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S&W Revolvers: 1961 to 1980 3-Screw PINNED Barrel SWING-OUT Cylinder Hand Ejectors WITH Model Numbers


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  #1  
Old 02-25-2009, 06:00 PM
Ancient1 Ancient1 is offline
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Yup. You read it right. Just got it,still looking it over. Work is meticulously done. Looks like a .357 Model 19 6" relined bbl. Extra cylinder. Headspace is correct using Go/No Go gauges. Still has rimfire hammer,firing pin hole nicely plugged. Frame-mounted,rebounding pin serves. Will compare measurements to a K-22 & Model 19 & post.
Your thoughts & advice appreciated. Tom
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Old 02-25-2009, 06:00 PM
Ancient1 Ancient1 is offline
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Yup. You read it right. Just got it,still looking it over. Work is meticulously done. Looks like a .357 Model 19 6" relined bbl. Extra cylinder. Headspace is correct using Go/No Go gauges. Still has rimfire hammer,firing pin hole nicely plugged. Frame-mounted,rebounding pin serves. Will compare measurements to a K-22 & Model 19 & post.
Your thoughts & advice appreciated. Tom
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Old 02-25-2009, 09:15 PM
M29since14 M29since14 is offline
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Very interesting. Hopefully you will show us some pictures and tell us who did the work.

Usually, a Combat Magnum barrel does not look right on a Combat Masterpiece frame.
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Old 02-25-2009, 09:19 PM
Gun 4 Fun Gun 4 Fun is offline
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I'd like to see that as well! More over, I'd like to know how it functions and shoots.
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Old 02-25-2009, 10:50 PM
Ancient1 Ancient1 is offline
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I will keep all interested up to date. Switched provider so now need figure how to get the new one to accept pics. Will do some good photos. No markings of any kind as to who did the work but it is good. Have auto/revolver/rifle/shotgun work by some of the best I can find,this matches it.
It looks entirely normal,like a 6" 19. Blue is off only very,very slightly between bbl & frame.
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Old 03-01-2009, 09:51 PM
Ancient1 Ancient1 is offline
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Update on this one. The bbl liner appears to be .30 caliber.not 32. It will not take a .301 range rod. I slugged the bbl with a very soft .313 bullet & it mikes about .306. Good thing I did not fire it.
Person I got it from was informed & he offered to pay for a proper reline since I want to keep the gun.
Any suggestions as to who to do this work?
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Old 03-02-2009, 08:06 AM
M29since14 M29since14 is offline
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That's interesting. I vaguely recall something being barrelled like that and being used by the silhouette shooters, but don't remember more than that. It was probably a single-shot pistol, of some type.

I don't know who does lining of revolver barrels, on a regular basis. At one time, I happened to talk the Hamilton Bowen about this. He does it, but it is not his preferred technique. One thing we do know is that if he accepts the job, he does it right. You might contact him. I suppose a lot will depend on how difficult it is to remove the original liner. Might be easier to start with a new barrel... ?
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Old 03-02-2009, 08:50 AM
Hondo44 Hondo44 is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ancient1:
Yup. You read it right. Just got it,still looking it over. Work is meticulously done. Looks like a .357 Model 19 6" relined bbl. Extra cylinder. Headspace is correct using Go/No Go gauges. Still has rimfire hammer,firing pin hole nicely plugged. Frame-mounted,rebounding pin serves. Will compare measurements to a K-22 & Model 19 & post.
Your thoughts & advice appreciated. Tom
Interesting gun. Makes me wonder how that happened? Might be easier to leave the liner in and get it bored to correct dimension.

Jim
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Old 03-02-2009, 05:13 PM
Ancient1 Ancient1 is offline
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Talked to Redmans Reline in Washington. He said he does not want to get involved in someone else's work. I believe most would say the same. Smith shows a 16-4 bbl in their parts listing. Thaty would be the best/cheapest way. Next would be a 22LR bbl rebored,lot more $$
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Old 03-02-2009, 05:49 PM
mikepriwer mikepriwer is offline
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You have me confused. First - what does 18-3 have to do with this discussion ? And second,
what do you want out of this, after all is said and done ?

There are numerous 32-20's offered for sale, off and on. I wonder why you want to go to the
trouble of converting this gun to that caliber. It would be much less expensive just to get
a 32-20 .

I would think, after all is said and done, you will have a lot more money tied up in this gun
than any 32-20 shooter would cost .

Later, Mike Priwer
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Old 03-02-2009, 07:48 PM
Gun 4 Fun Gun 4 Fun is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by mikepriwer:
You have me confused. First - what does 18-3 have to do with this discussion ? And second,
what do you want out of this, after all is said and done ?

Read the title. He has an 18-3 with a barrel that has been lined, and the gun reworked to 32-20.

First, are you 400% sure that your barrel slugging test worked right? I would do it 5 times and go from that. Next check the throats in the cylinder. Are they set up for .310-.312" bullets? If the barrel does slug at .306", and throats are around .310-.313", I would keep my eye open for a donor barrel to have bored and rifle properly.
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Old 03-02-2009, 11:52 PM
Hondo44 Hondo44 is offline
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This sounds like a neat looking gun. I have a 22 Rem. Jet 4" barrel for my Mod 18 because the bore is correct for 22 LR and I like the shrouded ejector barrel to match my Mod 19.

