'Pinocchio' P38/P1 ???

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by John Sabato

I actually made this gun once,

By my measurement, that would have been a three inch barrel...

There was a time when I was into making shorties...I was welding back then, as well as turning and milling...I actually cut & welded a Colt Gold Cup into a 'Commander' Gold Cup...(This was before Colt offered one)...Now I'm into long-barrels...

However, enough of me...

John - Did you bore out the P38 front sight band and turn the barrel to fit and then silver-solder it???

If I were to do a four inch barrel, the front sight band would be threaded onto the barrel stub...Leaving all sorts of possibilities...

[John Sabato]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

By my measurement, that would have been a three inch barrel...

John - Did you bore out the P38 front sight band and turn the barrel to fit and then silver-solder it???

Yes (and No)... Two different barrel attempts. The first was as you described.

It was okay, but then I came across a replacement high front sight ramp for a rifle which had a curved underside that exactly fit the P.38 barrel closely enough that silver solder would work fine.

I liked the profile, so I cut a piece of it that was high enough to fabricate a front sight, and the same length of the barrel. Then I filed it by hand to create the front sight blade with a nice square profile, and then squared up the U-notch in the standard rear sight to match.

Of course sights on a snubbie is an oxymoron situation since rarely would you be required to use sights... but I wanted the profile to be aesthetically pleasing and not be prone to snag either the holster or my clothing when drawn. The actual results were very satisfying as shown in the mockup below of attempt II.

The original P.38K mounted a front sight on the top of the slide, which I thought looked hideous...

I stayed with that version for my "new" carry gun until I traded it.