The 4 1/2" barrel is now complete. The following two pictures show this
"new" barrel alongside a factory-original 6" 1899 barrel, and the 38/44
barrel in its original white condition. You will notice the completed
forged front sight base, and the flat on the underside of the barrel.





The next step is to thread this new barrel, and fit it to a frame, and
then close the cylinder. If all goes well, the clearance between the
bottom of the barrel flat and the top of the extractor rod should be
around 0.012" . This will confirm that the barrel is dimensionally
correct, and we can proceed with the other special-length barrels.

The final step will be to mill the slot in the forged front sight base,
and then mount a sight blade.

Regards, Mike Priwer

Mike,
Cool project to date. I can't wait to see the completed project. Are you planning to try to replicate the company stampings on this barrel if it all works out?

Bill

__________________
US Marine, 16 years+

I came in late. What are you doing here?

__________________
No life story has happy end.

Saxon,
You can see Mike's plan for this project here: Model of 1899 Special Length Barrels

and he's also put a post in the Expert Commentary about it.

Bill

__________________
US Marine, 16 years+

Bill

Thanks for digging that up !

As to the markings, I don't plan on adding the roll markings. Some of
the very early 1899 barrels have no roll markings. I don't know why, but
that is the way some are. I don't have any roll marking dies anyway.
The real focus of this project, as I outlined earlier, is to develop shorter
barrels for the 1899, based on the idea that its something that the
factory could have done. Because of the lack of an extractor lug, they
were able to measure from the muzzle end, cut to length, and thread
the forcing cone end.

All of this changes in 1902, when the extractor lug is added. Now there
is a positioning requirement for that lug, so we are not longer free to
measure from the muzzle. That lug makes variable-length barrels, with
an integral forged front sight, much more complicated.

However - and on the other hand, I can see how we can make 1902/1905
barrels of any length. We'd have to start with something like a model
19 barrel, so that we can make an extractor lug from the extractor
housing. The rib on the barrel will provide a forged front sight base
at any length that we want.

Regards, Mike Priwer

Hello Mike, Nice to see top notch machine work, the pictures are very good. Your lucky to have a friend with the skill and equipment to do the work. This would be a great place to show some pictures of you originals, both blue and nickle would be nice!

Keith

Hi Keith

Well, now that you asked, and courtesy of Mike Pacella, here are the
9 target 1899 M&P's . The nickels are 4", 5", 6", and 6 1/2" . The
blues are 4", 5", 6", 6 1/2", and 8" .




There are only two known 8" 1899's . This one was made up for
Dr Peter Sayre, captain of the 1908 US Olympic Shooting Team. The
other is nickel, and went to Charley Call - 64-year S&W employee !

This next picture is my 3 1/2" 1899 M&P . On this gun, the front
sight was remounted, after cutting the barrel to 3 1/2". With a good
eye, you can see that the barrel is too thick at the muzzle.



This last picture is the 3 1/2" target. It was made the same way as the
M&P, above, so its barrel, at the muzzle, is too thick.



The next two barrels to be done will be a 3" , and a 3 1/2", both
with the correct OD's and taper.

Regards, Mike