M10 barrel change

[Tanners Owner]

I have a M10-5 with a 4" pinned pencil barrel. The gun is in good shape, functional and a shooter, not a collector. As such, am considering if I can spice it up some with a barrel change.

I'm wondering if I can easily change out the barrel to a 3" barrel.

Must I obtain a 3" that's set for a pin as well?

Are 3" barrels available?

I have other S&Ws, m15, 686, 625 and 627 all 4" and a 64-2 snubby and thought a 3 " might be a nice complement.

Thoughts?

 

[teletech]

You can change the barrel to a 3", I don't think you need to change the ejector plunger but not positive.
You can install a non-pinned barrel, after all, S&W does it all the time now. If you want to be classy about it you could cut a slot in the new barrel to accept the pin if it's not cut that way already.
Something to consider is if it's not a target gun and your pencil barrel has a narrow sight then if you use a later barrel with the wider front post you will also need to alter the rear sight notch (or install a "Wondersight", they are still around)
If you are doing it yourself make sure to read up on the process and get a frame wrench to fit your K-frame so you don't bend the frame.
You might also find the barrel-cylinder gap to be too big, in which case you will need to turn some off the shoulder of the barrel, likely turn the end of the barrel. If you do that then you likely have to recut the forcing cone...
All that to say it's nothing like a barrel swap in a modern autopistol where it usually pretty much drops in or perhaps needs a little filing here and there.
If you are a machinist or skilled mechanic it's doable, otherwise I'd suggest getting a gunsmith to handle the swap for you.
I don't know about new barrels but between Ebay, Gunbroker, gunpartscorp.com, and the others you can likely find whatever you are after.
3" is a desirable length so expect to be spending $100-200 for the barrel as a guess.

 

[Tanners Owner]

Thanks for the feedback-

 

[stansdds]

Good luck finding a factory 3 inch Model 10 barrel. It is my understanding that the 3 inch Model 10's were made for European, Asian, and Australian law enforcement agencies. Surplus 3 inch barrels may have made it onto a limited number of Model 10's sold in the U.S.
A 3 inch barrel is a little easier to carry concealed, but the revolver still has a square butt frame, the butt of any handgun is usually the hardest part to conceal.

 

[lefty_jake]

I share your interest in having a 3" K-frame .38 special with fixed sights. Usually, when someone wants to have a gunsmith build a configuration that was also made by the factory, the advice is to go find one and buy it. In most cases, it is cheaper, and gets better results, to sell what you have and put the money towards buying what you want. However, for a 3" K-frame, that is probably not the case. The market is very hot for 3" K-frames, so they are expensive and hard to find.

When I am able to, I am hoping to get a 3" K-frame by having a heavy barrel 4" gun cut down and slab sided. This is a viable option since 4" guns are readily available. The heavy barrel also has lots of meat to be cut for a dovetail front sight, which I think is more functional than an original factory barrel.

The thread below shows a build by @dustinoif3 that is I exactly what I am hoping to do.

Model 65-3 Chop and Round

 

[reccpd101]

Many Model 10 & 12 4 inch guns were made with a round butt, mostly on government orders. They are not uncommon but patience in hunting one is needed. I have both a 12 with original pencil barrel and a 10 that I changed to a 3 inch & added another cylinder cut for 9mm with moon clips.

 

[Tanners Owner]

Out of curiosity, can a m13 barrel be used on a m10?

 

[teletech]

Out of curiosity, can a m13 barrel be used on a m10?

I'll go with yes...and no. Yes the barrel will screw in, no it won't gap properly without someone with a lathe re-cutting the threads and setting the shoulder back.
It *might* be a -dash thing where there is an overlap and the protrusion into the window is the same for a 13 and 10, but I doubt it.