Anyone seen a barrel like this?

[Smolt Smython]

I'm considering a J Frame Smolt build and just aquired a Diamondback barrel for preliminary measurements to see if its feasable.
I purchased this from Numrich, it was described as a new/old stock part, 4" nickel plated, .38 caliber, Diamondback barrel that had been improperly stored. Nothing unusual there and the typical small, blurry Numrich photo of the item didn't allow any real details to show.
Soon as I got my hands on it I saw the single pin front sight mount and thought that they had sent me a late 90s Python barrel with the single pin mount. Only 6" Diamondbacks had a pinned front sight, on the 4" versions the front sight was an intregal part of the barrel. Then I noticed that it had no roll marks, nothing.
I got out a new/old stock 4" Python barrel and the digital calipers and sure enough this barrel was significantly smaller in all external dimensions and the extractor and bore centers were too close together to line up with a Python frame and cylinder (oddly enough the channel for the extractor rod was quite a bit longer than the Pythons) so I was reassured that it was a Diamondback and that they hadn't sent me a late 90s single pin Python barrel.

Anyone ever seen a 4" Diamondback with a pinned front sight?
Anyone ever seen a Colt revolver barrel with no roll markings?
Why would Colt workers bother to nickel plate an unmarked barrel?
I also posted this on the Colt forum but no response so far.

 

[Protocall_Design]

It looks like an unfinished, in-the-white, bare metal barrel to me. One that never made it through the whole process. A little cold blue would tell you in an instant.

 

[Smolt Smython]

@protocalldesign
In the white or nickel is not the question.
It is a nickel plated barrel that I removed surface corrosion from with penetrating oil and a powered Scotchbrite wheel.
I have performed this operation on over a dozen tarnished/corroded nickel plated new/old stock Colt Python barrels in the last 18 months prior to having the factory nickel plating stripped from them (I don't send out "dirty" parts).
If you are still in doubt about this wait a couple weeks and I can post pics of what it looks like after the nickel plating has been stripped by a professional (but then again, nickel plating is not my question).
The questions I'm interested in have to do with the 4" barrel with a pinned front sight and the total lack of factory roll marks.

 

[colt_saa]

@protocalldesign
In the white or nickel is not the question.
It is a nickel plated barrel that I removed surface corrosion from with penetrating oil and a powered Scotchbrite wheel.
I have performed this operation on over a dozen tarnished/corroded nickel plated new/old stock Colt Python barrels in the last 18 months prior to having the factory nickel plating stripped from them (I don't send out "dirty" parts).
If you are still in doubt about this wait a couple weeks and I can post pics of what it looks like after the nickel plating has been stripped by a professional (but then again, nickel plating is not my question).
The questions I'm interested in have to do with the 4" barrel with a pinned front sight and the total lack of factory roll marks.

When we are talking about a company that specializes in left over parts, anything is possible.

I agree no roll marks is odd, but for a custom/conversion I kind of like it. I can do my own marking

I can not comment on nickel, I am not a big fan of nickle and as such I do not pay attention to it

However, I am absolutely positive that Diamond Backs (including 4") have had pinned on front sights at least once during there production history

 

[Goblin]

I'd never say I'm positive, but I have three Diamondbacks with no visible pin, and one with a single pin like in post 4 above. All Pythons have two pins to my knowledge.

 

[colt_saa]

I'd never say I'm positive, but I have three Diamondbacks with no visible pin, and one with a single pin like in post 4 above. All Pythons have two pins to my knowledge.

Older Pythons had two pins.

When the thread pitch changed on the Python barrels (around 1990-1992) the front sight went to a single pin

The only single pin Python I own is my 1995 manufactured 8" Ultimate Stainless

All of my other Pythons are older

 

[minconrevo]

Looking at the big "ding" below the muzzle I suspect it's a factory reject. Someone rescued it from the scrap heap.

 

[Goblin]

Measuring with a caliper, the outside width of my Diamondback barrel is .700". My Python is .742". Even if polishing creates variations, maybe that can help identify it. At the frame end where there's no rib taper, the Diamondback is 1.23" tall, the Python is 1.3". Hope that helps.

 

[Smolt Smython]

Thanks for all your replies!
It seems anything is possible with these older revolvers and their parts.
Regarding the questions about nickel plating; I bought a lot of Python barrels from various sources in the past year, all of them "nickel plated, improperly stored" because they were (past tense, not any longer) very cheap and pretty easy to clean up as long as you have access to a professional to strip the plating.
Even on the worst of them with lots of pitting/blisters/discoloration the bare metal underneath was in quite good condition.
At first I had a friend who buys and sells used jewelry as a hobby business test them with the "two drop" dimethylglyoxime spot test to confirm nickel but I soon realized it was easy to tell without testing and stopped bothering him. The nickel plate is so much softer than bare gun metal that the little Dremel powered Scotchbrite wheel leaves distinctive scratches, shallow gouges and patterns (as does lapping compound or emery paper) all over it and a soft/hazy look. The same thing done to the stripped bare metal barrel results in a much brighter finish without the scratches and patterns.