GP100 barrel fitment

[xtratoy]

What are the odds that a GP100 barrel off of another gun will screw on and index correctly? Then there is the chance I take with the barrel/cylinder gap. I have been wanting to get a 6" GP100 and haven't found one locally. I did find a 6" barrel. Since the barrels aren't round I realize it would take some special fitting to chuck in a lathe if necessary. How difficult to remove the original barrel. It is an early 90's gun. I have read that the earlier guns used interference threads and the later guns from the mid 2000's used loctite to secure the barrel. Don't know if this is true or not since I am not in the habit of pulling barrels off of revolvers. :roll: . The guy is wanting $90 for the barrel which is a lot cheaper than a new gun. I would just as soon have two GP's but I know that some here have probably done this swap before and could steer me in the right direction..

 

[rugerguy]

I would trust that job to a GOOD gunsmith, never know just what you ( he/she) may run into when pulling one and putting on another, from another gun, will run into..aside from the fact they should be using the "proper" jig/wrenches for barrel removal...and "if" the barrel does not line up , they can make any adjustment....
you just don't 'know' till the one barrel is off and you screw on the other one...have seen far too many barrels and frames 'boogered" by the 'unknowing'.............

 

[Thel]

I would not think the odds of the barrel screwing on, indexing correctly and having the correct b/c gap are very high, maybe 5% if that at the highest. As Rugerguy notes one needs the correct inserts for a barrel/cylinder wrench along with the wrench i.e. no hammer handle through the cylinder window on the frame. I know Ruger on the Redhawks went to some sort of thread sealant to avoid barrels unscrewing and assume they did so across the line. Also, while the barrel is off it is an optimal time to adjust endshake, if needed, set headspace and optimal b/c gap.

 

[xtratoy]

Pretty much what I thought. Oh well, I would just as soon have two guns rather than one gun which cost as much as two guns and an extra barrel laying around. :shock: Thanks for your input.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I know Ruger on the Redhawks went to some sort of thread sealant to avoid barrels unscrewing and assume they did so across the line.

I don't believe they use a sealant or thread locker but instead they use a lubricant. The Redhawks with problems were from a batch that had bad lube and the barrels were over torqued.

Xtratoy I think you would do yourself a favor to locate a 6" GP online.

 

[GP100man]

Yep , Rugers are a "crush" indexing on the barrels.

Meaning the barrels are indexed 1/4 to 1/3 a turn off then titened until there straight with the frame , or in theory, we`ve all read our share of posts of barrels being off centered by a little.

This means the barrel reached the torque spec before lining up (or at line up) & sprang back a little.

The only barrel I`ve seen off of a GP DID NOT have purty threads to work with !

This is why Ruger ain`t so trigger happy on swappin barrels .

 

[xtratoy]

Talked to Ruger today . They wanted $380 to change the barrel. Thats not including the cost for shipping to them or back. $130 of that was to refinish the gun. I told them it was stainless and I didn't need it refinished. I would have just hit it with a scotcbrite pad to even it out. Nope. All or nothing so it remains at nothing. It always amazes me when I read how someone sent in their used gun (not a defective new gun) and Ruger made it just like new for no charge. I didn't expect a freebie but didn't want to pay for unneeded fluff.

 

[Thel]

Last time I had a barrel changed on a revolver was 11 years ago. I think the labor was about $110 to change it and set b/c gap. Costs have probably gone up since then and depends on who you have do the work. So, if you can get the barrel you would be looking at $200+ including the barrel.

 

[k22fan]

From the descriptions in this thread it sound like GP100 barrels are installed the old fashioned way. I'm not a smith but I've had a local one change 4 barrels and watched each time. Unlike most smiths who charge a set price he priced each swap individually based on how long it took. I lucked out on one. It screwed right on tight at 12 O'clock with a .007" B/C gap. He charged me $35. He's talented so I didn't squawk after the most expensive cost me $175. The other 2 ran $90 and $110. The price Ruger quoted you was just a way of saying they do not want the work.

I switched 3 barrels to create variations so scarce they fetch approximately three times the going rate for the same revolvers with common barrels. The fourth revolver I bought across the internet. It had a surprise—a ruined barrel.

Those are my justifications for buying gunsmithing services. It seldom makes fiscal sense to custom build a variation the factory has turned out in volume. Additionally, everything else being equal, shorter barrels generally tend to sell faster or for a higher price than longer barrels. I'll bet you can find someone who'd be delighted to trade.

When or if you get around to needing a local smith to swap barrels I'd look for one with a back ground in precision machining, not gun sales or police work. The guy I use has been at it over 30 years. That doesn't hurt either. New smiths may have seen very little revolver work.