Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Bedding would work, but again - overthinking. If you get it good enough around the bbl
hole to not fall off and get a good 3/4" wide (3/4" oak board) by 1" fitted area near the bottom
front of the frame as a torque absorbing pad, both sides, you will be good. A pad of inner tube would be
good in that area, avoid the need of perfect fit, too. I have just used oak. Actually for latest S&W I
used a commercial wrench, owned by a friend, but used oak blocks for several other barrel removals,
FAL and Colt, a different S&W, worked just as well. Grit-free, clean wood will not mar the finish.
PLEASE DO NOT use the "hammer handle trick", you can truly warp the frame that way, and
they are WAY softer and easier to warp than you would ever believe.
The more I think about it, doing one pass all the way around with a safe-edged fine-cut file - maybe
a layer of tape on the threads, too --- and then sooting the face you just filed with a candle,
and then screwing it in, and out, then touching up (filing) only the shiny spots (high) would do a really
nice fit. Prussian blue is the traditional material for this type of fitting, would work fine.
Blue artist oil paint is essentially the same stuff. Hand fitting can easily get .001 or better precision.
It is easier with a good lathe, but I think a careful worker who can file and fit could do it very
well that way. I have not fitted a bbl this way, but did fit a set of conrod bearings that
I babbitted and scraped to a 0.0015 clearance fit for an old Ford, years ago. Fitting with a marker
like Prussian blue or soot can give you a really precise fit, it is just more time consuming than
the lathe way. Note that it wasn't that the limit of fitting was 0.0015", that was the spec on
the bearing clearance, measured with Plastigage, easily hit it, probably could control to .0005" pretty
reliably, assuming you have a good clearance measurement method.
Bill
hole to not fall off and get a good 3/4" wide (3/4" oak board) by 1" fitted area near the bottom
front of the frame as a torque absorbing pad, both sides, you will be good. A pad of inner tube would be
good in that area, avoid the need of perfect fit, too. I have just used oak. Actually for latest S&W I
used a commercial wrench, owned by a friend, but used oak blocks for several other barrel removals,
FAL and Colt, a different S&W, worked just as well. Grit-free, clean wood will not mar the finish.
PLEASE DO NOT use the "hammer handle trick", you can truly warp the frame that way, and
they are WAY softer and easier to warp than you would ever believe.
The more I think about it, doing one pass all the way around with a safe-edged fine-cut file - maybe
a layer of tape on the threads, too --- and then sooting the face you just filed with a candle,
and then screwing it in, and out, then touching up (filing) only the shiny spots (high) would do a really
nice fit. Prussian blue is the traditional material for this type of fitting, would work fine.
Blue artist oil paint is essentially the same stuff. Hand fitting can easily get .001 or better precision.
It is easier with a good lathe, but I think a careful worker who can file and fit could do it very
well that way. I have not fitted a bbl this way, but did fit a set of conrod bearings that
I babbitted and scraped to a 0.0015 clearance fit for an old Ford, years ago. Fitting with a marker
like Prussian blue or soot can give you a really precise fit, it is just more time consuming than
the lathe way. Note that it wasn't that the limit of fitting was 0.0015", that was the spec on
the bearing clearance, measured with Plastigage, easily hit it, probably could control to .0005" pretty
reliably, assuming you have a good clearance measurement method.
Bill
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