So here's the run down on the tragic events leading up to my posting here . Apparently a squib round has done the Ole gal in and blowed out the side of the barrel on my revolver . I'm looking to pick the brains of the experts hoping they can lead me in the right direction as to whether the old gal can be fixed or should I just put if in the top drawer as a lesson learned . I've no idea on the age or details of this firearm. Any advice or info is greatly appreciated

Here's the details

*hand eject
*38 smith and wesson special ctg
* number on butt and under side of barrel. S 90433
* barrel length 5 inch .
* fixed sights

Attached Images

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	1481849657198-1393788365.jpg (38.1 KB, 1259 views)

I didn't realize a squib would do that to a barrel. looks like a mid barrel explosion to me

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Patriots Forever!!

Squib never made it out the barrel . Rounds stacked up and this was the result

You have (had ) a .38 Military & Police revolver, I think from the late 1946 time frame (S 904335 is the full SN). The good news is the cylinder and frame were likely not damaged with the barrel blow-out, and another barrel can be installed. Finding one with the same tapered contour and the hole for the barrel pin would be best, and any doubts about the integrity of the rest of the gun should prompt a professional check.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Are parts readily available for these model years. Something I should take up with smith directly or are there aftermarket manufacturers

Have a good gunsmith make a snub for you.

You should be able to find one. I even have one I could give you - it looks OK on the outside, but doesn't have a pretty bore (some old rust, but still decent rifling). To be honest, I don't remember if it's a 4", 5" or 6" barrel. It's for a pre-War M&P, but should fit without issue if you are interested.

Too bad, I have a '47 6" similar to yours, it is a sweet shooter. You have two pretty good options put forth, new barrel, or snubby the old barrel. I might be inclined to just snubby the old one if it can be configured properly.

You could have a gunsmith cut the barrel back, but you would lose the forward locking point for the ejector rod since the rupture is in back of it. Any 4, 5 or 6" will retain the same rod but a factory 2" would require a shorter one.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Should be easy enough to find an early post-WW2 barrel, or even a WW2 or pre-WW2
barrel. They are all the same. Make sure you get a .38 Special barrel.

Can you open the cylinder, or has the barrel been bent down slightly, and is jammed on the extractor rod. If you can open the cylinder, then get the old barrel removed, and a
replacement fitted. If its jammed, then the extractor lug needs to be sawed off,
which is no big deal.

Mike Priwer

Looks like a new barrel and you are back in business.
Just figure out what length you would like and go shopping.
Oh, there's a little more to it than that... do have a smith collector or experienced gunsmith inspect the top strap and front of the receiver for bending or cracks just in case.
As to finding a replacement barrel, not too hard: Epay, Gunbroken, etc. as well as perhaps a local gun show. 4" and 6" seem a lot more common than 5" or 3" but give it some time and you will find one. Expect to pay from $25-$125 depending on condition and your patience. Then you just need a smith to change it out.

I would definitely keep the gun and make a repair.

The M&P barrels are probably the most numerous to be found. But you'll want a post war barrel to match your straight extractor rod. A pre war barrel will be notched as shown for the "barrel" style extractor knob like this:



Although if you can also get a barrel style rod, they're more comfortable to extract cases with.


Did you notice the O stamp following the barrel serial #?

“It is the mark of the repair department. The Service Department at Smith & Wesson was for a period of time referred to as Outside Repair Department to separate it from the repairs that were being done in house. On new revolvers that did not pass inspection and had not been sold, these revolvers are recycled. It was important that they get returned to the right location as they get mixed in the process. That is why you find them with different markings. I hope that this helps, Roy”

In previous comments, Roy has stated that when an order came in for one gun with a special option like different barrel length, lanyard swivel on the butt, etc., if that configuration was not in inventory, the factory would not build a gun just for that order. They would always modify a gun in inventory by sending it to the Service (or Outside Repair) Dept because it was faster and easier, than disrupting the regular assembly procedure.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Welcome to the Forum ! Lots of good info above. Since the originality of this fine piece is now gone, it makes sense (to us shooters) to keep it in shooting condition by replacing the barrel. There are several options as to length, as any M&P barrel will work, and anything 3"or over will fix it
with no other parts required. Please do let us know how this works out.

Larry

I'd be happy to have it . Put a price on it . I'm not much worried about appearance as I am about functionality

Barrel seems to be the only damage

Thanks for the info

I was thinkin' that. Get it cut down and make it a snubby.

