Any experience with barrel extensions?

J

JayeM

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I am in the process of trying to inherit a .38 Colt Official Police from my grandfather who recently passed away. The gun is prohibited, since it has a 4" barrel, but he was able to own it under the 12(6) exception. I can't inherit the gun under the grandfathering clauses, since it was made after 1946. Re-barreling has proved to be a challenge, since I can't find a barrel available in Canada (and importing from the U.S. is effectively impossible).

At 4", the barrel is only 3.5 mm away from being restricted instead of prohibited, so I wanted to ask if anyone has experience extending handgun barrels. I'm thinking of permanently attaching a sleeve around the outside of the barrel. Does the gun need to be "verified" by a licensed verifier to be re-registered as restricted instead of prohibited? Is the accuracy or functionality of the gun affected? I know this will de-value the gun, but I am more interested in having a gun that I can shoot rather than a gun to sell. Any thoughts/experience/advice would be really helpful.

I am also still willing to consider re-barreling the gun, so if anyone knows where I might be able to acquire a barrel in Canada, please let me know.

Thanks!

P.S. I have already read the following forum post about re-barreling a prohib gun, so I get that re-barreling might not be the most economical option. That's why I want to explore an extension.

https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...ohib-pistol-to-make-it-restricted-SW-Model-18
 
The barrel can be sleeved internally, the sleeve extending beyond the original muzzle. The sleeve is two diameter, the muzzle portion being the same diameter as the barrel, the internal sleeve portion being much smaller. The bore is continuous from the cylinder to the new muzzle.
If the barrel is plain, with no underlug, making a barrel from a blank would not be particularly difficult.
 
Thanks for the insight. So if I understand correctly, the barrel can only be extended if the inside bore is continuous. The internal sleeve is a really interesting option that I had not considered. I will definitely talk to my local gunsmith about this. Thanks again.
 
tiriaq said:
The barrel can be sleeved internally, the sleeve extending beyond the original muzzle. The sleeve is two diameter, the muzzle portion being the same diameter as the barrel, the internal sleeve portion being much smaller. The bore is continuous from the cylinder to the new muzzle.
If the barrel is plain, with no underlug, making a barrel from a blank would not be particularly difficult.
Click to expand...

Thats an ingenious solution i wouldn't have thought of. But other than the issue of mounting a new front sight, just putting in a new barrel wouldn't be any more work.
 
There can be problems with sleeving a barrel. Consider the diameter of the shank and at the forcing cone. Could the barrel be reamed out large enough to accept a liner? A weak forcing cone can easily crack.
 
tiriaq said:
There can be problems with sleeving a barrel. Consider the diameter of the shank and at the forcing cone. Could the barrel be reamed out large enough to accept a liner? A weak forcing cone can easily crack.
Click to expand...

Yup, I've seen a few with burst forcing cones. Sleeving from the rear is more effective IMHO, then adding a piece over the extension.

I like to completely cut off the threads on the barrel and thread the sleeve appropriately then fit it to the frame for proper gap to the cylinder face. Then drill/ream the bore out of the original barrel, face it off square and epoxy it in place on the sleeve. When the epoxy has set properly, I use titanium putty, fit a piece over the barrel and sweat it on. The joint is undetectable if it's done properly.

The only problem with this method is that it's very time consuming. If you can't do the work yourself, it's likely going to cost more than the handgun might be worth.
 
Basically you are rebarreling with a small diameter barrel, with the old barrel with its markings becoming a sleeve. Almost like the way Dan Wesson revolvers are made.
 
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