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Thread: Thinking About Shortening the Barrel on my OMSBH

  1. #1
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    Thinking About Shortening the Barrel on my OMSBH

    I have an Old Model Super Blackhawk that I bought back in '87 (I think). IIRC, it was produced in '67. It's stock except for the front sight, the original was too short. I no longer hunt, and future field use would be as a woods-walking gun with 240-grain SWCs at about 900-1,000 fps. I'm thinking about having the barrel cut back to 5-1/2" or maybe 4-5/8". The gun is very accurate as it is, and there'd be some loss of accuracy due to shortened sight radius plus geezer eyesight...but I'm okay with that. It's too long to carry as it is now.

    What are your thoughts as to barrel length? Who would be a good 'smith to do the work? I just don't want to send it off and have to wait a couple of years for what should be a fairly straightforward job. Of course, I'd also need new leather for it too. Recommendations?

  2. #2
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    I wouldn't touch it. About how many Old Model Super Blackhawks are they making these days?
    Regional Government Sales Manager for Aimpoint, Inc. USA
    Co-owner Hardwired Tactical Shooting (HiTS)

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Dobbs View Post
    I wouldn't touch it. About how many Old Model Super Blackhawks are they making these days?
    I understand the reasoning behind your comment - modifying it would decrease its monetary value. But it's one of my "never sell" guns, and what it'll be worth after I die is irrelevant. Right now it sits in the gun safe and has only been out once in the last five years. Besides, making a commitment to shortening the barrel will force me to shoot up the 300+ rounds of full-power hunting ammo I have left over before I send it in for the work.

  4. #4
    Member Crazy Dane's Avatar
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    I had a Bisley in .45 Colt that was a 7.5" barrel model, it never got carried because it was too damned long. I foolishly sold it off rather than having the barrel shortened to my liking due to perceived loss of monetary value. A mistake I will never duplicate. On the other hand, I may have never discovered the GP100s in .44 Special. A cartridge and gun combo that has become near and dear.

    I also had a SBH with the 4 5/8s barrel. If I had been into reloading at the time that was one I probably would have kept. It was a handful with factory magnum loads. I would have loved to run some lighter loads through it.

    I find that a 5 inch barrel is that maximum length that I can tolerate as for field carried on the belt and only take my 5" GP along for hunting trips. My 3' GP is the go to for general nocking around the woods carry.

  5. #5
    Member Zeke38's Avatar
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    Revchuck: faced a similar dilemma a few years ago. Long barreled handguns have grown closer to the ground and they weigh a lot more than they used to. If your SBH is a shooter and it must be then a 4 5/8s is a handy length with nice balance that is just a tad nose heavy but I like that combo. My solution was to purchase a Ruger 44Spl with the Bisley grip in 4 5/8s. I've found the 245 grain Keith bullet over 8.0 of Power Pistol and a standard primer does 950 fps and is an very, very accurate load and it is only producing 17K PSI. 8.5 to 9 grains in a Magnum case would do the same and make it run well. I obtained the 44 Special load from Brian Pearce's article in Handloader mag.

    Only Smith I have ever used for handguns in Dave Clements in Louisiana. Nice work. Fermin Garza would be a great contact for a barrel chop and recrown.

  6. #6
    Site Supporter HeavyDuty's Avatar
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    Not very bright but does lack ambition
    One of my first revolvers was a 70s era SBH, and it was just too damn long for anything other than a dedicated hunting gun. A friend had one which had been cut back to 4 5/8”, and I thought it was ideal - I just didn’t have the money to do it at the time, so off it went. If I had better access to reasonably priced gunsmithing at the time, I might have done it.

    That said, a 5 1/2” SBH sounds tasty, too...
    Ken

    BBI: ...”you better not forget the safe word because shit's about to get weird”...
    revchuck38: ...”mo' ammo is mo' betta' unless you're swimming or on fire.”

  7. #7
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    The guy who introduced me to bullet casting, Lyman 429421 molds, and 2400 had a 7.5" 3-screw SBH. He hated carrying the thing and all of a sudden decided to have it cut back to 4-5/8". He absolutely loved the resulting gun's balance and handling. Last I saw him, some 15 years after he chopped it, he still had it and was still shooting it.

    YMMV,
    Dave

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zeke38 View Post
    Only Smith I have ever used for handguns in Dave Clements in Louisiana. Nice work. Fermin Garza would be a great contact for a barrel chop and recrown.
    If he's the same one I was thinking of, he's in Virginia. I just went to his website and found this:
    NOTICE!! 1-23-21- I'm not accepting any additional work at this time with the exception of expedited service orders. 2021 is full.
    Guess I need to keep looking.

  9. #9
    Site Supporter Rex G's Avatar
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    Try Fermin Garza, in Texas. He makes some wonderful sights, so, as has already been mentioned, a barrel chop and new sights may be just the ticket.

    If you want to keep things within the state, to save overnight shipping costs, perhaps Clark Custom is still doing this kind of work?
    Retar’d LE. Kinesthetic dufus.

    Don’t tread on volcanos!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rex G View Post
    Try Fermin Garza, in Texas. He makes some wonderful sights, so, as has already been mentioned, a barrel chop and new sights may be just the ticket.

    If you want to keep things within the state, to save overnight shipping costs, perhaps Clark Custom is still doing this kind of work?
    Garza's website only lists sights, there's no mention of gunsmithing. Clark's is a possibility.

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