My 1899 barrel project finally has its first completion; the 4 1/2" barrel.
This first picture shows the revolver between two standard barrel
lengths: a 4", and a 5".



Curiously, wth the exception of the 8" example, all 14 of my 1899's
have an actual barrel length that is 1/16" shorter than its nominal
length. In the above picture, the 4" is actually 3 15/16", and the 5"
is actually 4 15/16" . The 4 1/2" is exactly 4 1/2" .

These next two pictures are the 4 1/2" revolver, showing the left and
right sides. The barrel was made from a factory 38/44 barrel, so the
front sight base, which was formerly part of the barrel rib, is integral
with the barrel. A separate half-moon front sight blade has been
pinned into the base.





All three of the guns illustrated have the same barrel outside-diameter
dimenisons at the muzzle, and the frame face. At the muzzle, they all
measure 0.565 , and at the frame face, they all measure 0.650 .

This project will have a total of 4 of these special barrel lengths.
The 2 1/2", 3", and 3 1/2" barrels have been machined, and are
awaiting final finishing, mounting, and bluing.

Regards, Mike Priwer

Thank you for the update and photos. I have been interested in your progress reports as this project proceeds.

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David Wilson

Been following the "project", that will be a outstanding collection when you have all of them completed. Just wondering, where do you find all the 1899's for the project? You don't see them every day in any kind of condition.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I really enjoy the look of that round butt frame grip combo and it is interesting and and revealing to see how the
half inch progression effects the visual balance and feel
of the 1899.

I am really looking forward to the sequence under the four inch.

Great project. Seems pretty challenging to accomplish at the
high level results you are achieving.

Thank You

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I Love This Site

Looks great! Good Work!
btw...14 1899's?? Yowza..i've never even seen one in real life.

__________________
Member SWCA, SWHF, CCA, WACA

Indeed, they are not readily available - in any condition. One I bought
turned out to be such a clunker that I had to scrap it, just for parts.
The "new" 4 1/2" was a 6 1/2" that had been nicely refinished. It was
nice enough so that it was used, as is. The 4" and 5" are original
condition guns.

The 2 1/2" will be made from another 6 1/2" that is mechanically
perfect, but has almost no finish left. The 3" will be a full target;
the gun was originally a 5" target that had less than zero finish, plus
lots of deep pits. I had it refinished years ago, but I have a nice
original-condition 5" target, so I don't mind using it for the 3" .
The 3 1/2" is another sad-condition M&P that I had refinished some
time ago.

Regards, Mike

Mike;
I certainly don't intend to hijack this thread, but can you tell me if the 1899 frame contour is the same as the modern K RB? I love the look of the 1899, and have a newer M10 4" RB that just might be the perfect candidate for a pair of repop gutta-perchas.

Larry

Wow!! Haven't been paying the attention I should have, as I started
with DA, and Safety Hammerless, just getting into HE's.
You've got serious bragging rights just at the stage you've gotten
to. TACC1

Larry

The round-butt grip frame should be the same. It actually goes back
earlier than the Model of 1899 , all the way to some top-break models.

The overall frame contour is sightly different, particularly at the
receiver area. The 1899 and early 1902 models have a thinner frame
around the barrel threads, and the barrel itself is a straight taper, from
the frame face to the muzzle. In 1903, the frame around the barrel
threads was made heavier, and the OD of the barrel threads was
increased from 0.500 to about 0.540 . This resulted in a heavier
barrel at the threaded end, resulting in the shoulder on the barrel.

The presence of this shoulder, on the 4" barrels, did not leave enough
room on the top of the barrel for the patent-date roll markings, so
they rolled them on the right side of the barrel. Somewhere around
1916 they made up a shorter roll-marking die for the 4" barrel, and
moved the markings back to the top of the barrel.

Mike Priwer