Shortening a Handgun Barrel
- Thread starter .45colt
- Start date
Yes, but why? Is it damaged?
Sure it can be done, the question is, why? You do know that you will lose accuracy and distance if you take too much off?
That said, it could easily be done. Usually, we cut part of the barrel because there is a damaged crown and we wish to start with a fresh section of rifling in the barrel. Sometimes it is because you have a bulge or ring in the barrel from firing it with an obstructed bore and you wish to remove the damaged section? And, yes it must be re-crowned and you will a "Muzzle Crowning Tool" to do a good job.
What kind of rifle is it (make and model)?
Regards
Robert
Sure it can be done, the question is, why? You do know that you will lose accuracy and distance if you take too much off?
That said, it could easily be done. Usually, we cut part of the barrel because there is a damaged crown and we wish to start with a fresh section of rifling in the barrel. Sometimes it is because you have a bulge or ring in the barrel from firing it with an obstructed bore and you wish to remove the damaged section? And, yes it must be re-crowned and you will a "Muzzle Crowning Tool" to do a good job.
What kind of rifle is it (make and model)?
Regards
Robert
Cocked&Locked
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S. Ontario
Cut, recrown, mount a new sight by method of choice. Go shoot it.
- Location
- WMU247 near Edmonton
not a big project if you have a metal lathe.
cut and crown, without a lathe, I wouldn't
cut and crown, without a lathe, I wouldn't
"You do know that you will lose accuracy and distance if you take too much off?"
Really? How do you figure that? - dan
Really? How do you figure that? - dan
Half right. Accuracy yes. Distance yes and no.
Hey Dan
Correct me if I am wrong, but does not a longer barrel provide a longer sight radius, increased inertia, and reduced muzzle pressure. Usually, these things all help accuracy.
As for distance, you are right, it is a debatable point. In most cartridges, the powder which gives the highest velocity in a long barrel, will also give the highest velocity in a short barrel. Therefore, it is a question of powder. That combined with the type of barreling and shape of the bullet will increase or decrease distance.
What do you think Dan?
Regards
Robert
dan belisle said:
Hey Dan
Correct me if I am wrong, but does not a longer barrel provide a longer sight radius, increased inertia, and reduced muzzle pressure. Usually, these things all help accuracy.
As for distance, you are right, it is a debatable point. In most cartridges, the powder which gives the highest velocity in a long barrel, will also give the highest velocity in a short barrel. Therefore, it is a question of powder. That combined with the type of barreling and shape of the bullet will increase or decrease distance.
What do you think Dan?
Regards
Robert
Longer sight radius certainly, and for some folks that's a good thing. As I get older I find I shoot the short barreled guns better, account of tired old eyes. As for the increased inertia and reduced muzzle pressure, I would think they would be vastly more infuenced by the powder/bullet combination chosen, as well as crimp (or lack of same). Your milage may vary, however. - dan
rlg said:
I was surprised when I shot my first 4" revolver. The group was as good as with any of my 6" barreled revolvers. Shooting the 4" was easier. Because the sights are closer together they were clearer. As you all know you can only focus at one point. If you focus on the front sight (something I find difficult) you then have a blurry back sight (clear back sight for me, blurry front).
With the shorter sight radius you are focussed closer to the same point and the blurry sight will be less blurry than with a gun with a longer sight radius. I find in real life the shorter barrel is as good if not better if you are shooting faster.
I was told this is why guns for International Rapid Fire tend to have a shorter barrel with a shorter sight radius.
As far as accuracy goes, if you eliminate the human error (see sights better with longer barrel etc.) than all a firearm needs as 13 inch's and the rest is mute. I remember an article about 30 years ago in a gun mag and they took 3 guns that were mounted in a machine rest with 30" barrels. They were a 300 Mag. 270 and a .243 and they did accuracy, velocity tests with each using the same lot of factory ammo for each test shooting 10 shots for each group. After they finished shooting 10 shots they cut and crowned the barrel one inch shorter all the way down to 6 inches. Imagine the muzzle blast from a 300 mag with a 6 inch barrel. Anyway they had a chart of velocity and accuracy and the accuracy was the same all the way down to 14" and at 13 it opened up slightly and then got worse with each group after that. So the guy that uses a 18 inch barrel with a scope for hunting has no less of a disadvantage than a guy that uses a 24" barrel with a scope under 200 yards of course, the longer the distance then the velocity difference would come into effect.
