Posted: 5/19/2005 10:19:04 AM EDT
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I picked this Browning HP frame at a gun show about 5 years back and want to know if anyone knows a gunsmith with the skills to weld it back together. I don't know what idiot cut it up in the first place. I originally bought it with the plan to have an engraver copy the enraving pattern onto another pistol but ended up being reassigned to Germany. I'll be back in the US in 2 weeks and am looking for a qualified gunsmith that maybe able to just repair the frame. |
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Yeah it has a serial number and I ran it through the local PD right before I before I bought it to see if it was stolen or confiscated to be destroyed or whatever. The SN did not match anything in the system so I purchased it. I was told by the guy I got it from that it was cut to shorten the magwell area and make a CCW gun. He didn't admit to making the cuts. The cuts were probably made where they were because the SN is stamped into the front strap just below the front cut. The SN checked out fine, what is the issue with repairing it? Edited to add the probable reason for the frame cuts as told to me. |
I'll say it was a police-confiscated gun, or a turn-in, that was demilled. The 'shorten the frame for CCW' story sounds like BS. I've never heard of that being done to a BHP, and besides, where would you get magazines, short of making your own by shortening them? Shortening the frame of a BHP and making it work is MUCH more involved than it sounds. You'd have to custom -fab a sear spring, a mainspring, and mainspring pin - probably more that escapes me at the moment. I think you'll get turned down because to weld it back together would be rather tedious, if done right, and not cost-effective. besides, the engraving will look bad, unless it's redone, which, also, is expensive. Most folks will just tell you its' not cost-effective to do so, and some may be hesitant to 'un-demill' a frame. By the time you replace all the parts, you're gonna have a very expensive welded-up gun. Of course, it would still be a fun project! 
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If someone has an adjustable jig that they could 'set' for a BHP frame, then put your parts in it, the welding MIGHT not be too expensive. I honestly don't know. Maybe you could get one of the FM 'detective' slides, cheap, and scrounge enough parts to come out cheaper than an FEG clone would be.... |
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The problem is, it appears to be a stainless steel frame. Brownings website makes mention of a silver finish coating of some kind but even the edge of the cuts are silver in color. Browning web site makes no mention of a stainless steel model. Ever heard of one? |
Browning makes a hard-chromed frame, but FWIW, any frame would appear 'silver' before it was blued... |
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Years ago, making cut-down 1911's and Brownings was common for the "in crowd" that liked really custom guns. Now days, we'd call these "Officer's" sized guns. There were several custom gunsmith's who specialized in cutting down the Browning, and a look at some older gun magazines will usually turn up some good pictures. Usually, the grip was cut right about where this one was, then a section was removed from the lower portion, and the pieces were heli-arc welded back together. Nobody "demills" a auto by cutting it there, they cut through the critical trigger area. A GOOD pistolsmith/welder could weld this back together, AS LONG as the heat treating isn't compromised, or something else is wrong. The plated finish is simply ground away from the weld areas, and once finished, the frame is sent to a plater to have whatever type of plating it is DE-plated to remove it. To find a good 'smith who can do this, I'd recomending checking out The American Handgunner magazine's list of top 100 pistolsmiths. I think they have it on their web site. |
With several of the older guys who used to do the conversions mentioned by dfariswheel retired these days, I would try Jim Stroh at Alpha Precision if Bill cannot do it for you at C&S. I am certain if it can be done with steel, Jim CAN do it, but you might not like the price tag!  www.alphaprecisioninc.com/contact/default.htm |
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At the shop rate of the machine shops I deal with, you are looking at purchasing about 4 to 5 hours of work based on the quotes you gave. 4 to 5 hours to maybe pregrind before weld, fixture it, weld, maybe straighten, and then rough and finish grind it seem reasonable. I bet any other quotes will only differ by a few percent. Hand work isn't cheap. Kent |