Barrel rebore

[Burnston]

Good morning all,

I'm open to suggestions. My initial plans of putting a 5in .44 mag barrel on a m28 frame for a .44spl conversion didn't work out; cylinder gap issues. Now I'm hunting a 6in m28 barrel to cut down and rebore to .44. A few members have reached out to supply the barrel, which I appreciate. Thought about hunting up a m24 barrel to a avoid the rebore but they seem as rare as hen's teeth.
Never having had to worry about this, I'm clueless as to who does rebores these days. Should I expect a fairly long lead time?

 

[M29since14]

I can't help you, but I'll be curious to see what others come up with. In your shoes, I'd keep looking for a Model 24, rather than trying to build one from a Model 28, but I realize you may have other factors in mind you haven't mentioned. A factory-made revolver is almost always a "better investment" - and less expensive - than one properly assembled from parts by a knowledgeable revolver smith. Anyway, good luck with your project.

 

[teletech]

I'd think it would be a LOT easier to find someone with a lathe to turn back the shoulder of that mag bbl than finding someone to re-bore a bbl.

 

[Hondo44]

I agree with both posters above. Reboring is expensive. Around $200 or more to rebore and cut the barrel, with postage both ways with a long wait. You could probably find a .44 Spl barrel in the meantime. And still might have to have it fitted for a proper bar/cyl gap. And the barrel will still be marked .357.

Also some reborers will not bore a .357 barrel to .44 cal.

But here's some possibilities that you can discuss it with:

BARREL RE-BORING
Alan Siegrist
8752 Turtle Road
Whittemore, Michigan 48770
989-873-3929

John Taylor does relines and uses TJ's barrel liners which are probably the best. Taylor Machine – Your source for custom machine work!

J E S Rifle Reboring Home - Reboring by J E S has also done handguns.

 

[lilwoody]

Does your 44 barrel have too tight of a gap or too loose?

 

[Hondo44]

Probably too big of a gap because a 44 Mag cyl at 1.74" nominal length is longer than the 357 and 44 Spl cyls.

 

[Burnston]

Does your 44 barrel have too tight of a gap or too loose?

Too large of a gap. Also, the ribs won't line up; another amateur oversight on my part.

 

[Burnston]

Side note; will a 24 barrel mate with a 28 frame with minimal altering?

 

[Muley Gil]

Side note; will a 24 barrel mate with a 28 frame with minimal altering?

Yes, it will. I have had a M28 converted to .44 Special using a M24 barrel and I had a M27 converted to .44 Special as well.

 

[Pig Hunter]

There was a .44 special barrel in the classified here a while back.

 

[ddixie884]

Yes David Keith had it for sale..........

His handle on the forum is keith44spl

 

[teletech]

What about the locking bolt location?

Depending on the vintage of the barrel and it's shape, sometimes it's easy to alter the locking area with a milling machine, but in other cases the thing to do is shorten the ejector rod and lock pin.

 

[Hondo44]

I always choose to shorten the Extractor rod and center pin, which is almost always the easiest solution:

Shorten the Extractor rod at the rear end, and the center pin at the front end.