not a lot of gun experience... have a mosberg 12/20, just got a rough rider 22lr, but the one piece I have and really love is my deceased grandfather's colt army 38 special... unfortunately, I let a guy at the range play w. it and he apparently used too big a load because he blew off the sight and blew open the barrel... so I have a couple of questions: would a barrel from a later series work? (this is the early 1900 marked series) and if not, is there a general consensus on how / if to repair it? I found a companu that would shave down the barrel to 4.5" but that seems like a last resort... any thought? I am even considering buying another whole gun just to swap out the parts!
5" colt army 38 special barrel
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Doesn't sound like a too-hot load- that would have blown the cylinder. It could have been a squib on the previous shot leaving a bullet stuck in the barrel. Then the next shot would have hit the obstruction and blown the barrel at that point.
If this is the New Army model, and from about 1900, and not the later Army Special, then a .38 Special round had no business being in that gun, even if it'd fit. Most New Armies were chambered for the old BP .38 Long Colt. Some of the commercial New Armies were chambered for .38 Special, but that was after about 1905.
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That is, in fact, the most common way of finding spare parts for these early guns as the action parts are very different from the latter DA guns. The only problem is that most for the hard-to-find parts have already been hand fitted when new. They might fit your gun, or might not. Luckily, the barrel is not in that category, but such a gun still will not be particularly easy to find.
Buck
GREAT NEWS!!!! JUST ordered a new barrel (and schematic) for under $55 shipped from gunpartscorp.com - who says the interwebs don't have EVERYTHING??? I'm so relieved I don't have to buy a new one (although, it WOULD be fun to have more than one...) - and the gunsmith guy I know is ready and willing to swap it out - total repair of gun = under $150... value of restoring family piece to former beautiful condition? PRICELESS 
can you tell I'm a little excited??? yiiippeeeee!
probably not going to try shooting it again, but I do have a couple of these models on my watch list on gunbroker, just in case
can you tell I'm a little excited??? yiiippeeeee! probably not going to try shooting it again, but I do have a couple of these models on my watch list on gunbroker, just in case
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