do I need a new barrell?
02-04-2005, 12:56 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 27
do I need a new barrell?
My dad recently got his shotgun back after lending it to his brother (my uncle) for a few years. The gun is an older BPS Browning 12GA (a field model 28 to be precise). We recently realized that the barrell was significantly shorter, only to find out that my uncle had it cut (for a reason he does not remember). This is a problem. This means that he cut off the choke threads. When a man at the gun club looked at my gun he said that barrell was modified. It sounded as if he were talking about the bore size because he reffered it to chokes. Shouldn't the barrell size just be an open choke? The reason I am concerned is that I shoot clay most of the time and having a modified bore size makes it a little tougher. Do I need a new barrell? Can I go to a gunsmith and have new threads made on the barrell for chokes? Are there chokes that don't require threads that I can use in this situation? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading my post!
02-04-2005, 01:06 AM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Springfield, Il
Posts: 86
RE: do I need a new barrell?
i wouldnt shoot it for any reason, theres a decent chance the integrity of the metal could have been compromised by hacking off the barrel.
I find it hard to believe that anyone would do that to someone elses gun for any reason, ESPECIALLY for a reason he doesnt remember, and without asking.
Buy yourself a nice new barrel with interchangeable choke ability, and send his ass the bill[:@]
Mat
I find it hard to believe that anyone would do that to someone elses gun for any reason, ESPECIALLY for a reason he doesnt remember, and without asking.
Buy yourself a nice new barrel with interchangeable choke ability, and send his ass the bill[:@]
Mat
02-04-2005, 01:21 AM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,679
RE: do I need a new barrell?
You don't need a new barrel but if he just whacked it off then you definetly need to have it turned down properly at the proper place on the rib. It should be smooth and the end of the muzzle should be square to the barrel.
He probably meant that someone had gone and modified the barrel by shortening it. I assure you that if it had screw in chokes the rest of the barrel is just a straight bore. There is not choke to it at all. A 12 gauge bore diameter is .729 inches. You can measure this at the muzzle with a caliper if you have access to one.
You can have the barrel recut for chokes. This is not a cheap thing to do. You would be looking at a minimum of a hundred dollars to do this.
After saying all of this I would get your uncle's butt to buy a new barrel for it regardless. Unless he had permission to shorten it.
When a man at the gun club looked at my gun he said that barrell was modified.
You can have the barrel recut for chokes. This is not a cheap thing to do. You would be looking at a minimum of a hundred dollars to do this.
After saying all of this I would get your uncle's butt to buy a new barrel for it regardless. Unless he had permission to shorten it.
02-04-2005, 07:26 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gypsum KS USA
Posts: 1,289
RE: do I need a new barrell?
If you're using it for clays and not for hunting, I'd give it a few runs and see what happens...you might not want the chokes installed.
Assuming the barrel is properly shortened, there isn't any problem shooting it, but it will be a pure cylinder bore shotgun.
Yes, it is possible to have new chokes installed, yes, it'll likely be about $100, but that includes the chokes he installs...I've had a few shotguns recut (or cut for the first time) for chokes, the most I've paid is $110, and I got an S, I, M, and F set of chokes to go with the job.
Assuming the barrel is properly shortened, there isn't any problem shooting it, but it will be a pure cylinder bore shotgun.
Yes, it is possible to have new chokes installed, yes, it'll likely be about $100, but that includes the chokes he installs...I've had a few shotguns recut (or cut for the first time) for chokes, the most I've paid is $110, and I got an S, I, M, and F set of chokes to go with the job.
02-04-2005, 08:09 AM
#6
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: La Grange, TX
Posts: 324
RE: do I need a new barrell?
Fail to see how sawing a barrel off would compromise the integrity of the steel unless he did it with a torch. Other than that as mentioned make sure its square and smooth. And if it shoots and balances well what more do you want?
Jeff
Jeff
02-04-2005, 08:39 AM
#7
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 27
RE: do I need a new barrell?
Now thinking about it. I only assumed it had choke threads. I just found out that my dad got the gun 25 YEARS AGO!!! Maybe it wouldn't have choke threads on an older model like that. The model 28 is discontinued now I think, so I question whether today's BPS barrell will fit it. Also, my uncle took it to a professional to get cut. Whether it was a gunsmith not I don't know. It doesn't look bad. I didn't notice the cutting, and probably wouldn't have, if I wasn't told that it was cut. Wouldn't this aslo make the barrell less accurate?
02-04-2005, 06:10 PM
#8
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: La Grange, TX
Posts: 324
RE: do I need a new barrell?
If its square and cylinder bore and the cut is burr free, it won't shoot any different than a cylinder bore factory barrel. He may have toasted the end of it and had that nipped off or it was one of those insane 30+ inch barrels and he wanted something handy like my 24 inch bbl goose gun etc...
02-04-2005, 06:17 PM
#9
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Southampton, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 974
RE: do I need a new barrell?
Could uncle had shot the gun with the end of the barrel plugged ? this would blow the last few inches off of the barrel . Then to cover up he cut it back, and convienently forgot why he cut it off? He owes you a new barrel. If the barrel had been shot off I would be worried about ever shooting that barrel again. Overpressured barrels could fail with a normal safe load.
