thingy that my older smiths don’t have. It appears to be redundant to the hammer block on the rear of the hammer that prevents you from cocking the hammer when the cylinder is swung out. Except the slide thingy blocks the trigger instead of the hammer when the cylinder is swung out.
Hosed it all down probably 2 dozen times with CLP and dry fired it maybe 2000 times without the cylinder in place(to save wear and tear on the hand, ejector star, and cylinder bolt). Action is getting incredibly smooth.
Hammer spring is a little too light since I’m getting missfires every now and then. Spring tensioning screw is all the way in so I’m going to add an extended firing pin and a shim on the hammer spring.
I can’t find any moon clips for 44special/44mag. I don’t know if they are made. Haven’t bobbed the hammer yet. Thinking about barrel porting.
Thinking about reshaping the trigger by bending it a little. I want it closer to the rear of the trigger guard when the trigger us all the way rearward.