4.25" Barrel Revolvers?

I have not seen any factory 4.25" barrel revolvers around. Most factory revolvers are 2", 4", 5" or 6"+. Almost all 4.25" barrel revolvers are 6" revolvers, chopped and refinished by a gunsmith. They pop up from time to time on the EE forum, but they are rare.
 
Older S&W revolver often have 4 1/4" barrels even though they are supposed to be 4 1/8" especially in the lighter barrel contours. It is worth measuring the barrel. I have seen a few M27s and .41 mag built with 4 1/4" barels.
It would like be easier to have a 6" barrel cut down though.
 
Anvil said:
It would like be easier to have a 6" barrel cut down though.

Like mine :D
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4.25" revolvers

According to Gun Buyer's Annual 2006 Buyers guide there are two revolvers that fir the bill: Charles Daly 1873 in .357Mag and Freedom Arms Model 83/97 in .357Mag or .44Mag.

Chris
 
Any special reason you want a 4.25" barrel?

Is there any special reason you want a 4.25" barrel? If I were going the route of buying a larger gun and having a gunsmith cut it down I would choose a length between 4.14" and 4.2", as it would keep the gun Canadian restricted and still be legal for the US IDPA revolver rules.

Chris
 
Dr.Chris said:
Is there any special reason you want a 4.25" barrel? If I were going the route of buying a larger gun and having a gunsmith cut it down I would choose a length between 4.14" and 4.2", as it would keep the gun Canadian restricted and still be legal for the US IDPA revolver rules.

Chris

Dude you are talking about less then an 1/8 of an inch.
 
Size Matters

Can-down said:
Dude you are talking about less then an 1/8 of an inch.
Yup you are 100% right I am talking about less than 1/8th of an inch. But many revolvers in the US are sold with 4" barrels. For those of us who are not 12(6) we need our guns to be a hair over 4.13" hence my 4.14" minimum length.

American IDPA Enhanced Service Revolver (ESR) Division and Stock Service Revolver (SSR) Division require require revolvers to:
Have a barrel length of 4.2” or less (as measured from the front of the cylinder)
Hence my maximum length.

So over 4.13" keeps it Canadian legal (restricted not prohibited), 4.2" or under keeps it American IDPA legal for ESR or SSR; If I ever get good enough at IDPA to compete in the States. There are of course other distictions between ESR and SSR (mainly weight and the use of moonclips) but I digress.

In summary SIZE MATTERS

Chris
 
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Ya I realize size matters...

I just don't know if I would bother cutting a barrel to within a hair of the law.
4 1/4" is pretty darn close to the law and leaves an 1/8 of an inch extra just to be safe.

It is pretty stupid that they made the cut off for restricted at just over 4 inches as like you say there are lot's of pistols with 4 inch barrels and not to many made at 4 1/8".
 
That's why they chose that length. To prohibit as many pistols as possible. The creation of the 12(x) system prohibited 2/3 of the firearms that were in the registry at the time.
 
Can-down said:
Ya I realize size matters...

I just don't know if I would bother cutting a barrel to within a hair of the law.
4 1/4" is pretty darn close to the law and leaves an 1/8 of an inch extra just to be safe.

It is pretty stupid that they made the cut off for restricted at just over 4 inches as like you say there are lot's of pistols with 4 inch barrels and not to many made at 4 1/8".

Oh it's more than pretty stupid. It's f**kin retarded. It's the reason I can't own some of the guns I would like to. But then who ever said that the government does anything useful at protecting it's citizens instead of coddling the criminals. And in doing so, they remove privileges from the average Canadian to enjoy many things in life!
If it was mine, I would leave the extra 1/8" in case some official measures it incorrectly and you end up having a fight on your hands to keep or use your gun.
 
Funny how different people think..

Personally I would put it 0.001" longer than the limit.

0.001" is easily measurable by commonly available instruments.

If some stupid Fed wants to make a case out of it....GREAT!! Bring it on!

Then to get plenty of publicity about it showing how STUPID the law is.
 
Can-down said:
I just don't know if I would bother cutting a barrel to within a hair of the law.
why not, the hair doesn't matter, your gun is either restricted or prohibited ... if your gun is a "hair" longer than prohibited it's restricted, and you're a FREE man!
 
target said:
If it was mine, I would leave the extra 1/8" in case some official measures it incorrectly and you end up having a fight on your hands to keep or use your gun.
it's 2006 a good gunsmith can make it any length you want and measure it correctly and verify it. Case closed, End of story. If some official measures it incorrectly, make a fool of him and get him fired!
 
Vic777 said:
it's 2006 a good gunsmith can make it any length you want and measure it correctly and verify it. Case closed, End of story. If some official measures it incorrectly, make a fool of him and get him fired!

Your right and you would definitely win in the end. I can measure items with my calipers to ±.0005, but how does that help you when they hold you up at the border for who knows how long or totally hassle you when your out with it. I had it happen with a folding knife at the airport (when you could still have them in your carry on luggage). They measured it "their way" and said it was too long. I had to convince them that it was the maximum legal length or else it was staying behind!
 
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