Cost question to have Blackhawk barrel shortened

[J Miller]

Jim,

Thanks for the info. Of course shipping to and fro adds a lot to the cost. I'm not lucky enough to be near him.

Joe

 

[Hondo44]

Hacksaw
Torch
Sliver Solder
Flux
Brownells 79deg crowning tool
Copper pipe cutter to mark barrel for cut
Drill to relocate sight alignment pin

And a little bit o bravery

2 50th 44's I have cut

Of course I am not brave enough yet to get out the file and sandpaper to remove the lettering on the barrels by draw filing them.

Nice Job! I wanted my 357 Anniversary Model at 4" but wanted to save the anniversary gold legend. After cutting off 5/8" I had to drill a new hole for the ejector rod housing screw anyway, so I pulled the barrel and relieved the shoulder a few thousands and rotated the barrel about 30 degrees farther. The instruction book stuff on the bottom became hidden under the ejector rod housing and the anniversary legend looks good at half way between the top of the barrel and the side of the barrel. Then I shortened the housing to match.

 

[steelheadnw]

I'd like to see some pictures of that anniversary model Jim. Did you turn the barrel down an a lathe and re-face the barrel, lathe crown? That Job sounds just a little beyond my assortment of hand tools..

Thanks,
James

 

[Hondo44]

steel head nw,

I'm sorry, I never spent the time or money for photo ability.

Yes, I used a lathe on both ends. I don't have any crowning tools. I crowned like below but in the lathe. I have the barrel vise but not the lathe. I used a friend's. It took so little off to make the extra 30 degrees of rotation. In the old days I cut all my barrels while on the gun. Draw filed them square on the end and crowned the outside egde by hand, then polished. The inside crown was cut in a drill press with a sharp counter sink bit and polished with a door hinge pin (the old type pin with round knob on the end) spun slow in a drillpress with 'fine' valve grinding compound. I never had a gun group worse than before I cut it, and some were better.

The less tools you have, the more craftsman skills you need. But if you are good with your hands, you won't believe the satisfaction of a job well done.

 

[Hashknife Hartley]

If you're going to be shortening barrels, another tool available from Brownells is for silver soldering the front sight back on. It holds in in alignment and with a downward pressure on it so you can solder away without it moving on you.
Here's a pic:

It's holding an old barrel that I practice on, but so far I need a hotter flame and solder that melts at a lower temp, I've tried the stuff from Brownells that has a really high melt temp, and only used a standard propane torch and it's not hot enough. Hope to learn how eventually though.

 

[Hondo44]

Looks like a great tool. I've some solder that melts so low the heat doesn't ruin the blue. As soon as I find the package I'll pass on the name and source.
After shortening many 22 barrels that assemble with a screw, I tapped a hole and and screwed on larger caliber sights as well. The larger calibers, as you know, that came soldered on have the reinforcement pin. By reusing the pin along with the screw I've never had one come off yet. I drill the sight base and barrel at the same time with sight clamped to the barrel to get exact alignment. Then I blind tap the barrel hole, enlarge and countersink the sight hole off the barrel and screw together with a 22 front sight screw. It makes for a factory look with the added beneift that I can change the sight if I ever need to. And the bluing is unmolested.