Tips on shortening a revolver barrel

Why not just buy a sheriff barrel and have a 19th century "Dan Wesson" ? The sight would be sighted in for each barrel . . .

Mike

45 Dragoon said:

Why not just buy a sheriff barrel and have a 19th century "Dan Wesson" ? The sight would be sighted in for each barrel . . .

Mike

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That's a good suggestion. I have a Pietta 1851 with 5-inch and 7.5-inch interchangeable barrels. It works out nicely.

I think VTI has them $135.00 ?

If your conversion is a "factory" conversion, a Pietta bbl won't work of course. "Factories" are /were Uberti's and ASM. If yours is a conversion you did with a Kirst or Howell type cyl, and the base is a Pietta, you're good to go!!! Woo hoo!!

Mike

I'm sorry, I don't cut barrels or do sights on barrels . . . I'm just "mad"!!! Lol

Mike

Hello Blackpowderwarrior,

I cut down an 1851, as a matter of fact 45 Dragoon did his magic to the revolver.
I just cut it off, then squared it up in a mill.
For the crown I just used a 45 degree countersink by hand, Mike complimented my job.
It's a little tougher with a round barrel, but I believe it's tapered and shimming will be required.
My 1851 is also tapered, I simply shimmed the side against the rear wall of the vice and under the barrel as well.
If you don't have a method of squaring it up, I'd have a gunsmith do it. That's my opinion.

AntiqueSledMan.

You can do it with hand tools, the end has to be square,as stated before, the crown is the important part, you need a good even exit when the ball leaves the bore. A chamfering tool like the one RCBS makes for case mouths will do a respectable job. A dremel tool with a cut off wheel can be used to cut a new front sight slot.

After the barrel is cut down, you would need to square off the face of the muzzle -- perfectly square for the sake of ensuring accuracy. The best way to do that in my experience has been with Brownells muzzle facing cutter. That would run you about $100, but like so many other gun-related items, they're out of stock.

You would also need a new, properly-sized dovetail for the loading lever retainer. That would require either specialized hand tools that are difficult or impossible to find, or a milling machine and just the right cutter.

New front sight, shorter loading lever... You get the picture, right? I don't know how all this can be done cheaply, easily and properly, especially if it's a one-time project.

We're definitely in a supply-and-demand, seller's market right now. I've paid twice the retail value for certain parts on ebay to complete gun projects because what I needed could not be found anywhere else. If I wanted a factory-made 5-inch barrel that was available only on ebay, I'd pay an inflated price rather than chopping down a longer barrel.

The resulting time, expense, effort, and risk of failure in a DIY project can be worse than overpaying for something ready-made. That's a lesson I've learned and re-learned.

As much as I believe the '60 is the best handling revolver in the Universe, ever, cutting my barrel to 6" really perked her up.

One shade tree method of cutting the barrel is to carefully wrap a piece of tape around the barrel where you want to cut. That will give you a very square cut, which won't be perfect, but very close. (you use the edge of the tape as a guide)

If you then put the barrel in a vise, vertical, pointing straight up. Use a level so that it is perfectly vertical. The take a small level and place it on the muzzle moving it around 360 degrees and it will tell you if you have a high side. Then carefully file until you get it square.

I have found that router bits of the right size make very nice crowns. Use one of them old hand-cranky drills to cut the crown, and lots of oil. A power drill, no matter how slow you turn it seems to chatter and won't cut as nice. They seem to chatter even when you don't feel any chatter.

dirt-poor said:

You would also need a new, properly-sized dovetail for the loading lever retainer. That would require either specialized hand tools that are difficult or impossible to find, or a milling machine and just the right cutter.

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Yeah, I'm good with small files and can cut dovetails freehand, but if you don't have that skill a dove tail could be a problem. Re-cutting the loading lever for the spring-latch is another one I find easy, but it is also kind of fine detail file work that takes a lot of practice.

I'll also throw in that making a nice clean and straight cut with a hacksaw takes some skill/practice. At least don't use a dull blade! Brand new only! Lots of oil and very light pressure. Let the tool do the work, don't let the tool work you. !!!!

The easiest way is to get some electrical tape and wrap it round the barrel matching its edge so you get a square guide. Use a good quality brand new hacksaw blade suitable for the steel you intend to cut. You will need a quality file to square and finish. Very fine wet n dry to polish off.

It looks better if you cut the barrel with any manufacturers' stamping intact.
Don't cut it half way through as it looks cat.

I 're-crown' the bore with one of those conical porting tools - very gently if using a Dremel.

Dark Skies said:

I 're-crown' the bore with one of those conical porting tools - very gently if using a Dremel.

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Yes those are very much like the router bits, and come in all shapes and sizes, as do the router bits. Now I think a router bit is a "bit" more gentle, and will give a finer cut, but I could be wrong!! A porting bit would certainly cut faster, but that may not be a good thing. After I make the crown, I put a piece of fine abrasive paper on the bit and that really polishes it up.

Ugly Sauce said:

Yes those are very much like the router bits, and come in all shapes and sizes, as do the router bits. Now I think a router bit is a "bit" more gentle, and will give a finer cut, but I could be wrong!! A porting bit would certainly cut faster, but that may not be a good thing. After I make the crown, I put a piece of fine abrasive paper on the bit and that really polishes it up.

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I'm thinking of those pink coloured abrasive tools you find in DIY shops. Cheap 'n' cheerful Chinese stuff.

Lots of cutting, grinding, and filing to create this 6" barreled copy of a rare Dance revolver. This gun started life as a run of the mill Pietta 1851 Navy.



All of the modifications were done with hand tools. If you take your time, it can be done. 19th century gunsmiths didn't have a mill, lathe and power tools. And they created some great guns. We can do it too.

This gun has had the recoil shields removed, the barrel cut down and a new sight installed, as well as the loading lever shortened and the latch replaced.

It's fun to experiment!! They are just inexpensive Italian copies after all.

That picture was taken before I finished the lever latch. Here's a more recent one after it was completed.

ShotgunDave said:

Lots of cutting, grinding, and filing to create this 6" barreled copy of a rare Dance revolver. This gun started life as a run of the mill Pietta 1851 Navy.

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That's amazing!

Why not buy a Sheriff model and have BOTH?

Seedy Character said:

Why not buy a Sheriff model and have BOTH?

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The satisfaction is in the journey.

One hint: instead of tape, start with a strip of paper. As you wrap it around the barrel, you will see if the overlapping edges line up, and you can adjust them if they don't. After each successive wrap lines up perfectly, you can tape it into place and be sure you have a perfectly square cut.

An octagonal barrel is fairly easy to cut straight using the tape method described above, since the edges are flat. I guess you could do the same with a round army barrel depending on where you cut it. Mike Beliveau demonstrates cutting down a Remington barrel here fyi

Dark Skies said:

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I'm thinking of those pink coloured abrasive tools you find in DIY shops. Cheap 'n' cheerful Chinese stuff.

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That small purple one almost looks like it could cone a rifle barrel. Although I think I'd try it the normal way.

Do you fancy going the extra mile and shaping the grip to a birds head?
I don't like the flat top of it - I'd round it to the contour of the rear strap. But it is a style that lends itself to the shorter gun.