I want to reduce my 4” barreled model 64-3 revolver to a 3” for easier carry. The barrel is not pinned. Are 3” barrels available for it, or other stainless k frames with the same thread pattern and lengththat will fit; or should I have it smithed’ down &
re-crowned? I also would like a dovetail cut in for a drift adjustable sight installed. Any ballpark idea on barrel reduction prices? I have already changed it from a square to round butt; so originality isn’t a concern. Thanks

I have found several revolversmiths that will do a chop, crown, slab, and resight for about 400-500. The problem is most are backed up and are taking six months.

Numrich is out but they do carry 3” heavy barrels I was just informed. There is a pro gunsmithing place in Jacksonville (FL.; I am just an hour away; 10 miles south of St. Augustine) that does good work so no shipping charges. It also helps greatly to get an appointment to minimize down time. I’ll check the cost of a cut n crown against a nos heavy barrel and swap next. Hopefully Numrich or somebody(?) has a 3” new or used I can get my hands on.

Good luck finding a 3 inch barrel anywhere. There’s me and a lot of other people out there looking every day. They are very hot items right now

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-Matt

Yep.
Two months at Hartshorne, not a word. He’s busy.

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Sure you did

The last couple of 3” 64 barrels I watched on eBay brought over $200 each. There is a 65 barrel on eBay right now for $259 with no bids.

If I had a 64, that I wanted to chop, I would consider tackling it myself. There are some videos on YouTube of some guys who cut and crown rifle barrels with common tools. There were some real neat tricks to making it look like a professional job.

Since you know you want the barrel machined for a dovetail front sight, I would suggest having the work done by modifying your existing barrel. If you really wanted an original looking 3" revolver, then the considerations might be different, but that is not what you want.

And I do agree with you on the dovetailed front sight. What you are describing is pretty much the revolver I would love to have. A fixed sight 3" K-frame with the front sight set up to your liking is a very versatile and functional revolver.

I would also look to have the barrel slab sided to a significant extent. Once the barrel is shortened, the stampings will look out of position, and many people have the sides flattened just a bit to remove all the stampings. I like that look fine, but I personally would have a little more cut from the sides to drop some weight.

I have never understood how heavy barrels became the standard on K-frame revolvers. In a 4" gun, I prefer the balance of a standard barrel, which is very noticeably lighter. A 3" heavy barrel weighs about as much as a 4" standard barrel, and in my opinion, that weight is not useful. Now, if I had a factory original 3" K-frame, I would be very happy to have it as it left the factory. But if I was building a custom gun for general use, I would shed as much weight from the barrel as I safely could.

I love the old pencil barrels aesthetics also; though I believe the heavier barrels were to handle hotter .38 (our term ‘+P’) loads, and help reduce recoil on quick follow ups for police officers. Now someone will prob chime in with the real reason, lol

The farther forward you can shift the center of gravity on the gun, the less the muzzle will rise when the gun fires. That's why you see target shooters putting weights on their barrels. That is the main purpose of the heavy barrel and has a lot to do with the later trend of under lug barrels. The pencil barrels look retro cool but the heavy barrel is easier to shoot.

Further, the heavy barrel would not require as much time on the machines, making it a less expensive option for the factory than the tapered barrels.

The barrels are cut form a forging that approximates the final shape. If you saw the blanks, you would be able to tell the difference between the heavy and the standard before any machining takes place. With CAD machines the difference is marginal.