Cutting a vent rib barrel
- Thread starter coltfan
- Start date
Well, I guess I'll give this one the first go ... here's what I'd do Dave:
Decide on the length making sure you're cutting the vent rib at a point that you are sure the post is silver soldered to the barrel and cut the rib back about 1/2" from the muzzle.
You'll then have plenty of room to cut the barrel with your pipe cutter.
Depending how short you want to cut the barrel, the rib may not be soldered, or the rib post may not be contacting the barrel in the ideal place to take advantage of the shortest length you'd wish to cut the barrel to.
Decide on the length making sure you're cutting the vent rib at a point that you are sure the post is silver soldered to the barrel and cut the rib back about 1/2" from the muzzle.
You'll then have plenty of room to cut the barrel with your pipe cutter.
Depending how short you want to cut the barrel, the rib may not be soldered, or the rib post may not be contacting the barrel in the ideal place to take advantage of the shortest length you'd wish to cut the barrel to.
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OK..so it sounds like the vent rib won't extend the full length of the newly cut barrel because of where it is attached to the barrel.....so I find the nearest silver soldered point, cut the vent rib, and then cut the BBL 1 1/2" beyond that point...all the while staying on the legal side of length..
Simply decide on the spot and cut it with a fine-tooth hacksaw and square the muzzle with a good file. This works just fine on a shotgun barrel. You really do not need to have the muzzle extend beyond the rib if you ever want choke tubes; almost all fit inside the barrel.
Not sure if on different sized barrels, the rib is affixed at different locations than my 28" barrel, but ...
from taking a gander at my 28" vent rib barrel, 19.25" would be the ideal cut. That puts the rib post 1/2" back from the muzzle. Hope that last post is soldered though. If every second one is soldered, that one will not be.
If that particular post is not soldered, it's not all bad, go to the next post back for a larger gap from the rib to the muzzle. You'll be able to cut the barrel shorter in this case.
If you want the rib and barrel at the seme length, the post happens to be dead centre with 18.5". Clamp it and use a hacksaw at an 1/8" longer and square off with a file to finish. It's not that hard to make yourself a jig for squaring off the muzzle with a hand file. Keep in mind that last post may not be soldered to the barrel.
You have some choices to make.
from taking a gander at my 28" vent rib barrel, 19.25" would be the ideal cut. That puts the rib post 1/2" back from the muzzle. Hope that last post is soldered though. If every second one is soldered, that one will not be.
If that particular post is not soldered, it's not all bad, go to the next post back for a larger gap from the rib to the muzzle. You'll be able to cut the barrel shorter in this case.
If you want the rib and barrel at the seme length, the post happens to be dead centre with 18.5". Clamp it and use a hacksaw at an 1/8" longer and square off with a file to finish. It's not that hard to make yourself a jig for squaring off the muzzle with a hand file. Keep in mind that last post may not be soldered to the barrel.
You have some choices to make.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Any thoughts on using one of these for the job ?
Crude, rude, and socially unacceptable! A chop saw with a fiber blade isn't exactly a precision tool, and the chances of getting a square cut are minimal. The material holder is made for square stock and the tapered barrel will be difficult to keep square to the blade. A chop saw with a steel blade is better, but the problem of holding the barrel remains.
Yeah...I'm going with Easy's method....a little work with a fine file when its done, and all should be well.
I know that for rifles the crown is hyper important for accuracy. Is this not so for shotguns? If it needs to be perfectly square rather than "close enough" then the only really good way to ensure a totally square end is to have the end redone in a lathe. Also, again I have to plead ignorance since I'm new to all this gun specific stuff, but won't the choke or the threading for the choke inserts be lost in the shortening? I'm assuming the metal being removed is from the front since cutting the rear off would loose the chambering or the threading that is needed to seat the barrel.
As for the initial cut what's wrong with the classic metal cutter? A basic hacksaw.
As for the initial cut what's wrong with the classic metal cutter? A basic hacksaw.
How did all the chatter about chokes get into this thread?
Just pick a rib post that you want to cut it off on and use a hacksaw - not in the middle of the post but slightly forward.... put a layer of masking tape around the barrel and follow the edge of it carefully while sawing. Then draw file the end as square as you can make it. Bevel the inside and out side slightly when you are square, break the edges of the rib ever so slightly.
Don't be shocked if the bore is way off center of the outside of the barrel... it is common.
Just pick a rib post that you want to cut it off on and use a hacksaw - not in the middle of the post but slightly forward.... put a layer of masking tape around the barrel and follow the edge of it carefully while sawing. Then draw file the end as square as you can make it. Bevel the inside and out side slightly when you are square, break the edges of the rib ever so slightly.
Don't be shocked if the bore is way off center of the outside of the barrel... it is common.
Uh.... <looks around and sheepishly puts up hand> ... I guess that would be me sir....
Sorry, I guess I thought chokes or being able to use them was sort of important. Not for a slug thrower of course but that wasn't mentioned. Or maybe it didn't need to be mentioned since it's assumed that shortening a shotgun barrel is going to do this anyway?
I'm new to guns but not to metal working by any means. My first choice would still be to hack it with a hacksaw but finish it with a lathe that is centered to the bore and not to the outside given that bit about the bores often not being concentric to the outer diameter..... which sort of made my eyebrow go up to say the least. So much for precision work I guess.
