Converting 32 HE to a snub

Ok, this took a little over a year to get completed because, as I said, I procrastinate. Final pictures after cold blue touch ups and putting some tru oil on the stocks. All in all I'm pretty happy with the result. Before pics are a post or two back.

Thanks for the support. It makes a nice pocket carry now.
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Cool. Is the barrel seated tight against the frame, or is it just the barrel rib that makes it look like it's not tight against the frame?

If the barrel will not go around one more complete turn, the usual way to fix is to remove a bit from the barrel shoulder on a lathe and go a full turn around to tighten the barrel against the frame. If you do not ever intend to reinstall the original barrel, there's an easier way: draw file the front face of the frame until the barrel can go around one full revolution and tighten against it.

Even with the barrel pin, if the barrel is not tight, it will turn slightly to the right with shooting because of the rifling twist, and the sight will not be straight up and down.

Which ever way you fix the barrel, you'll have to adjust the barrel to cyl gap by filing the rear end of the barrel and likely shorten the extractor rod just a bit. But both are simple tasks.
 
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Cool. Is the barrel seated tight against the frame, or is it just the barrel rib that makes it look like it's not tight against the frame?

If the barrel will not go around one more complete turn, the usual way to fix is to remove a bit from the barrel shoulder on a lathe and go a full turn around to tighten the barrel against the frame. If you do not ever intend to reinstall the original barrel, there's an easier way: draw file the front face of the frame until the barrel can go around one full revolution and tighten against it.

Even with the barrel pin, if the barrel is not tight, it will turn slightly to the right with shooting because of the rifling twist, and the sight will not be straight up and down.

Which ever way you fix the barrel, you'll have to adjust the barrel to cyl gap by filing the rear end of the barrel and likely shorten the extractor rod just a bit. But both are simple tasks.

Jim, The barrel is tight to the frame. The frame has a radius that matched the contour of the old barrel. The new barrel is squared off where it meets that radius, hence the small appearance of a gap. I thought about trying to do something to adjust the transition between the two, but I no longer have access to the lathe, now that I am retired, so we'll see how things go once I shoot it.

Thanks for the guidance along the way.
 
Jim, The barrel is tight to the frame. The frame has a radius that matched the contour of the old barrel. The new barrel is squared off where it meets that radius, hence the small appearance of a gap. I thought about trying to do something to adjust the transition between the two, but I no longer have access to the lathe, now that I am retired, so we'll see how things go once I shoot it.

Thanks for the guidance along the way.

Oh, got 'cha. Yeah I would draw file the front of the frame enough to make one more turn of the barrel. Won't need a lathe. But that's just me.
 
So range report, the little rascal has a heavy trigger whic doesn't help accuracy, and it shoots left about 2-1/2 inches left with 32 longs and 3 or 4 inches with 32 s&w, at 20 feet.....and a few inches low....i can file the front site down a bit to raise the POI, but not too sure what i can do about the righty-lefty thing..
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Robert
I was not able to tell if you did more adjusting on the barrel fit due to its hitting to the left, but if you have not tried to adjust it; I'd work on the trigger first - as you said "the little rascal has a heavy trigger whic doesn't help accuracy". I have found many times over the years that often with a heavy trigger it will tend to shoot to the left.
 
I was not able to tell if you did more adjusting on the barrel fit due to its hitting to the left, but if you have not tried to adjust it; I'd work on the trigger first - as you said "the little rascal has a heavy trigger whic doesn't help accuracy". I have found many times over the years that often with a heavy trigger it will tend to shoot to the left.
I realigned the barrel, but have not shot it since doing so.

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