This project was started several years ago, and now I am able to see the
light at the end of the tunnel ! Four non-standard-length 1899 .38
barrels are being created. The 4 1/2" is nearly done; it is awaiting
final bluing after being fitted to its frame.

The project will have a 2 1/2", 3", 3 1/2", and the 4 1/2" lengths. Here
are the three shorter ones, reading for final hand-finishing.







1899 barrels have some interesting features, some of which enabled
this project, and others that required a lot of thinking. The model
of 1899, being the first widely-accepted K-frame hand-ejector, has
no lug under the barrel; instead it has a flat area, that fills the gap
between the bottom of the barrel and the top of the extractor rod. This
flat area actually hangs down belows the barrel.

( As a side note, the first model of 1902 retains this flat area, even
though it has an extractor-rod lug. With the thickening of the barrel
for the 1902 1st change model, this flat area is no longer hanging down
below the bottom of the barrel, but is instead ground into the bottom
of the barrel. This engineering change is what survives today. )

Without having to deal with an extractor lug under the barrel, any
length oversized S&W factory barrel - with a rib - can be converted into a
1899 barrel. Excess material can be milled away, leaving enough to form
the flat area. The absence of the lug greatly enabled this project.

Dimensionally, 1899 barrels are a straight taper from the frame-face to
the muzzle. The OD at the frame face is 0.650 to 0.655, and the OD
at the muzzle is 0.550 to 0.555 , regardless of the length of the barrel.
Furthermore, the front sight base is forged integrally with the barrel.

With these short barrel lengths, and the presence of the 1 1/16" long
flat area under the barrel, a lathe is of very little use, in forming the
barrel. The 2 1/12" and 3" barrels have no turnable area between the
forward end of the bottom flat, and the rear edge of the forged front
sight base.

The approach that worked best was a vertical milling machine, with
the barrels mounted horizontally, and then tipped slightly to get the
taper. The milling was all done with the bottom of a milling cutter.
The first cuts were done rotating the barrel back and forth, then moving
the table one width of the cutter and repeating the rotation. The final
cut was made by moving the entire length of the barrel, then rotating
two degrees and moving back the entire length. This leaves a surface
with 180 minute flats, that will be hand-finished.

Regards, Mike Priwer

Looking great Mike.
I'm thinking of putting together a 2" snub .32-20 on one of my spare 1905 frames since they never made one. I've got an unmarked, unpolished barrel from one of the rare .32 S&W Long snubs (I think they were just after WW2?). It's a standard pre-war configuration with half moon front sight. It should make a neat head-scratcher too.

__________________
Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

Chris

Yes that would work, although you would need to do something
about the roll-marking of the caliber. I also don't know about the
thickness of those post-WW2 barrels, vs the pre-WW2 32-20 barrels.
You will also have to shorten the extractor rod, I would expect.

If that barrel has 32 long caliber on it, you might want to consider
just removing the caliber. My 4" K-32 has no caliber marking on it,
as I recall.

I have two of those 32 long post-WW2 barrels in 4 inch. 4" 32-20
targets are very scarce. I also have a 4" 32-long target from about
1910, which is really a K-32 in 4" length. If you could find another
32-long cylinder for that 32-20, you could make a 4" K-32 out of it !

Regards, Mike Priwer