shorten the barrel

bgeorge_h

bought a new cva kodiak and cut the barrel right out of the box,down to 24 inches, it shoots great groups at 75yds. It seems to be the latest craze. At 28" on the shoulder carry it always seems to be whacking into tree branches,and with snow on them it can be a pain on the cold neck, so folks dont be afraid to shorten them up,and put em down.

mongrel1776

I believe I will leave the 43" barrel of my longrifle as-is [:D][;)]. I did, however, remove the sling, making any snow-laden side effects of shoulder carry a moot point.

allen griggs

Did you crown that Kodiak?

I have an 1860 Colt pistol repro. The damn barrel just seemed too long. I didn't like the way it handled.
I got out my favorite gunsmithing tool, the Sawzall, and cut 4 inches off the barrel. Also removed the loading mechanism.
Now, that gun handles pretty well.

What do you know, I got to studying up on these guns, and found that this trick was often done by gunslingers of the 19th century.
They lost the reloading lever, but, they figured they could get the job done with the first 5 shots.

mazo kid

quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
Did you crown that Kodiak?

I have an 1860 Colt pistol repro. The damn barrel just seemed too long. I didn't like the way it handled.
I got out my favorite gunsmithing tool, the Sawzall, and cut 4 inches off the barrel. Also removed the loading mechanism.
Now, that gun handles pretty well.

What do you know, I got to studying up on these guns, and found that this trick was often done by gunslingers of the 19th century.
They lost the reloading lever, but, they figured they could get the job done with the first 5 shots.

I am working on a '51 repro now and did the same thing. Also reformed the top strap into a bird head grip.

bgeorge_h

I did re-crown the barrel on the kodiak as well as counter bored the last 1/4" for easy bullet loading. it was done exactly like it was from the cva factory, now its shorter and more easily handled.i am very fortunate to have the use of a lathe with steady rest and a leblonde milling machine with a bridgeport head.i only work on my own stuff.these 2 shop tools did however put alot of time in manufacturing an 1850's army revolver, there were 10,000 hours in the making of this particular pistol,made in maine in the late 70's by a crafty old machinist.
a total of five pistols were produced, one of which shot and won alot matches,man by the name of mert warren behind the grip.

Guns & Glass

If using FF powder in 28", try going to FFF in the 24". MV is equal or may even increase compared to the 28".

Chief Shaway

quote:Originally posted by mongrel1776
I believe I will leave the 43" barrel of my longrifle as-is [:D][;)]. I did, however, remove the sling, making any snow-laden side effects of shoulder carry a moot point.

I have to agree with ya on that one. I don't think that my long rifles or my 1st model Bess would appreciate being cut down.