3,1nch skinny barrel

[Rodmaker]

After seeing the recent posts with the 3 inch k frames, I wondered if anyone here has cut a skinny barrel model 10 back to inches? How did it work out?

Thanks

[okie john]

The Archives at https://www.collectorsfirearms.com/ is a good place to see what has already been done.


Okie John

[jh9]

After seeing the recent posts with the 3 inch k frames, I wondered if anyone here has cut a skinny barrel model 10 back to inches? How did it work out?

Thanks

TBH I don't know that you're going to be able to reattach that front sight. Or even fabricate one. Before being pinned the front sights were part of the forging. After being cut I think you'd have to weld on a replacement and that might present a problem.

I know a guy who had a similar-ish idea. He tried to get I think it was Jack Weigand (years ago) to put a different front sight base on his mountain gun and was told no. Said there wasn't enough metal there to work with.

[snow white]

So I actually just talked to Karl sokol about this (well..emailed him about it) I had a heavy barrel for him to put on a model 10 and the one I sent with the gun was all goobered up from the previous owner. I asked him if he could cut a standard tapered barrel to 3" and still install the dovetail sights i wanted on the gun. He replied that there is not enough meat on the barrel to do that in a typical fashion but he has done a special dovetail cut and modified sight for a client who wanted a unique revolver. So apparently yes it can be done but it takes special modifications to the sight as well as the barrel.
I wound up finding a heavy barrel that was usable and just going with that instead.

[jh9]

So I actually just talked to Karl sokol about this (well..emailed him about it) I had a heavy barrel for him to put on a model 10 and the one I sent with the gun was all goobered up from the previous owner. I asked him if he could cut a standard tapered barrel to 3" and still install the dovetail sights i wanted on the gun. He replied that there is not enough meat on the barrel to do that in a typical fashion but he has done a special dovetail cut and modified sight for a client who wanted a unique revolver. So apparently yes it can be done but it takes special modifications to the sight as well as the barrel.
I wound up finding a heavy barrel that was usable and just going with that instead.

Yow. That sounds like it's on the raggedy edge of a 3" gun with a dovetail front sight and a 3" gun with a brand new one port comp where the sight used to be.

I wouldn't have a lesser gunsmith than him try it, that's for sure.

[snow white]

Yow. That sounds like it's on the raggedy edge of a 3" gun with a dovetail front sight and a 3" gun with a brand new one port comp where the sight used to be.

I wouldn't have a lesser gunsmith than him try it, that's for sure.
I'm pretty excited to get it back. I sent him one of the J&G model 10 frames with a bull barrel and he's going to town on it. Ill pist it in 03RN's thread when its finally in hand.

[SCCY Marshal]

I have a Victory model barrel that has been chopped to about 3" with a front sight soldered in place. It came loosely screwed into a pinless model 10 frame and I just need a smith to get it to properly clock and permanently mount the thing.

Handling it dry, I do prefer the set-up to a bull barrel. It also looks great:

https://i.imgur.com/wiWPcmdl.jpg

[03RN]

I'd have preferred a standard barrel but am pretty happy with the barrel I did find for $20. It must of been a 6-8" m15 barrel pre cut numrichs was selling. Not quit as heavy as a heavy barreled m10 but enough meat for a dovetail.

I dont see why a sight couldn't be silver soldered on.

[Malamute]

Ed McGivern among others had skinny barrel M&P 38s/model 10s cut and the sight re-attached. The original sight could be milled to the correct contour and height and low temp silver soldered back on. Some of the 1917 45s were also so cut and sight re-attached.

The Winchester 92 carbines in 44-40 had fairly thin barrel walls yet had the front sight stud silver brazed on. They also had a shallow dovetail and were peened in place before silver brazing, they were about bombproof. Some were also made machined from the same stock as the barrel. Ive had similar early carbine type front sight bases made and only low temp silver soldered on 30-30 barrels, they are strong.



I have a Victory model barrel that has been chopped to about 3" with a front sight soldered in place. It came loosely screwed into a pinless model 10 frame and I just need a smith to get it to properly clock and permanently mount the thing.

Handling it dry, I do prefer the set-up to a bull barrel. It also looks great:

https://i.imgur.com/wiWPcmdl.jpg

It sounds like your barrel needs to have the shoulder turned back enough to let it torque correctly. I think brownells had a tool to do that without a lathe.

[BN]

I dont see why a sight couldn't be silver soldered on.

IIRC back after WW2 they re-imported some S&W revolvers in 38 S&W, cut the barrels back to 3" or so and silver soldered a front sight on. Gunsmiths used to silver solder sights on all the time.

I looked at one in a gunshop one time. The revolver looked pretty crude, so I didn't buy it.

[okie john]

Like this?

68139


Okie John

[Lex Luthier]

Like this?

68139


Okie John

<stabs at like button repeatedly>

[Caballoflaco]

Like this?

68139


Okie John

I’d be watching old episodes of Highway Patrol while dryfiring till my finger couldn’t move if I had that.

[okie john]

It was probably a six-inch originally. You can tell it's been cut by the placement of the lettering, but somebody managed to get that half-moon front sight back where it belongs.


