Who makes aftermarket stainless octagon barrels for SBH?

[edk]

Jul 4, 2024 17:06:32 GMT -5 jb500 said:

Right, I will get Jack to do it. I didn't know if he did octagon barrels or not. We talked about bull barrel round barrels, but no other type. So I will ask him about the octagon barrels, and I am looking for the heaviest barrel type he can make, whether octagon or round bull barrel. The barrels is only going to be 4 7/8 inch long, so I'd like as much weight as I can get in it while still looking right on the gun.

Octagon does indeed look great but you will run out of weight with it long before a bull round barrel.

[jb500]

Jul 4, 2024 18:57:26 GMT -5 edk said:

Jul 4, 2024 17:06:32 GMT -5 jb500 said:

Right, I will get Jack to do it. I didn't know if he did octagon barrels or not. We talked about bull barrel round barrels, but no other type. So I will ask him about the octagon barrels, and I am looking for the heaviest barrel type he can make, whether octagon or round bull barrel. The barrels is only going to be 4 7/8 inch long, so I'd like as much weight as I can get in it while still looking right on the gun.

Octagon does indeed look great but you will run out of weight with it long before a bull round barrel.

That is what I was wondering, that the round bull barrel would outweigh an octagon barrel. I will talk with Jack and see what he thinks the weight difference might be. Since it is heavier, I will most likely go with the round bull barrel. I have octagon barrels on my two BFR 500 JRH's, so having one with a round bull barrel would compliment the 2 I already have. 

[CraigC]

Even if a company like Green Mountain made them, it's unlikely it'd be the right diameter or twist rate.

Just have Jack do it. He's done one or two.

[bigbore5]

I've used a Douglas and a Krieger for octagon barrels before. Neither offer it as a regular item. You buy a full diameter blank to mill into the octagon. Not a particularly hard process if you have a proper indexing head, but it is time consuming and time on a mill costs money. If you don't already own a mill and indexing head with the skill to use them, someone has to be paid for the work. Paying a skilled and experienced craftsman like Mr. Huntington is a bargain. Especially if you want a taper that looks right, or a bull to properly blend into the guns looks

[RDW]

Hey Guys. Dont mean to step on any toes here and i certainly agree that there is a large knowledge base on this forum so forgive if i offend. That is not my intentions, however i need to point something out and i might be able to clear something up for you.  I was going to comment on the weight factor because i may be missinterpreting this thread , or i might be  missing something here.
The bull would have to be so big it would require major mods to the ejector rod housing and the bottom of the barrel above the base pin
I have made hundreds of octoganal barrels for SAs because i love the look and the ADDED weight.
With a standard blackhawk frame you are looking at a .546 bore to base pin center distance which limits the od of the BARREL on average to .830.
Now i have round barrels that are larger but not by much.
2 factors. The distance to the ejector rod housing hole from bore center and of course the base pin as well.
About the most i have been able to get without serious fudging is .855 od and then i had to flatten the bottom of the barrel a smidge to clear the base pin.
I small lenghth of flattened area so the base pin hole has atleast a thou or two the length forward on the bottom of the barrel to clear extraction of the base pin.
here is an example of the geometry and you will see there is 16.66 percent more meat for weight in an octoganal of proportionate size and length.
If you look at the drawing of two .830 diameters you see where there is more meat in the corners of the Octoganal.


So here are 2 barrels both of 45 cal diameter cut from the the same 1.3 inch od douglas blank.
The round is the larger at .850 and is actually a quarter of an inch longer at 11.2 ounces. It also has one of my crazy shaped barrel lugs and would have to be 3.125 inchs long to match the weight of the octoganal. (The Lug)


The Octoganal is smaller at .830 and shorter and still out weighs the round bull by 16 plus percent.



 
Notice the flat spot for base pin clearance on this old .850 OD 500 Linebaugh barrel.




Thought that might help in your quest for kewlness.
Ronnie

[jb500]

Thanks Ronnie, very interesting!!!

[bigbrowndog]

Thanks Ron, I was thinking the Octagon would be heavier due to the extra mass on the corners but my brain wasn’t positive. I did recall Octo’s are measured at the flats and rounds of course are just diameter, so that the Octo should be heavier but again my brain wasn’t positive.
JB my JRH 500L octagon barrel measures .827 and it’s in a Vaquero frame. I’d think a Blackhawk frame could go a bit larger on the frame, you’d just have to modify it for ERH attachment and base pin. Which personally why endure the extra expense, just tell Jack to go as larger as practically feasible and maintain aesthetic beauty. Tell him what you want and give him free rein, don’t hobble him with your ideas because I’m sure he has a better grasp of what works and looks good than we do.

Trapr

[cmillard]

I think Pac-Nor will do one if I'm not mistaken.

[edk]

Have seen octagon barrels with the points/corners of the flats protrude beyond the machined face of the cylinder frame where a round would not. It lends an odd aesthetic.

[bigbrowndog]

EDK, that just sounds weird, and more like a mistake.

Trapr

[Encore64]

Yeah, an octagon barrel and a properly executed octagon barrel are apparently two different things.

Barrel size is limited on both profiles due to the ERH needing to be mounted in a fixed location.

[RDW]

Jul 7, 2024 5:37:59 GMT -5 edk said:

Have seen octagon barrels with the points/corners of the flats protrude beyond the machined face of the cylinder frame where a round would not. It lends an odd aesthetic.

Ya Man. You can only bevel so much until it looks so wonky and unmatched.
You Have to pick and choose your main frame for octoganals. Some faces are larger than others and if to small wont let you stretch the od out much.
And of course as encore pointed out there is only so far you can go till you are cutting the backside of the ejr housing down to much and loosing the integrity of it and mashing the the ejector itself to close to the barrel face for smooth movement backwards to eject.

[500fksjr]

Very interesting thread!!

[Professor]

Im not sure about octagons but ribbed barrels often require welding up the front of the topstrap on Ruger frames to avoid a gap at the top. Adds to the cost. Ive seen a few installs where it wasnt done and just doesnt look right. Octagons sure look good. I had a Bob Baer octagon blackhawk that sure looked nice. Its the only octagon ruger Ive owned. I talked to Andy Horvath about doing one but decided to do another S&W barrel.
These projects are personal, so you have pick a builder who knows their stuff. I think Ronnie Wells, Jack Huntington and Hamilton Bowen can fix you up. The biggest issue is waiting. I think everyone of these guys has a large intake of work over the past year.
Jack told me is training a couple of his guys to do the barrels. Its not just something you master over night.