Short Contender barrel?

[GarrettJ]

I've got a 10" .357 Mag barrel inbound.  I was intending to have the barrel threaded to use with a suppressor, and was considering having it shortened at the same time.  Initially I was thinking of going 8" or so, but when you throw on an additional 8" to 10" with a suppressor, you still end up with a rifle-length package. 

So then I was thinking of going as short as 5" or 6" with it.  Since I'm primarily planning on using it with subsonic ammo (.38 Spl. or sub handloads in .357 brass), I'm not concerned about loosing velocity with the shorter barrel. 

Any suggestions?  Anyone have any pictures of a Contender with a barrel that short?  Here's a 10" barrel and can for reference.

[Lonegun1894]

I've been thinking of having a .22 LR barrel cut down to 4.5-5" and threaded for use with a can also, but haven't done it yet, so this is a good thread.  I also sent in papers to build a intergally suppressed .22 contender also some time back, but still haven't heard back, so will just have to keep waiting.

[Ladobe]

Can't find them now, but used to have pictures of some Contenders with snubbie barrels as short as about 3".   Pretty sure at least a couple of them were from members that had posted them here on GBO.   Seems like all were for straight case mags, but that's just from memory.   What length to shorten to probably comes down to at what max range you want to shoot to with accuracy though.

[rvn67n20]

TCA members had a number of different calibers in 6.5" length from the factory. Google TCA short barrels for some links/pics.

[GarrettJ]

Yeah. Some of those 6" and 8" guns don't look half bad.

Here's what I'm thinking about. If I leave the barrel at 10" when I install a pistol-length can, I still end up with something longer than a 16" barrel.



If I have it cut back to around 6" it will still be pretty long with a subgun can, but will probably be pretty manageable with the smaller can.

[Ladobe]

So by your math if cut to 6" you'd have a 12" barrel with a pistol-length can.   12" is very manageable... I've owned lots of Contender custom 12" bull barrels, even had custom full length furniture made for them.  They balanced quite well.  But then to me the 14" are also very manageable off hand even with custom furniture.
 
Examples of a couple of the 12" I had...
 

 

[GarrettJ]

I ended up answering my own question. The end result is that a 6.5" barrel looks funny on a Contender, and a 4" tube looks downright strange!

But you throw a can on there and it doesn't look too bad. I still have to modify a forend for the short .22 barrel. I was originally planning to just cut it to match barrel length, but now I think I'll leave it the same length, and just open it up so the 1" diameter can fits in the forend.

[GarrettJ]

I'm still working on inletting the forend for the suppressor. The naked barrel looks pretty strange, though. It kind of reminds me of the short "shop keeper" versions of the Single Action Army.

[Mike Scott]

45 ACP on the left and 45/70 on the right along with a S&W 642 and NAA 22 Short for comparison.

[GarrettJ]

Very cool on the shorties. That .45-70 must throw a huge fireball!

[223Larry]

357 bullberry 7"