How Do You Cut Off a Barrel.

[jpickar]

I have a Ruger Super Redhawk That I want to shorten the barrel on. Do I remove the barrel and rethread it? Or can I cut it off and reface the end and resolder the front sight on? And how do you resolder the front sight? With a propane torch?
Any help is appreciated. John

 

[Busterswoodshop]

Not trying to be a smart aleck but I would find a good gunsmith.

 

[grobin]

I agree with the above comment!

If you have the tools and the skill it isn't difficult. Remove the sight and use a chop saw to shorten the barrel (usually not necessary to remove it). Use a disk sander to smooth and crown the barrel (a milling machine works better). If needed mill a slot in the barrel, making sure of alignment (to .003" or better) .

Or you can just take a hack saw and Bubba it. Soldering the sight to the barrel with out an alignment slot will not likely produce desirable results! Just Bubba all the way and cut a notch in the barrel to Use as the front sight!

 

[Rumrunner]

Chris at Bayside Custom Gunwerks cut my SRH down and refit the front sight. He did a great job on it. Mag-Na-Port also does this work.

 

[Geoff Timm]

A pro with the right equipment can do it in an hour. Amateurs, not that fast.
Geoff
Who remembers when cutting a Superblackhawk barrel was common.

 

[mohavesam]

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=12

 

[Fox Mike]

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=12

Which one of the 3000+ posts are you pointing to?

 

[jpickar]

http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=12

I couldn't find anything on the subject in ruger smithing.
I'm still waiting to hear a way to do it. So it only takes an hour. Great, but WHAT is done?
John

 

[RODNUT]

Cut mine off at 51/2'', using a hacksaw. Purchased a new sight with screw holes for mounting and a barrel end mill tool with a pilot for 44 mag from Brownnells. Used the end mill to square and finish the barrel and a round head large brass screw with valve grinding compound to crown it. Aligned the sight on the barrel, marked the location of the screw holes and drilled and tapped the barrel to mount the sight.
The SRH is much more usable now and easier to pack around the hills than the 91/2'' it used to be. Still very accurate. Don't know why it took Ruger so long to to build the Toklat, built my Toklat long before they did. As i recall i paid less than 75 bucks for the mill and sight.

 

[gramps]

You might look up posts by “Short Barrel”. He had a 4 inch RedHawk years before Ruger came out with it. He posted how he did it. Good luck!
gramps

 

[jpickar]

Thank you.

 

[AJGUNNER]

Save your hard earned dollars and just buy another Redhawk in the barrel length that you desire.

 

[jules]

You will never remove a barrel from a SRH. I'm not even sure if Ruger will.

 

[jules]

Chris at Bayside Custom Gunwerks cut my SRH down and refit the front sight. He did a great job on it. Mag-Na-Port also does this work.

I 2nd this. But he won't remove the barrel from the frame.

 

[Hondo44]

Not a SUPER but I did my REDHAWK the "Bubba" way (according to grobin) with hacksaw and files. IT'S NOT THE TOOLS YOU USE, IT'S YOUR SKILL:


I shortened from 5 1/2" to 4 1/2". (removed instruction manual but left Ruger address and Reg mark in circle):

It wasn't two weeks later that I saw my first Ruger made 4.2" with its plain pinned front sight! So I wasn't disappointed that I cut mine because I re-used original sight with replaceable blades. Plus I prefer the 4 ½” length over the 4.2”:

This view shows seams. Because the sight was longer than the 1" of barrel removed, I couldn't cut out the front sight base deep enough without cutting into the bore of the first ½” of remaining barrel. So had to use a spacer for proper sight height. You won't have that problem if you’re starting with a 7 1/2" barrel or shortening to 4”.

Blade removed to show hidden attachment screws; two titanium 2-56 fillister head torx screws:

 

[Hondo44]

Only you know your skills and limitations.

Looks like the SUPER's sight is attached with a screw and a hidden vertical alignment pin. No soldering required and a simple project:

You can crown the muzzle rifling with a sharp 1/2" or 5/8" countersink drill bit and remove any burrs. The outside edge is done by hand with file and fine sand paper using a sanding block. Or you buy crowning tool kit from Brownells if needed.

 

[jpickar]

Thank you for the many replies. The current barrel is 9 1/2" long. I took the front sight off. It is silver soldered on with an aligning pin. Tomorrow I will cut the barrel to length and crown it in my lathe and then silver solder the front sight on and put the barrel back in the frame. The barrel was not hard to remove from the frame at all.

 

[Hondo44]

Bravo, you're moving right along!

Is your front sight like the one above? what's the hole behind the front sight blade?

 

[NikA]

I was considering a similar project and learned that SRH front sights changed from soldered to screwed on around 2013; I'd guess the hole is the sight attachment screw countersink depicted on the current models. There was much complaining at the time of the change since sights were no longer compatible with the regular RH/GP blades, although I believe from a barrel-shortening perspective the new design is probably more convenient.

 

[jpickar]

The whole process took about 4 hours. This SRH did not have a over tightened barrel. Matter of fact when I put it back on I tightened it a bit more because I felt it was a little loose.

I took the barrel off. Removed the front sight. Cut the barrel to length. Chucked it up in the lathe. Made a crowning tool and crowned the barrel. Put the barrel back in the frame and set the sight on it and scribed two lines for reference. Took the barrel off. Prepared the sight and barrel and silver soldered the front sight on. Cleaned and refinished the barrel and sight. Put the barrel back in the frame. Assembled the gun and test fired it. All is good.
I wish I could post pics on this forum. I did have to make special lead inserts for my barrel clamp to fit around the front sight. The barrel length now is 4 3/4" so all that is past the frame is enough to put the front sight on.
John

 

[Hondo44]

Very cool!

 

[jules]

The whole process took about 4 hours. This SRH did not have a over tightened barrel. Matter of fact when I put it back on I tightened it a bit more because I felt it was a little loose.

I took the barrel off. Removed the front sight. Cut the barrel to length. Chucked it up in the lathe. Made a crowning tool and crowned the barrel. Put the barrel back in the frame and set the sight on it and scribed two lines for reference. Took the barrel off. Prepared the sight and barrel and silver soldered the front sight on. Cleaned and refinished the barrel and sight. Put the barrel back in the frame. Assembled the gun and test fired it. All is good.
I wish I could post pics on this forum. I did have to make special lead inserts for my barrel clamp to fit around the front sight. The barrel length now is 4 3/4" so all that is past the frame is enough to put the front sight on.
John

This is great John, If you email the pictures to me I will post them for you. [email protected] I would love to see it and I know everyone else would. I was told it couldn't be done.

 

[jpickar]

Jules
I am having trouble with my email. I will try and send you some pics in a couple of days.

 

[jules]

No worries John. Here they are.

 

[jules]

I'm thinkin you'll need a taller front sight insert.

 

[jpickar]

I thought that too until I shot it. It shoots right on. I think the weight of the gun helps keep the gun from serious muzzle jump like a S&W 329! ha ha

Thanks jules for posting the pics.

 

[mohavesam]

Nice result. For future reference by others, it really seems to be a "Ruger-Smithing" section topic. Searching all over the forum for a gunsmithing topic gets tedious.

Cutting, welding, polishing, re-crowning, replacement of sight(s) and calculating sight height... sounds like a simple task, but the experts may not find this in other sections?

Good luck with the project. (Have you contacted some of the well-known 'smiths to find a completed shorter barrel? Could make the job much easier).