Okie John

[jh9]

IIRC back after WW2 they re-imported some S&W revolvers in 38 S&W, cut the barrels back to 3" or so and silver soldered a front sight on. Gunsmiths used to silver solder sights on all the time.


Interesting. I wonder why you don't see much of that anymore.

[Malamute]

Interesting. I wonder why you don't see much of that anymore.


!, We dont have piles of cheap surplus guns to work on any more.


2, We dont have as many real old school gunsmiths.


3, Theres more choices in factory available guns to choose from.


4, Not as many people wanting to chop and change things.

[Lex Luthier]

!, We dont have piles of cheap surplus guns to work on any more.


2, We dont have as many real old school gunsmiths.


3, Theres more choices in factory available guns to choose from.


4, Not as many people wanting to chop and change things.

All true. Add to that list that labor is the most expensive part of the equation now.

[Catshooter]

I have a Victory model barrel that has been chopped to about 3" with a front sight soldered in place. It came loosely screwed into a pinless model 10 frame and I just need a smith to get it to properly clock and permanently mount the thing.

Handling it dry, I do prefer the set-up to a bull barrel. It also looks great:

https://i.imgur.com/wiWPcmdl.jpg

That is lovely. The barrel has to be timed (clocked) and then the barrel/cylinder gap has to checked and fitted if needed. With the barrel loose like that, I'd check the crown and the throat. Easy to do with the barrel out of the frame. It's interesting how many barrels get a small nick or gouge right in the muzzle and boy, they are not your friend.

I just finished doing just that to a 10-5 and rounded the square butt. I like it. I thought about shortening the barrel to be like yours but didn't. After seeing yours though, I'm beginning to re-think. I've done that to a horribly abused 1937 Brazilian. You have to shorten the front sight a bit after you remove it, but then it just solders back on no sweat. You're evil. :)



Cat

[Bart Noir]

There is another option not yet mentioned. I've seen it done twice, once on a Colt Police Positive Special which I wish I had purchased, and the second time on a 2nd Model Hand Ejector which I now own.

After the barrel is shortened, a thicker band of steel is added right at the muzzle. It is thick enough to be machined into a front sight base, and then the chosen sight blade is added to the dovetail or slot or whatever the chosen installation method requires.

I think the result is rather cool looking. After 10 minutes of internet searching I can report failure. I have no picture to show this.

Bart Noir

[03RN]

There is another option not yet mentioned. I've seen it done twice, once on a Colt Police Positive Special which I wish I had purchased, and the second time on a 2nd Model Hand Ejector which I now own.

After the barrel is shortened, a thicker band of steel is added right at the muzzle. It is thick enough to be machined into a front sight base, and then the chosen sight blade is added to the dovetail or slot or whatever the chosen installation method requires.

I think the result is rather cool looking. After 10 minutes of internet searching I can report failure. I have no picture to show this.

Bart Noir

Ive never seen that on DA but have seen a fair amount of SA guns with that done.

Im sure its as cool looking

[314159]

One of the original Indiana Jones movie guns was set up like that. A .455 Hand Ejector IIRC, I'll look around for a close up pic.68309

There were apparently two revolvers used in the first movie. The "shooter" was a .455 version. This was a .45 ACP used in other shots.
"The "Stembridge" is a Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector 2nd Model with a blued finish, lanyard ring and the normal 1917 5.5-inch barrel cut down to 4 inches. The first half-inch of the barrel is a band sweated over a turned down barrel. The band is not the reamed out section of the front of the cut off barrel as there is no taper to the band. The front sight is re-shaped and silver soldered to a flattened area on the band."

Original research courtesy of Indygear.com, no connection to me.

More on point, it seems like a straight forward and even historically typical configuration.

[Jim Watson]

My Dad's change box defense weapon (He was a city bus driver.) was a Colt Police Positive Special .32-20 that had been sawn off to 2" and the front sight soldered back on. Probably silver solder, the barrel had a bright heat blue. I don't think any effort had been made to zero it. The sight looked awfully tall. Unfortunately he sold it after he retired and I don't have it to check out.

[Bart Noir]

And that last picture looks just like my Hand Ejector, except for the grips. Thanks for providing it.

More about that revolver. Shipped to Canada during WW1, later changed from .455 to .45 Colt, barrel shortened, and adjustable sight removed so a fixed one could be soldered on. It is most certainly one of those "if this gun could only talk" firearms.

Supica's books do not list this particular Hand Ejector (by serial number) as being adjustable sight revolver but the serial number is in the range purchased by the Commonwealth during WW1. It has the Canadian acceptance stamp and that is all. If it had gone to Great Britain, there would be ugly stamps all over it. If only it could talk.

Bart Noir

[Tokarev]

There was a barrel on eBay recently that was a cut down with a banded front sight installed. The sight looked like it might have been an old Lyman or something similar. I don't see it listed now and am kind of wishing I would have saved some pics.

This might look a little odd, depending on what vintage revolver is being customized. It would like right at home, in my opinion, on a trimmed and tricked out single action or Indiana Jones retro. It might even look okay on some sort of custom .480 Ruger Super Redhawk.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1845148513

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