[Shung]

on a Uberti 1860 henry is something that can be performed by a gunsmith ?

I just bought a 1860 henry for a great price (unbeattable), like 30% of a normal price..

only problem, it is a 18" barrel, and not a 24"... I can get a 24" barrel for 5 hundred $ , and i would like to know if changing the barrel that can be done easely, by a gunsmith, or not..

What do you think ?

Thx for your help !

to help, here is an image of how the gun is built..

http://www.vtigunparts.com/store/images/cats/Uberti_1860Henryschem_old.jpg

Do you think the barrel change will be reasonnably possible ?


thx a lot for your answers

[rcmodel]

Since the new barrel comes as an assembly including the magazine parts, changing it would be a simple matter for any halfway decent gunsmith.

It would be no different then the guy at the factory who screwed the first one on and checked headspace & function.

Not sure how cost effective it would be though to put a $500 barrel on top of what you already paid for the gun.

It might be cheaper in the long run to sell the inexpensively purchased carbine at a profit and put the money toward a new 24" rifle.

rc

[Shung]

Well, the 1860 henry rifle here cost new, more than 1800$ ... On day, I saw a used one at 1000$, but I missed it.

usually, used, they sell someting like 1300-1400$ - But they are very rare though..

I payed the gun 700$, and it's in very good shape.. changing the barrel would make the gun cost like 1300, a normal used price, but the fact is that I cannot find one for more than 2 years now..


As you said, the only thing that bothered me is the the headspace.. I suppose that the 2 barrels won't have the threading that start exactly in the same place, and I wonder how the gunsmith can deal with that to have the barrel attached in the right spot.


ps: yes, the barrel comes as a complete assembly.. everything ahead of the receiver is included.

[rcmodel]

I believe the new barrel would be just short of tightening fully.
The gunsmith would remove a very slight amount of metal from the shoulder ahead of the treads to get it to tighten "just right".

Assuming the barrel shank protruding through the receiver is correct, the headspace would be correct also. If not, a tiny amount of metal removed for the rear face of the barrel would make it so.

rc

[4v50 Gary]

I don't think changing the barrel is a big deal for a gunsmith. He may have to make a barrel vise to fit the old barrel as well as find some blocks to reinforce the receiver so as not to crush it, but there may be problems finding a 24" barrel. You might want to see if your gunsmith can get one directly from Uberti (as well as a new magazine spring). Heck, laws permitting, you might even be able to drive it over to Uberti to have them do it for you.

[Shung]

nah, in fact the best price is going to be ordering the barrel from the USA, and this is what Im going to do.. (I know, it sounds crazy, but importing a barrel from the USA cost less than buying it here from Uberti..)

thx for the technical explanations guys, much appreciated.

[4v50 Gary]

but importing a barrel from the USA cost less than buying it here from Uberti

Buy American, even if it's originally from Italy. ;)

[Malamute]

It really isnt that tough to do. If you understand the process, and preferably have seen it done, you can probably do it at home. I doubt the headspace will be far enough out to be as issue. I've swapped Winchester 94 barrels, they come in pretty close headspace wise. They also don't have to be "perfect" in regards to headspace to work perfectly. When hand turned into the action (with clean threads on the barrel and reciever) the Winchesters stop at around 1/8 turn short of fully indexed give or take a little. My 'Smith likes them to stop about there. More than an 1/8th turn out is going to take a bit of torque, and you may want to clean up the shoulder a little. Slightly farther in won't really hurt in the power range that that gun is, so long as it does torque some.