"than all a firearm needs as 13 inch's"
You don't even need that for handgun cartridges. Most of them don't go any faster in barrels more then 10" long anyway. Some of the botlleneck ones will work good in 13-15" barrels though. Although velocity has nothing to do with accuracy really. - dan
You don't even need that for handgun cartridges. Most of them don't go any faster in barrels more then 10" long anyway. Some of the botlleneck ones will work good in 13-15" barrels though. Although velocity has nothing to do with accuracy really. - dan
Here is an example of what you can expect from shortening a barrel on a Super Redhawk 454 Casull. I've posted this report before in the Shortened SRH thread in the pistol forum.
I can also mount scopes on both of the handguns and will do an accuracy report with and without the scopes when I have time.
I do have to admit the 4.25" SRH has a snappier recoil than the longer 7.5" barreled SRH but it balances/feels far better than the longer barreled gun.
As of now I only have the stock grips on the shortened gun and a Pachmeyr grips on the longer barreled gun because I am waiting for my Crimson Trace LG 344 laser grips to arrive for the shorter gun. I will change grips if I shot the 4.25" gun anymore before the new grips come.
I started with 45 Colt loads to sight the shortened SRH in and other than the fiirst sight in loads I chronographed every load that I shot which was all together a total of 24 45 Colts and 50 454 Casull's if my tired body counted right.
I also have to comment on the extremely slow velocities that I recorded for the 45 Colt loads in both the SRH's. It was the coldest tempature that I have ever chronographed these loads though. I normally get between 200fps to 400fps faster in warmer weather out of my 5.5" Bisley Vaquero's and the 7.5" SRH. Maybe it was my chronograph but It seemed to be reading properly with the 454 Casull loads.
All velocities are in feet per second.
45 Colt 300gr XTP 24grs H110 Win LP primer
4.25"
1) 1018 2) 988 3) 976 4) 992 5) 948 6) 1000
7.5"
1) 1058 2) 1130 3) 1091 4) 1118 5) 1155 6) 1103
45 Colt 325gr FNGC's (Lee mold) 24grs H110 Win LP primer
4.25"
1) 1063 2) 1070 3) 1041 4) 1072 5) 1008 6) 1037
7.5"
10 1162 2) 1175 3) 1148 4) 1151 5) 1140 6) 1120
454 Casull 300gr XTP-Mag 30grs H110 Rem 7.5 primer (I only had 8 of these loads with me)
4.25"
1) 1408 2) 1444 3) 1430 4) 1445
7.5"
1) 1529 2) 1481 3) 1599 4) 1535
454 Casull 360gr Cast Performance WLNGC's 27grs Lil-Gun Rem 7.5 primer
4.25"
1) 1455 2) 1425 3) 1485 4) 1490 5) 1435 6) 1448
7.5"
1) 1553 2) 1580 3) 1593 5) 1571 5) 1587 6) 1583
454 Casull 395gr Cast Performance WFNGC's 24grs Lil-Gun Rem 7.5 primer (I only have 50 of these left so only shot 3 in each gun)
4.25"
1) 1351 2) 1320 3) 1318
7.5"
1) 1405 2) 1385 3) 1393
These next loads are load developement with my new 405gr WLNGC's .452" Beartooth bullets/ Lil-Gun powder and all used CCI BR-4 SR Bench Rest primers. I only loaded 6 of each.
454 Casull 405gr B/T WLNGC's 21grs Lil-Gun
4.25"
1) 1184 2) 1189 3) 1194
7.5"
1) 1303 2) 1278 3) 1270
21.5grs
4.25"
1) 1242 2) 1221 3) 1215
7.5"
1) 1303 2) 1287 3) 1298
22grs
4.25"
1) chrono didn't register a velocity 2) 1245 3) 1235
7.5"
1) 1316 2) 1328 3) 1291
22.5grs
4.25" I had sticky extraction with this load and gun only
1) 1293 2) 1274 3) 1269
7.5"
1) 1355 2) 1333 3) 1303
Well that's it for the velocities that I recorded and I shot them all in about 1 1/2 hours to say that I'm a bit worn out from it would be a slight understatement.
