Ruger Forum

Evan III · June 19th, 2010, 11:38 AM

Anyone know whats involved in swapping the barrel on a Redhawk? I'm lookin to replace my 5 1/2" barrel for a 4" or smaller. Also does anyone know where I can find such a barrel?

Thanks,
John

stantheman86 · June 19th, 2010, 01:57 PM

Depends on what kind of tools you have and your level of skill.

I would not attempt it as an "at home" project, each barrel is fitted to each revolver and you may have problems with either tight or sloppy cylinder - forcing cone gap. Ruger would charge for the part, and the labor, IF they even did the work. Ruger can be picky about what they work on, rebarreling a perfectly good gun may not be something they would be happy about doing.

I rebarreled a S&W Victory revolver that someone put a later Model 10 barrel on, by sheer, dumb luck I didn't bend the frame and the cylinder gap worked out. I did it with two blocks of wood, a garage vise and a rubber mallet. Not something I would attempt again, and only did it because I got the gun for $150 as a broken beater so I didn't have much to lose. I would never stick a $600 Redhawk in a vise, start twisting and pray for the best

You would be better served to just look around for a used 4" Redhawk, they are out there and IMO $450 or so for a used one will be well worth it, after you find a barrel which would be tough since Ruger doesn't sell barrels, and if you found one it would probably cost $150 or so. Plus the cost if you had Ruger or a gunsmith do the work, you would be in for at least half the price of a 4" Redhawk.

5.5" Redhawks aren't common and a collector or someone who wants one will likely give you a premium for it since they are hard to find and desirable. I would recommend selling the 5.5" and then buying a 4".

Evan III · June 19th, 2010, 02:42 PM

Thanks for the reply, I'm kinda leaning towards getting another redhawk, but figured if it was not to hard I'd swap the barrel. My other option is to take either my .480 SRH or ..454 SRH and have it wacked down to alasken size. I'm gonna spend a coupla weeks in backcountry alaska soon, so I'm kinda trying to figure out a good compact set up since I will be carrying it 24/7 for a coupla weeks. Plus a compact slugger would be nice to have.

razadp · June 21st, 2010, 06:21 AM

The barrels are oversized compared to the frame, and torqued on with big hydraulics. If you upset that relationship you may never get it to work again. They weren't designed for taking off.

Some other guns have a looser fit and rely on wedges, screws, pins, etc to keep from shaking loose, you can work on those.

Kappy · June 21st, 2010, 10:43 AM

Ah! You buy the barrel in the caliber and twist you want from Douglas or other manufacturer. Usually comes as a 2" by 28" tube. You turn it on a lath, cut off what you want for the finished barrel, leaving some extra. Then you turn down the end that will screw into the receiver. You finish that end for proper gap, install it, contour the barrel as you want it, and then decide what you want for a front sight and fit it. It was about eight hours in the machine shop, a lot of equipment and know how. I watched it being done. Of course, you have to remove the original barrel to measure the threads and the length of the threaded portion for the new barrel. It's a do it yourself project if you have a lath, a mill, a surface grinder and the know how to use them along with the bits, stones, files, hacksaw, etc.

Rover · June 21st, 2010, 10:55 AM

Kappy pretty well covered it. If you are not so equipped here is a link to someone who can do the job if you have the money:

+ C A T A L O G +

There are others, I am sure, that are less such as Huntington or perhaps, Clements.

The easiest way to achieve what you want (other than buying another RH) is to have a gunsmith cut and crown the existing barrel and mount a new sight on it, perhaps a Wiegand with interchangeable blade. Also, a lot cheaper than finding a new barrel as Ruger won't sell them and as I understand it won't change the configuration of an existing gun.

stantheman86 · June 21st, 2010, 05:51 PM

I have neither the skills or the tools to even think about the job described above!

That's why I let Ruger make the guns for me and I just pay for the finished product!

Ruger will not cut a barrel down, at least the last time I asked them a few months ago. I called to ask them if I could send in my 6" half lug GP and have it cut down to 4" and made to factory spec again, i.e. interchangeable front sight, etc. The guy on the phone said they do not perform work like this. He said they would gladly charge me to twist on a 4" full lug barrel, and I said that defeats my whole purpose in asking, I wanted a half-lug 4" adjustable sight gun. I decided it wasn't worth the effort and cost to have someone like Bowen do it, just not something I need that bad.