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Keep on Chooglin'

Thanks for that interesting bit of info

OK - how about....free. Look for a PM.

Most likely May, 1947, based on nearby serial numbers. But, of course, these are always educated guesses, since guns did not go out the door in serial order.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

I replied to the pm . Hope it gets there .

It's best if you get a gunsmith to do the job. Removal of the existing barrel and installation of a different barrel is more complicated than it appears, and unless you have both the skill and the required tools, you probably won't be able to do it yourself. It's even possible you could spring the frame making it a total loss.

You have nothing to loose, why not cut the barrel off at an angle from the rupture down to the cylinder latch, shoot it and see how she shoots! Just fun stuff!

If you don't like it just go ahead and change barrels.

I was going to suggest making it into a snub also, but the S&W extractor design eliminates that possibility.

Sounds like you got a barrel anyway. If you need a good smith to do that job, send it to Frank Glenn in AZ. Very affordable and a true expert pistolsmith. Turn around time is amazing too.

It's hard to tell from the pictures viewed on my phone, but check with gunsmith if there is enough good bbl left to cut & cown at aprox 3in , and retain the front lug. If so, you could call it a Period Correct gunsmith Repair with a straight face.

as a guy once told me , " changing out barrels is as easy as changing out a light bulb " . He told me to just get 2 pipe wrenches -- simple . He said the teeth marks from the pipe wrenches didn't bother him as he didn't intend to sell his guns anyway .
Seriously , I strongly suggest getting a good gunsmith to change it . The frame can easily be sprung without proper tools .

cowboy - I think I've seen some of that guy's work!

Welcome to the forum.

So if I am hearing you guys correctly, you are saying that this is beyond the realm of JB weld????

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James Redfield
LM #497

I don't think J. B. Weld , Duct Tape and Super Glue is going to fix it.
Replace the barrel , there will not be enough barrel to retain the latch and cutting them back so as to eliminating it has been done before but it's not a great idea .
Gary

Welcome to the forum, High.
You are already experiencing the kind of folks that reside here.
Likely the best place on the Interweb for S&W issues (and many more) I am interested to learn how this turns out for you. Please keep us posted.

MAN! That is what I absolutely LOVE about this place. A member volunteers to GIVE parts to a complete stranger - and a new forum member to boot - to help them out with repairing their old gun.

I am a member of several other gun forums, and that kind of thing just does NOT happen in any of them - even in the local forum that is right here in my home town where a lot of the people know each other.

If this were the first time I'd seen it, that would be one thing. But it isn't, I've seen it multiple times, and have even been the recipient of these acts of generosity myself.

There is no other place like this place anyplace else. This group is a real class act. My hat's off to ya Gents!

You guys are "WAY COOL"

Wow. This looks like the reason why I don't reload or shoot reloads in my guns anymore. Back in the day when we all reloaded (me, my friends, the guy who owned the LGS) strange things were most always going on when we went out shooting.

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Dr. B

Leave it as is for a poor man's magna port!

IMHO, that handgun deserves a replacement barrel period. The remnants of the original barrel just won't make a proper snubby. Be aware to ask any potential pistolsmith if they have the proper frame wrench. That frame is slightly wimpier than later frames and unless the proper frame wrench is used tweaking of the frame is almost inevitable. Get it done right. ....

I have seen a lot of bulged barrels from shooting out stuck bullets, but that is the first ruptured barrel.

I have to agree. With the cost and time, Just accept a lesson learned and hang it up in the shop. I know it is a bitter lesson. Just my 2 cents. Best

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

I'd buy a barrel from numrich egun parts and get it fixed.

MILITARY & POLICE. Accessories | Numrich Gun Parts

I'm with you on that one. For $35 and the cost of installing it, it would be worth it.

For all you more experienced home gunsmiths, do you think this would work:
1) Drive the barrel pin out
2) Remove the cylinder
3) Reinstall the crane without the cylinder
4) Make a jig from a block of hardwood or high-density plastic to fit around the front of the frame/crane to clamp it into a vice
5) Apply some Kroil or PB Blaster etc. to the barrel/frame joint
6) Apply some light heat to the frame with a small butane torch and some ice to the barrel
7) Use a pipe wrench on the barrel at the ejector rod lug to remove the old barrel.
8) Put the new barrel back on using the pipe wrench WITH a piece of thick leather wrapped around it at the ejector rod locking lug as padding to protect it from the pipe wrench teeth
9) Re-drill the barrel pin hole with a drill press
10) Re-insert the barrel pin

Think that would work to change the barrel without tweaking the frame?

