Question on cutting S&W barrel

[ConditionOne]

J&G sales has a bunch of 4" HB S&W 64 round butt police surplus pistols with bobbed hammers. I was thinking how cool it would be to buy one, and have a gunsmith cut and crown the barrel to 3", like a S&W FBI 13. Except it would be in .38 spl, of course.

Can the original front sight be taken from the cut-off barrel, and drilled and tapped on the newly cut 3" barrel? I hope so--I'd hate to use a funky non-S&W sight instead.

Would there be any sight aiming issues with the repositioned front sight on the modified 3" barrel?

After all is said and done, would this a relatively inexpensive (Under $100) Gunsmith mod?

 

[OKFC05]

Remove Barrel , Shorten , Recrown , Install Weigand Ramp with SDM Super Sight

$250.00

SDM SW

 

[ConditionOne]

Sounds naive, but I gotta ask: Does the barrel have to be removed to be cut? I thought revolver barrels could be cut and crowned like rifles.

 

[-db-]

If you follow the link OKFC05 posted, there's a series of photos explaining what's involved with re-machining a barrel. Short answer is yes, it must be removed from the frame.

 

[Photog]

I believe that the "super sight" will be way too high for a fixed sight framed revolver. If you cut it down enough you would be into the base before the point of impact would change enough.
I would cut a groove in the new barrel and make a new front sight, higher than needed, and intall it in the groove. Fabricate a new front sight the same width as the original. Then you could file it down to the correct height for point of impact with the load you want and then shape it to whatever design you want.

 

[gaucho1]

The proper way to cut a barrel is to remove and use a lathe or possibly
a bridgeport.
You can cut with a hacksaw,dress with a file and crown with a hand drill-oversized roundhead brass machine screw with valve grinding compound.
The front sight is it's own story.

 

[Beretta682]

I've contemplated doing the same thing except after cutting and crowning the barrel I am going to have a dovetail cut and a big dot tritium front sight installed.