Ringed revolver barrel?

[Rebel-1]

I received a Pietta '58 Remmy from a fella today that has a ringed barrel. There is an obvious bulge in the barrel about 1" from the muzzle. You can see it on the outside and also on the inside and feel it when pulling a patch through the barrel. He told me there was a Slight bulge in the barrel before i made the deal with him, so i can't send it back, although i wasn't expecting this much of a bulge. So my question is: How do you ring a revolver barrel? Only way i can see is if you had a chamber with no, or very little powder and fired it and before thinking about the lack of noise and recoil, fired another round with a ball stuck in the barrel. Any other ways this could be done that anyone can think of? Guess i will have to shoot it and see how it shoots and if it isn't accurate have the barrel shortened an inch and a dovetailed Remmy front sight installed.

[simonkenton]

Yes, just amputate that barrel, no problem.

[bedbugbilly]

Not poking fun at your situation as I'm sure it is disappointing - but - short barreled Remingtons are nice too!  On another board that is devoted to Remington shooters, quite a few have altered them and made short barreled shooters and they all seem to really like them.  I can't explain how the ring got there but your explanation seems very plausible and probably is pretty close to what happened.  If you still want to keep it with the longer barrel, look at some of the other boards as well as this one and post a want ad and maybe someone might have a barrel that would work to replace yours.  Some fellas are putting long barrels on their pistols and adding shoulder stocks, etc. so you never know, maybe someone has a barrel laying around that they would part with.  Good luck and good shooting!   

[Gatofeo]

Don't know how you'd ring a barrel near the muzzle.
I'm guessing that a very low load, or powder contaminated with grease or moisture, failed to push the ball out. The next shot slammed the ball into the stuck one and -- ringed barrel!
Or, the previous owner had a holster that didn't have a bottom. He sat down on a bank and unwittingly pushed the barrel down into the mud. The next time he fired it -- ringed barrel!
For this reason, holsters with end plugs sewn in them are best for field use -- a little tidbit there.

As for shortening the barrel, that's certainly an option. However, if you like the balance and looks as is, you can have the gunsmith remove the barrel, chuck it into a lathe, and back-bore from the muzzle, removing all rifling. Then he'd smooth up the interior and put a crown inside.
Removing the rifling for an inch or so back from the muzzle would make it appear to be .50 caliber or so. Made large enough, it won't interfere with the projectile as it exits the rifling.
But really, for what it would cost to do that, you could probably just get a new barrel from Dixie gun Works or Gun Parts Corporation and have it installed. Pietta may sell barrels as parts too.
I certainly wouldn't junk it out. Shortening the barrel might be the best path. The decision is yours.

[Flash]

Seen shotguns suffer that many times. Swinging on Grouse or Quail in dense pines and pulling the trigger with the muzzle too close to a branch will easily bulge a shotgun. I can't imagine a handgun needing anything different to bulge it close to the muzzle.

[rio grande]

A friend has an old S&W pre-K22....with a very noticeable bulge about an inch from the muzzle but that revolver is more accurate than most any other .22 I've seen.  Very accurate, maybe 1 inch at 25 yards off sandbags.
Doesn't hurt that one at all.
Maybe yours will shoot fine too.

[His lordship.]

I had a squib load on an old Smith and Wesson Model 28 revolver years ago.  I bought some reloads from a California loader and had a bullet stick into the barrel because he forgot to put in any gun powder on the shell case, did not know it and then fired another round, slightly bulging the barrel.  I think the bulge was about half way, closer to the muzzle.  I continued to shoot the gun for many years and the bulge reduced so much that you had to look hard to see any problems.  Smith and Wesson used good steel on those revolvers, and it shot very well with a bulge.