barrel question

[patentmike]

I've seen barrels for sale that have been sawn off just forward of the chamber. First, why would someone want to do this? Second, is it possible to drill a new chamber, thread the outside, and go?

 

[stans]

What kind of barrels? Semi-auto pistol, rifle, or shotgun? I can't see where threading the chamber end and screwing on a new barrel would be at all practical. If the chamber is in spec you can use that portion as a loaded round guage to check reloaded ammo to make sure it is in spec. IPSC/USPSA shooters often have a chamber minus the rest of the barrel or a whole pistol barrel just for this purpose.

 

[patentmike]

Now that you mention it, my first post was pretty vague. I've seen a few winchester model 100 rifle barrels for sale that are sawed off. I never really thought about it until I stumbled on a receiver for sale for $20. I suppose I could thread the outside of the cut barrel easily enough, but what about the chamber?

 

[Jim K]

I think I understand and no, it can't be done. The part of the barrel around the chamber is made large because that is where the high pressure is. The outside barrel contour then tapers down until it is quite small at the muzzle, where pressure is low. If you took the front end of the cut off barrel, you 1) probably would not have enough diameter to thread into the receiver and 2) would not have enough barrel wall thickness to safely contain the pressure of firing, especially after cutting the chamber.

As to the cut barrels, I can only assume someone wanted to "deactivate" the guns, so you best check on that receiver as well; it may also have been cut. I don't know of any source for Winchester Model 100 barrels. Gun Parts Corp. bought all the old Winchester parts and they don't even list the Model 100. Obviously, a gunsmith could make a barrel, but I think it would be a lot more money than the gun could possibly be worth.

Jim