IMHO, not without damaging something that will get expensive to get fixed. IF you are willing to buy the Jerry Kuhnhausen book and go line by line you might luck out and get the job done. I wouldn't count on it. There are just too many factors to fitting a new barrel properly to hope for a 'drop in' fit.

This is a straight forward job for a pistolsmith. Hand it over and get it done promptly and correctly. ....... Again, that is a wonderful old S&W with a lot of service yet to give. It deserves to be fixed right. .....

In a word, NO......... Just my humble opinion. Remember, the proper fitup of all the parts to a revolver are MUCH more complicated than the average semi-auto. There are just too many closely fitted parts that must be just so for the average Joe that is not a pistolsmith, a certified armorer or a machinist to have all come magically together properly. A revolver is much more complicated than the average semi-auto. You lost me at the very mention of using a pipewrench...........

I was so set back by the proposition, I had to state my objection twice.... :-)

Meh, OK, well, it was just a thought...

I'm going to tale Ole boy up on his barrel offer and I believe I'm going to donate the ruptured barrel to my buddy's shop to use as a prop when he teaches his concealed weapons and firearms safety courses . Life's to short to make all the mistakes yourself you know

I've been reloading since 1954. Don't know how many rounds I've loaded; perhaps 20K, maybe 50K, maybe more. Damaged one gun. If I hadn't been reloading for it I wouldn't have damaged it (ever try to find shooting quantities of 10.6 Mauser revolver). I have no doubt my reloads will go bang every time, and will be accurate, which is why I shoot them in competition.

My cooking, on the other hand.........

To my knowledge, this would be the correct procedure for a DIY try at barrel replacement with one exception.
IIRC, there is no need for step #9 as you would already have a hole in the frame and the barrels come with a groove where the pin is installed.

Also in #3 it would be "yoke" not crane on a S&W.

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James Redfield
LM #497

Well, I kinda thought I had read about someone doing something like this somewhere - maybe even on this board.

But I certainly don't have the expertise or experience to argue with folks like Big Cholla - he's probably forgotten more about S&Ws and gunsmithing than I'll likely ever know!

BC: Not true! Go to a few Armorer's classes; go to a gunsmithing school someplace for at least a year and then work under four different competent gunsmiths for a year each. Every one of them will add something new to your skill base. It is all just basic knowledge and can be found written about by experts (Jerry Kuhnhausen) and non experts (well I won't name any now, but don't temp me :-)). I have been working on guns since I turned 16. It is all just accumulated knowledge. If you love to work with your hands and expensive machinery you will have the motivation to jump into the gunsmithing/pistolsmithing field. Just be aware that it doesn't pay very well just fixing and rebuilding guns. To make any kind of money you have to innovate a product or two that the public jumps all over to purchase. Then you must be a 'businessman' to get it produced, marketed, etc, etc. And, usually, it doesn't become 'fun anymore'. :-( .... Good Luck!

While I appreciate the guidance and I don't doubt that I am capable of learning as much as members like yourself, I say it is unlikely just because I am nearing retirement and have no desire to embark on a new career. If I ever have such a desire, then gunsmithing would certainly be one of the more interesting ventures to try my hand at. Since you started gunsmithing at the tender age of 16 it is also unlikely that I have enough years left in me to accumulate experience to equal yours in the time I have left, even if I started today.

I am an engineer by training and a lifelong hobbiest mechanic and fabricator, so I am good with my hands, but it is all strictly shade-tree, non-precision work. I don't own any lathes or mills, etc. Nothing more sophisticated than a drill press and a set of calipers.

I was just theorizing about a POSSIBLE way to DIY a barrel swap based on what I thought I remembered reading....

BC 38: The method you propose will certainly work, with the exception of the pipe wrench. I have changed several S&W barrels that way without damaging the frame. The biggest problem with any method is to get the barrel to clock into position if you don't have a lathe or some method to uniformly remove metal from the shoulder of the barrel. I suspect that the factory assemblers did it with a hollow milling tool turned by hand as that would be the most efficient way.

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Tom
1560

Yeah, on the pipe wrench aspect, my thinking was that for removing the damaged barrel, who cares about leaving marks on it - it's trashed anyway. For installing the new one, a heavy layer of leather would serve to pad the jaws sufficiently to prevent marking the new barrel. Crude, I know, but seemed like it might work.

Just curious, what would you suggest - other than a pipe wrench - or a barrel wrench (something that 99.9% of us non-armorers aren't going to have)?