Octagon shaped barrel band

[welldone]

I have a Freedom Arms 83 with a octagon barrel. Call me crazy but I am thinking of some custom work to make it mine. I like the way some round revolvers have a barrel band on the muzzle. Has anyone done a barrel band that is octagon shaped? Oh, I know that it would be extremely labor intensive AND that to accomplish a seamless fit could possibly turn into an train wreck but I believe it would look good. Anybody ever tried it ?

[taffin]

A round band dreamily expensive; I shudder to think what this would cost!

[rickiesrevenge]

Does the barrel have taper? Or is it straight?

[flyingzebra]

Disclaimer, I make the parts for special custom revolver projects, and I put them together. I'm not responding here in any sort of attempt to lure this particular job.

You said seamless, and you haven't given the specifics of how you want it to look, so I'm going on an incomplete picture of how you would imagine this.
For a simple band with both ends perpendicular to the bore, the way to do this is to make it integral to the barrel, which is a costly proposition.
Every other way that I can think of to do this is also expensive, from the initial rendering of the basic shapes to the hand fitting to the joining and finishing and polishing.

Fabrication, welding, machining, casting, and EDM are ways to get the ball rolling, and each process would leave the maker with considerable hand work to do through the completion of the job.

What is your budget for this?

[welldone]

Oh, this is not a “ I have a budget” kind of question. I am not a gunsmith but I have been a machinist for the last 40 years. This would definitely be a “ labor of love” project. I’m at the concept phase right now. I’ve thought of having the octagon cut on the inside of band and leaving the outside oversized, then somehow soldering the band to the barrel. After that, I could machine the shape to the outside. I am still foggy on how to treat the front sight. I like the way a “rib” looks on top from the frame to the front sight.

[flyingzebra]

Oh - you're interested in doing it yourself.
Cool. That opens up the possibilities.

Just make it, fit it, silver braze it on there with a minimal but uninterrupted meniscus, then finish back the fillet to basically nothing then hand polish with paper or stones to your desired grain.

It's as easy as that.

Here, look at this thread

I did a scalloped band and full rib ramp, but for a round barrel.  Just substitute your work for the octagonal barrel profile and you're in there.

[leadhound]

Can’t you just turn the barrel round for needed length, then bore out your octagonal stock for press fit. Machine the ramp base flat to match barrel flat on top.

[welldone]

Hey flyingzebra. Can you direct me to the thread that you referenced? I’d like to see more about that.
Lead hound. Your idea would work for sure. Thanks !

[bradshaw]

Mar 27, 2021 4:50:57 GMT -5 welldone said:

I have a Freedom Arms 83 with a octagon barrel. Call me crazy but I am thinking of some custom work to make it mine. I like the way some round revolvers have a barrel band on the muzzle. Has anyone done a barrel band that is octagon shaped? Oh, I know that it would be extremely labor intensive AND that to accomplish a seamless fit could possibly turn into an train wreck but I believe it would look good. Anybody ever tried it ?

*****

Let’s look at your first sentence. You already have a Model 83 with factory octagon. Contact this: Freedom Arms makes as crisp an octagon as you can get. There is an extreme risk of polluting such a clean aesthetic.

Risk of embellishment
* Aesthetic mess.
* Potential to degrade accuracy by altering bore & groove at muzzle.

Experiment
Pull factory octagon barrel. Mill a new octagon from barrel stick. Call barrel makers, including Green Mountain in New Hampshire, find whether a fat octagon blank i s available with preferred bore & groove, and twist.
David Bradshaw

[flyingzebra]

Hyperlink text, click the words

this thread

[potatojudge]

Not being a machinist, I don't know what the best way to produce one would be. I don't know if surface grinders are ever employed in making octagons or just mills, or if EDM has a place.

I think an ovate barrel with a band that's also the integral front sight base would look very nice, but that's every bit as difficult and costly as a banded octagon I'd imagine.

For an octagon band, you could always turn the last bit of an octagon muzzle round, make the octagon band slip over the end, and attach via set screw under the front sight base. Probably easier than milling it out of solid stock.

Ronnie, you've got my FA97 with an octagon barrel if you get a wild hair 

[potatojudge]

I have a couple of 10.5 inch octagon .429 barrel blanks waiting for their time.

Here's one up against the long octagon barrel of a FA97 in 357 Mag. I believe the 44 special barrels are a bit fatter at 4.5-5.5 inches.

I suppose one could bore out the center, cut the thing into one inch segments, and slip them over a turned down octagon barrel. No provision for an integral base, but screw or solder on would be viable. Oh, and carbon steel so chrome, CCH, or blue if not left in the white.

[RDW]

Nah. Just make it out of whole stock man.
Here is one i need to finish, Kinda Crazy. I call it 22 something stupid. It has 4 cylinders. 22 Hornet, K hornet. 218 bee and 5.7 x 28mm!
11 inch barrel that tapers from .850 octagonal to round. Was lookin at a chisel type punch one day and thought it would be cool!






Better view of the Barrel.

[RDW]

This is an old 454 /45 LC/ 45 ACP mogombo combo.
Barrel is round and then ovate at the end with a set screw sight hold in!

[RDW]

Its not that im not a fan of soldered on sights, i just figured if i can make the barrel and sight block in one peice, Why the hell not. Hahaha.



I think it just looks better.