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Dfariswheel · April 4, 2008, 11:07 PM

This is one of those questions that makes a gunsmith cringe.

Revolver barrels are NOT just pieces of threaded pipe you can just screw on and off at will.
They require A LOT of fitting and adjusting.

Revolver barrels are torqued on TIGHT, especially Ruger barrels.
You MUST have a gunsmiths hydraulic barrel vise to grip the barrel.
NO shop vise, no matter how big it is can produce enough pressure to prevent the barrel from just turning in the barrel clamp.

IN NO WAY will you get the barrel off with the rope around the barrel.
That old shade tree trick of wrapping rope around the barrel only worked on the old S&W revolvers that were pinned. The early models weren't torqued on tight and the rope "could" work.

Lock the frame in a vise, and there's no way to get a good grip on the barrel to unscrew it without springing or cracking the frame.

A new barrel will NOT screw on with the front sight properly aligned at 12:00 o'clock.
The barrel shoulder will have to be cut on a lathe to allow the barrel to torque up properly and still have the sight at 12:00.
HOW MUCH torque is an educated judgment call.
Too tight and you can crack the frame or pressure dimple the barrel leaving a constricted bore with a tight spot.
This happened to a lot of S&W revolvers after S&W stopped pinning barrels.
Too loose, and the barrel will vibrate loose under recoil.

After the barrel is on, then you have to use a special cutting tool to cut the proper barrel/cylinder gap.
This tool works down the bore, and it ain't cheap.

After that, the same tool is used with a special cutter head to cut or re-cut the forcing cone.
The cone is gaged with a special plug gage.
After the cone gages OK, another head is used to lap the cone smooth.
The forcing cone is one of the most critical parts of a revolver, and THE most important spec is the size of the outer mouth of the cone, NOT the taper of the cone.

There's only one way it can be set and that requires the plug gage. You cannot "eyeball" it.
If the mouth is too big, the gun is inaccurate. Too small and it's not only inaccurate, it spits bullet metal.
The difference between too small and too big is TINY.

This is a lot of stuff that people just don't want to hear.
They want to hear that revolver barrels are no big deal and they can be switched out by a do-it-yourselfer with no problem.
They want to believe that gunsmiths are just ripping people off for shoving a hammer handle through a frame and twisting the frame off, screwing the new barrel on and charging a lot of money.

Given the way Ruger assembles their revolver barrels, I can pretty well give you a guarantee that what you're about to do is ruin a nice gun.
Over a 30 year career I saw a fair number of home shop re-barrel jobs. Most of them had sprung frames, cracks through the threads on the frame, or were guns that just never seemed to shoot well again.
A lot of them turn up on gun shop shelves or at gun shows after being dumped by the owner.

Bottom line: It's your gun, you can do what you want.
Just don't be shocked when things go bad.

There are some gunsmithing jobs that can be done with expedient tooling on the cheap. Re-barreling a modern revolver AIN'T one of them.

April 4, 2008, 11:07 PM	#3
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	This is one of those questions that makes a gunsmith cringe. Revolver barrels are NOT just pieces of threaded pipe you can just screw on and off at will. They require A LOT of fitting and adjusting. Revolver barrels are torqued on TIGHT, especially Ruger barrels. You MUST have a gunsmiths hydraulic barrel vise to grip the barrel. NO shop vise, no matter how big it is can produce enough pressure to prevent the barrel from just turning in the barrel clamp. IN NO WAY will you get the barrel off with the rope around the barrel. That old shade tree trick of wrapping rope around the barrel only worked on the old S&W revolvers that were pinned. The early models weren't torqued on tight and the rope "could" work. Lock the frame in a vise, and there's no way to get a good grip on the barrel to unscrew it without springing or cracking the frame. A new barrel will NOT screw on with the front sight properly aligned at 12:00 o'clock. The barrel shoulder will have to be cut on a lathe to allow the barrel to torque up properly and still have the sight at 12:00. HOW MUCH torque is an educated judgment call. Too tight and you can crack the frame or pressure dimple the barrel leaving a constricted bore with a tight spot. This happened to a lot of S&W revolvers after S&W stopped pinning barrels. Too loose, and the barrel will vibrate loose under recoil. After the barrel is on, then you have to use a special cutting tool to cut the proper barrel/cylinder gap. This tool works down the bore, and it ain't cheap. After that, the same tool is used with a special cutter head to cut or re-cut the forcing cone. The cone is gaged with a special plug gage. After the cone gages OK, another head is used to lap the cone smooth. The forcing cone is one of the most critical parts of a revolver, and THE most important spec is the size of the outer mouth of the cone, NOT the taper of the cone. There's only one way it can be set and that requires the plug gage. You cannot "eyeball" it. If the mouth is too big, the gun is inaccurate. Too small and it's not only inaccurate, it spits bullet metal. The difference between too small and too big is TINY. This is a lot of stuff that people just don't want to hear. They want to hear that revolver barrels are no big deal and they can be switched out by a do-it-yourselfer with no problem. They want to believe that gunsmiths are just ripping people off for shoving a hammer handle through a frame and twisting the frame off, screwing the new barrel on and charging a lot of money. Given the way Ruger assembles their revolver barrels, I can pretty well give you a guarantee that what you're about to do is ruin a nice gun. Over a 30 year career I saw a fair number of home shop re-barrel jobs. Most of them had sprung frames, cracks through the threads on the frame, or were guns that just never seemed to shoot well again. A lot of them turn up on gun shop shelves or at gun shows after being dumped by the owner. Bottom line: It's your gun, you can do what you want. Just don't be shocked when things go bad. There are some gunsmithing jobs that can be done with expedient tooling on the cheap. Re-barreling a modern revolver AIN'T one of them.