I didn't record accuracy today but all loads in both guns actually gave very good results with the 7.5" giving slightly better results.
I haven't had the time to properly evaluate the velocity differences between the 2 barrel lengths yet but a quick look tells me that there is only an average of about 100fps in the lighter loads and even less in the heavier bullets which really surprised me. I was expecting closer to at least 200fps difference.
I can also mount scopes on both of the handguns and will do an accuracy report with and without the scopes when I have time.
I do have to admit the 4.25" SRH has a snappier recoil than the longer 7.5" barreled SRH but it balances/feels far better than the longer barreled gun.
As of now I only have the stock grips on the shortened gun and a Pachmeyr grips on the longer barreled gun because I am waiting for my Crimson Trace LG 344 laser grips to arrive for the shorter gun. I will change grips if I shot the 4.25" gun anymore before the new grips come.
I started with 45 Colt loads to sight the shortened SRH in and other than the fiirst sight in loads I chronographed every load that I shot which was all together a total of 24 45 Colts and 50 454 Casull's if my tired body counted right.
I also have to comment on the extremely slow velocities that I recorded for the 45 Colt loads in both the SRH's. It was the coldest tempature that I have ever chronographed these loads though. I normally get between 200fps to 400fps faster in warmer weather out of my 5.5" Bisley Vaquero's and the 7.5" SRH. Maybe it was my chronograph but It seemed to be reading properly with the 454 Casull loads.
All velocities are in feet per second.
45 Colt 300gr XTP 24grs H110 Win LP primer
4.25"
1) 1018 2) 988 3) 976 4) 992 5) 948 6) 1000
7.5"
1) 1058 2) 1130 3) 1091 4) 1118 5) 1155 6) 1103
45 Colt 325gr FNGC's (Lee mold) 24grs H110 Win LP primer
4.25"
1) 1063 2) 1070 3) 1041 4) 1072 5) 1008 6) 1037
7.5"
10 1162 2) 1175 3) 1148 4) 1151 5) 1140 6) 1120
454 Casull 300gr XTP-Mag 30grs H110 Rem 7.5 primer (I only had 8 of these loads with me)
4.25"
1) 1408 2) 1444 3) 1430 4) 1445
7.5"
1) 1529 2) 1481 3) 1599 4) 1535
454 Casull 360gr Cast Performance WLNGC's 27grs Lil-Gun Rem 7.5 primer
4.25"
1) 1455 2) 1425 3) 1485 4) 1490 5) 1435 6) 1448
7.5"
1) 1553 2) 1580 3) 1593 5) 1571 5) 1587 6) 1583
454 Casull 395gr Cast Performance WFNGC's 24grs Lil-Gun Rem 7.5 primer (I only have 50 of these left so only shot 3 in each gun)
4.25"
1) 1351 2) 1320 3) 1318
7.5"
1) 1405 2) 1385 3) 1393
These next loads are load developement with my new 405gr WLNGC's .452" Beartooth bullets/ Lil-Gun powder and all used CCI BR-4 SR Bench Rest primers. I only loaded 6 of each.
454 Casull 405gr B/T WLNGC's 21grs Lil-Gun
4.25"
1) 1184 2) 1189 3) 1194
7.5"
1) 1303 2) 1278 3) 1270
21.5grs
4.25"
1) 1242 2) 1221 3) 1215
7.5"
1) 1303 2) 1287 3) 1298
22grs
4.25"
1) chrono didn't register a velocity 2) 1245 3) 1235
7.5"
1) 1316 2) 1328 3) 1291
22.5grs
4.25" I had sticky extraction with this load and gun only
1) 1293 2) 1274 3) 1269
7.5"
1) 1355 2) 1333 3) 1303
Well that's it for the velocities that I recorded and I shot them all in about 1 1/2 hours to say that I'm a bit worn out from it would be a slight understatement.
I didn't record accuracy today but all loads in both guns actually gave very good results with the 7.5" giving slightly better results.
I haven't had the time to properly evaluate the velocity differences between the 2 barrel lengths yet but a quick look tells me that there is only an average of about 100fps in the lighter loads and even less in the heavier bullets which really surprised me. I was expecting closer to at least 200fps difference.
