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Thread: Ortgies .380/.32 barrel swap question

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    Northeast
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    2,915

    Ortgies .380/.32 barrel swap question

    I bought the Ortgies .380 awhile back. Great gun. Recently I bought a .32 barrel for it from Numrich (the mag holds both calibers). I stripped the gun and removed the .380 barrel which is easy to do - rotate it 1/4 turn counterclockwise (looking down at the top of the frame) and pull it up and out. The "new" .32 barrel is in great shape. The barrel lug dropped right into the slot in the frame, and the barrel turned ALMOST all the way to align with the frame. There's a barrel stop on the frame that the barrel wouldn't clear until I removed a tiny amount from the top of the stop (I keep checking with the .380 barrel to make sure I'm not messing up its fit).
    So here's the problem and question: the .32 barrel will not rotate exactly in line with the frame. It's close, real close, but it has to rotate clockwise another fraction, which means it has to be hand fitted. I don't want to remove any metal from the frame and I'm kinda at a loss as to where on the barrel lug to remove metal. I've been concentrating on the little cutout that fits up against the stop, but it's not moving into alignment much.
    I know, pics would help but I was wondering if anyone ever tried this before, with this gun, and had the same problem.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    Some pics:
    1st pic shows the stop cut out on the bottom of the lug (lower left corner).
    2nd pic shows the cut out going over the stop as the barrel rotates
    3rd pic shows how much the fit is off (opposite side of barrel).
    Common sense says that the metal has to be trimmed from the cut out, but...
    I tried magic marker on the edges of the lug to see if there's any wear when I install the barrel, but nothing's showing.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master


    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Central Maine
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    I don't see the pics, did you get this sorted out yet?

  4. #4
    Moderator


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    Same here-- no photos. You might try coating the locking lug area of the .380 barrel with Dykem layout fluid. Let it dry well, then fire several shots and see where contact occurs on the locking lug, then compare to the .32 barrel. Shiny areas could indicate where you'd need to remove metal on the .32 barrel.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check