S&W Model 41 Barrel Chop

[rbertalotto]

A friend of mine wanted his S&W target pistol barrel shortened by 1.5" for better balance in the hand.......

Using a simple hack saw, I cut the 1.5" from the barrel.

I then chucked the barrel into my four jaw and found there were zero true parallel sides to this hunk of steel. It took lots of fussing to get a tight fitting spud to run true at two pints with an indicator. Once this was set I faced off the barrel and crowned it at 90 degrees. My friend took the gun to the indoor range and it was shooting 1.5" groups. I suspected the crown was not perfect and needed another method to make it right.

I decided to crown with a piloted crowning tool........

Because I had recessed the first crown, I needed to modify my crowning tool to cut a very small area of the barrel.
This was accomplished with a rig I built to hold my dremel tool in the milling m,achine

Once the crowning tool was modified I needed a method to hold the action true to the bore in my lathe. I simply turned a piece of hardened drill rod to the chamber diameter.

Onto this mandrel I placed the barrel.

The crowning tool with a perfectly fitting pilot was inserted into the muzzle

Lots of high sulfur cutting oil and turning the barrel by hand with pressure applied to the crowning tool with the tail stock.....

A little bit of the front sight still existed and this I finished up in the milling machine

Now we are shooting in the .3 inch range!

 

[k80skeet]

I would have swapped my 5 1/2" barrel for his 7" and you wouldn't have had to do all the work you did. It came out nice either way.

 

[mshelton]

I'm looking to get this done on a 7" barrel, according to everything I have read and heard the 6" chopdown handles the best.

Nice work.

Out of curiosity, where are you located?

 

[rbertalotto]

It's in my signature, Dartmouth, MA

 

[Handcycle]

wow !

 

[TAJ45]

I would have swapped my 5 1/2" barrel for his 7" and you wouldn't have had to do all the work you did. It came out nice either way.

The 5.5 would have to have some meat removed from the belly. I've considered this. Milling would be one option. If that isn't available and feeling adventurous, maybe carefully layout, center punch etc and drill holes w the drill press.
I know, I know sounds funky but w a controlled chamfer, would have a certain panache.
Do a little solid geometry for steel volume lost, use 500 lbs per cubic ft as a base. Just food for thought.
P.S. Nice work Roy. As usual.

 

[JMA]

I would have swapped my 5 1/2" barrel for his 7" and you wouldn't have had to do all the work you did. It came out nice either way.

The 5.5 barrel is heavier than the 7".
What some bullseye shooters do is cut the 7" barrels to 5 or 5.5" to lighten them further
.

 

[TAJ45]

I do prefer the 7 w irons for Steel Challenge.