Boy oh boy, you'all have my hair standing on end. Go buy another gun if you want a shorter barrel. They are cheap!! I am sorry....to me, my Ruger's are pieces of art. The touch, feel, and handling of each one is unique. When I wanted one a little different, I went and bought one. You can pick them up cheap on the internet (Auction Arms, Gun Broker, GRAYBEARDS!), you can find them at gun shows, or you can put a post in this forum and someone will tell you about one they saw. If you want something that no-one else has, and no-one makes, then go talk to Hamilton Bowen, SSK, etc. They will make you a 5 shot 44 with bird's head grip and 3" barrel, or a handcannon of some kind on the old Max elongated frame.
Oh he!!, fell off my soap box! Or was it a premonition knocking me off? :bye:
If you have a good pistolsmith removing a 7 1/2" barrel and putting on a Ruger 4 5/8" barrel for $25, I can't fault you for that. Or rounding the grip frame to make it a little unique...that is the fun of having these guns. Just ..Just...don't go cut off the end of the barrel to shorten it. Be careful of hackers and butchers that are looking for a few bucks and don't care or feel about their work. I have had a couple of guns ruined and have picked up a few Rugers that were poorly cared for and have had them re-done back to original condition. Keep your old barrel so you too can put the gun back to original condition.
99.9% of the guys on this board can help you decide on the answer that best suits your needs. Some of the prior posters obviously care about their guns and work and are offering you a great deal to save you some money in accomplishing this. I applaud them for helping you.
Cutting the end off a Ruger barrel, imho, is just like chopping the top on a 66 K-code mustang. It may look similar, but it's just not the same....or worth the same as the original.
Good luck with your choice. I hope you enjoy your Ruger. You will really like the short barrels on some guns and the longer barrels on the others.
Steve
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