REMOVING BARREL ON A M-19
- Thread starter harley78
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Photog
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My .02? Pay a good gunsmith to do it. It is VERY EASY to twist a frame if you try and remove the barrel yourself. If I read correctly and you are putting a new barrel on, it is usually not just a matter of screwing the new barrel in. It has to be timed correctly so that the sights line up. Most of the time that involves some very precise machine work.
john traveler
Member
I second the motion that barrel removal & replacement is NOT a "do it yourself" project if you have never done it before and do not have the proper tools.
Brownells' classic "Gunsmith Kinks" reference for gunsmiths has an interesting story in this matter. A customer brought in a Luger Parabellum pistol with the complaint that it wasn't accurate. The gunsmith confirmed the accuracy problem by firing a few magazines using factory ammo. Upon disassembling the pistol and examining the bore he thought the rifling looked strange. The bore was rippled looking from improper removal and the installer had overtorqued (TWISTED!) the barrel one full turn when installing the replacement.
Brownells' classic "Gunsmith Kinks" reference for gunsmiths has an interesting story in this matter. A customer brought in a Luger Parabellum pistol with the complaint that it wasn't accurate. The gunsmith confirmed the accuracy problem by firing a few magazines using factory ammo. Upon disassembling the pistol and examining the bore he thought the rifling looked strange. The bore was rippled looking from improper removal and the installer had overtorqued (TWISTED!) the barrel one full turn when installing the replacement.
When fitting a new barrel, the barrel/cylinder gap must be adjusted AFTER cylinder end-shake issues have been addressed--this requires a special tool that Brownell's sells, or the filing skills of a Purdy gunmaker!
Believe it or not, I have removed and replaced many SHROUDED S&W barrels using nothing more than a plastic mallet--I'd hold the gun in one hand and, after removing the barrel pin, smack the appropriate side of the shroud smartly with the mallet--after a few whacks, the barrel would turn off. I never bent any frames that way, either! I'd install the new barrel the same way, and use the mallet for fine adjustments.
I wouldn't do this again, and I definitely don't recommend the technique to anybody else. Getting a qualified smith to do the work is good advice--I'd have the Factory do it,if it were my gun.
Tim
Believe it or not, I have removed and replaced many SHROUDED S&W barrels using nothing more than a plastic mallet--I'd hold the gun in one hand and, after removing the barrel pin, smack the appropriate side of the shroud smartly with the mallet--after a few whacks, the barrel would turn off. I never bent any frames that way, either! I'd install the new barrel the same way, and use the mallet for fine adjustments.
I wouldn't do this again, and I definitely don't recommend the technique to anybody else. Getting a qualified smith to do the work is good advice--I'd have the Factory do it,if it were my gun.
Tim
Back in the 80's the forcing cone split on the flat part on my nickel 19. I bought a replacement barrel and tossed both in the safe for a couple of years. Then I decided to change it out. I drove out the pin with a small punch. I cut 2 blocks of wood and fitted then to the frame and mounted it in my vise. I wrappred the barrel in heavy leather and took a wrench and turned it off. I mounted the new one in reverse order and verified the BC gap. It's been shooting fine ever since. Back then the barrel cost me $40.00.
bountyhunter
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Words to live by.
dfariswheel
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If you have a usable barrel, talk to S&W again.
Possibly they will install it for you.
If they won't, contact Cylinder & Slide Shop.
Possibly they will install it for you.
If they won't, contact Cylinder & Slide Shop.
BruceM
Member
If you have a barrel, Smith & Wesson will probably repair it. I had "S" serial numbered M29 with a bulged cylinder and rounded up a used cylinder which they installed. They could have done it with a non-recessed cylinder but that didn't make much sense to me.
Bruce
Bruce
As said by several others, this is a job that is easy to screw up, fairly cheap to pay to have done, and unless you get flat-ass lucky with the new barrel hard to do with hand tools. Pay the $50 and have someone do it who has the tools and practice to make it right.
I purchased a M19 used and the same problem developed with my gun. I called S&W and sent it back for repair paying the shipping cost myself. Three weeks later I receive a call getting the same answer of no replacement barrels. They offered me a new gun as a replacement and I now have a new M620. I know for some there is no comparison between the M19 and M620 but for me the deal worked out great. Another guy who posts on this forum purchased a M19 used from a shop got it home and then noticed the crack in the forcing cone at the 6:00 position. He called S&W and they sent him a shipping label for him to send the gun in. He ended up with a new M686 as a replacement gun. You may consider calling and see if they will replace the gun unless you would prefer having the M19.
Cary
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