The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: PegLeg45 on September 21, 2010, 05:39:41 PM
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My uncle (dad's brother) passed away back in March and he had a few guns that he mainly left to me and my youngest son, because we are the only shooter/gun people in the family. One of the guns was an Ithaca M-66 .410 single shot that opened with a lever. My dad wanted to keep it to shoot squirrels and crows in our pecan grove. Well, when he left my aunts house and went back over to his house with the gun on the seat of his golf cart, he forgot about the end of the barrel poking out over the end of the set. As he pulled under his garage, the barrel got caught on a support post and got bent around at about a 60 degree angle, starting at about the mid-point of the barrel. Man I was sick.....that was the first gun I ever hunted with, and the search for a new barrel has been fruitless over the last few months.
Well, I've done a lot of work on guns over the years, but I though it was hopeless and bent too badly to be fixed. Lo and behold, we have a former co-worker (and long-time family friend) that happens to be a gunsmith and works on many guns for area gun shops. My dad got a wild hair this morning and just for grins and giggles, took it down there to see if Buddy could do anything with it. He called this afternoon and said to come get it. Pop brought it over to the house a while ago and you can't tell it was ever bent. I don't know if he used a mandrel tool or what to fix it, but he did a jam-up job. Looks as good as new. Only cost $75, which is a steal compared to what a barrel must cost, if you could find one.
Anyway, ol' Peg is a happy camper today.
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Fantastic Peg! I wondering how he fixed it? Maybe it was magic? We better ask M25.
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Fantastic Peg! I wondering how he fixed it? Maybe it was magic? We better ask M25.
I know they make form-fitting mandrels to go inside the barrel for knocking out dents and such. I don't know if a internal mandrel could be used in combination with a hammer or press, or if he used a tube roller. He just lives a mile and a half down the road, so the next time I go that way, I'll stop and ask him.
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Way cool! And nice looking gun!
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Thanks.
I have been searching and reading, and found that several companies make/made a hydraulic press with rollers that is used to regulate shotgun barrels that don't shoot point of aim.
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I'm curious to hear how he did it.
Maybe a combination of a press for the actual straightening and the mandrel to check bore shape and to judge when its straight enough to check with precision gauges.
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I think it was magic. ;)
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I think it was magic. ;)
Peg will just have to inventory the local virgins ;D
If the count is one short there's your answer ;D
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I'm curious to hear how he did it.
Maybe a combination of a press for the actual straightening and the mandrel to check bore shape and to judge when its straight enough to check with precision gauges.
I don't know about the straightening methods, but the normally use a combo of epanding mandrills and rollers, fallowed by anvils and brass hammers to fix damaged barrels.. some times they rebored them some times not.
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Must be more a shotgun thing.
Except for "in process at T/C ( used a dial indicator and a piece of pipe ) I never heard of anyone doing more than tweaking on rifle barrels, other wise have it re barreled .
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If I took the job on, would begin with a press and a wide plate to cover the top end and support between 2 places, this could easily done with 2x4's, once fairly straight, look for bulges or dents, I do not have a dent raiser, but those things are cool, after removing any dents, would get back on the press and proceed, a mandrel could only be used once you got the barrel fairly straight for the mandrel to enter and I don't think would be necessary, previously mentioned, gentle bending of barrels to get point of aim works, just make sure the stock fits you 1st. Stock fit has more to with poa, than barrels usually. Just a guess, but I the reason real target shotguns, meaning competition, has to with taking the shotgun, and I am talking mostly about over and unders, and the smith, taking the gun to the range, patterning it, and seeing how the regulation between the 2 barrels are, and then taking it back as many times as it takes and tweaking until both barrels hit poa, and very fine choke fitting. I do mean fine guns like Perazzi.
I have made a dent raiser using and allen wrench and a round steel rod, as long as it is within 6" of the muzzle the octagonal shape of the hex key, will push the steel rod into the dent, but you are limited to how long the hex key is.
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Must be more a shotgun thing.
Except for "in process at T/C ( used a dial indicator and a piece of pipe ) I never heard of anyone doing more than tweaking on rifle barrels, other wise have it re barreled .
Rifle barrels are thick and are made to take lots of presure. Shotgun barrels are thin and are not make to take lots of pesure.
Shot barrles are also tapered.( inside and out)
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Maybe not magic, but talent. Prop shafts on yachts often exceed 15-20ft in length, Captains are often scary, find a sand bar, reef etc,..
Point is, take a 3-5" + diameter SS shaft, bend it, and don't want to spend THOUSANDS to replace it?
Find the guru's with the right tools and talent for the job.
God Bless Machinists, and those that have the tools and talent. They can straighten and balance brand new shafts with inherent flaws. It's amazing to watch. Imagine a good smith can do the same with a barrel.
Glad it's straight again, and you knew the right person.
Good to go for the next squirrels.
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I've straightened solid shafts for hydraulic cylinders and gear boxes plenty of times over the years, but never a hollow tube (at least not back perfectly straight, anyway). That's why I thought the barrel was toast.
My hat is definitely off to the 'smith. I only wish I had known Pop was going to take it to him this morning so I could have taken some 'before' photos. He had talked about it a while back but didn't tell me he took it today until after lunch.
The 'after' shots don't do the job justice so I only posted the one.
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You could bend it again and get some "before" pictures. ;D I'm glad it turned out good.
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If the bend was to the right, brief exposure to FQ should have it leaning left enough to get it back to center. It's not magic... It's puffed wheat!
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Just out of curiousity...Did you try Numerich Arms Aka-Gun Parts?
http://www.gunpartscorp.com/
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Found this with a Google search
the best way to repair bent shotgun barrels is to remove them from the gun, plug the muzzle with a rubber bung, fill with water, set them in a freezer till the ice is solid, and support over heavy rubber sheet, whacking appropriately with a rubber or rawhide mallet. in case of a gun with rib, a wooden form witn rubber or leather shoes must be made of pine to straddle the rib. the form should be 3" long, or so, and lots of gentle whacks, rather than a few strong whacks. it's a bit of an art, but you get the idea. if done right, using a straight edge for verification, the barrels can be repaired good as new. if done wrong, need to do again more carefully. not something you'd let the drunk monkeys at century do, but OK if done by a patient and careful person.
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Just out of curiousity...Did you try Numerich Arms Aka-Gun Parts?
http://www.gunpartscorp.com/
Yes...But that was a while back. They had a few of the "new style" square ejector shank barrels in limited quantities, but were out of the "old style" with the round shank (what I needed) the last time I checked (April or so). They were $62 plus shipping, so the $75 bucks to keep the original didn't hurt too bad. I may keep checking from time to time, since it is a stock item, to see when they have them and get a spare any way.
Thanks,
Peg