As nice as the work is described, I have trouble believing the gunsmith put too small of a liner in the barrel??? Are you measuring the bullet you slugged the barrel with at it's widest diameter to give you the actual bore diameter at the bottom of the barrel grooves?

You won't be able to find a barrel with a shrouded ejector that's small enough to bore out to .32 unless you pull a .22 Rem Jet barrel out of a hat. They are hard to find.

I agree with Gun 4 Fun about confirming that bore size.

Jim
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  #13  
Old 03-03-2009, 09:08 AM
Ancient1 Ancient1 is offline
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I will re-slug as suggested. Have done so 3 times,will do more. Using a non rotating blade mike that reads to .00001. A .301 range rod will not start into the bbl. No way even close. Measured the lands & grooves with an inside mike to .00001(not really a satisfying way.)
Used a new,unfired 32-30 Colt Pol. Positve as a comparison. I will have several gunsmiths check my work,one is in Amer. Handgunner Top 100 Pistolsmiths. Mike & others,I am doing this for many reasons. It is fun,keeps my mind working,a very distinctive gun,it is there,etc. I DO have target model Colts & Smiths in 32-20 & 32 S&W Long. Mike,you are right in one one thing. It is an expenditure of energy this old body can't afford. Thanks all for your ideas & thoughts.
Tom
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Old 03-03-2009, 09:11 AM
Ancient1 Ancient1 is offline
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Forgot. All 12 throats(2 cylinders) measure .3122.
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Old 03-03-2009, 09:21 AM
walnutred walnutred is offline
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I'd shoot it as is if it was mine. Pick a .308 cast bullet and load and size your brass accordingly. As I recall the Contender barrels in 32-20 are actually a 308 bore. The oversized chamber mouths may cause you more problem than the undersized bore from an accuracy standpoint.

Otherwise what do you want for a parts gun that may be unsafe to fire
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Old 03-03-2009, 09:36 AM
redwagon32 redwagon32 is offline
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M29since14 and Walnutred are right. The groove diameters of the Contender barrels in 32-20 and 32 S&W Long were both .308 and were able to use .312 jacketed bullets and perform well. (According to the Gun Digest Book of Handgun Reloading- 1987)
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Old 03-03-2009, 04:27 PM
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Those Contender barrels are sized that way to make it easier to come up with a variety of loads, due to the wide assortment of bullets in .30 caliber.

The throats aren't oversized for .32-20. In fact they're just about perfect, which makes me wonder why they would use an undersized liner.
I don't know if your liner is six lands or five like most Smith barrels. If it is five lands, getting an accurate reading is almost impossible regardless of what type of tool you use. Just something else to check.

Also, it doesn't matter if your range rod will enter the barrel. That's more a function of true bore size (the hole bored before rifling is imparted), depth of the grooves will determine actual bullet diameter, as I'm sure you know.
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Old 03-03-2009, 08:48 PM
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Interesting thought on the .308 bore. I will investigate that. Again,thanks to all for their ideas & support. Bought my first gun 47 yrs ago,a 2" Kit gun. A Smith fan ever since.
Tom
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Old 03-04-2009, 05:36 PM
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A very competant,well known pistolsmith & gun parts manufacturer & I measured the cylinder throats @ .312 & bore @ .3015/.3065. We used plug gauges & standardized mikes. He thinks the gun would should be safe to shoot with lower pressure loads but may not be so with heavy loads. The people at Hamilton Bowen feel the same about the same about the safety but do not feel the gun would be very accurate. They suggested a rebore of a K-22 bbl(anyone have a K-22 bbl for sale)as the proper solution.
Tom
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Old 03-04-2009, 05:47 PM
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If you use a K-22 barrel, you can have it re-bored and re-rilfled and it will look better than a liner does. Bowen is a top guy to listen to, so I would place an ad in the wanted to buy forum, and see it you can come up with a barrel. I would also ask if anyone had an old K-32 barrel. That's a longshot, given their rarity in the first place, but still worth a try. Good luck.
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Old 03-04-2009, 10:28 PM
Hondo44 Hondo44 is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ancient1:
They suggested a rebore of a K-22 bbl(anyone have a K-22 bbl for sale)as the proper solution.
Tom
Tom,
I'll buy the relined barrel to help you offset the new one.

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Old 03-05-2009, 06:36 AM
bagolden bagolden is offline
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You might want to Google some of John Taffin's articles. While your liner is on the small size lead bullets will size down to bore diameter very easily, even 'hardcast'. How much pressure did you use to slug that bore? Makes me wonder why Bowen is concerned about the pressures of your potential loads with the current set up. Not questioning Mr. Bowen he certainly has forgotten more than I will ever learn about this sort of thing. Do you have any information about the previous owner? Like what they may have been shooting through it?

B
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Old 03-05-2009, 06:53 PM
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I have passed all the info along to the seller of the gun. Will see what his thoughts are on the issue. Tom
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16-4, 22lr, bowen, colt, combat masterpiece, ejector, gunsmith, k-22, kit gun, masterpiece, model 19, rimfire, silhouette

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