Cracked Barrel on SX2

jaydawg

jaydawg

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I bought this gun used a few years ago, maybe put a hundreds round through it since then. The previous owner used it extensively and fed it a steady diet of 3.5" waterfowl loads. I noticed it was not firing properly and only leaving "light kisses" on the primers of my shells. Also, getting this thing apart has always been a huge pain. Getting the barrel of took two guys pulling. Anyway, took it to the gunsmith and he noticed this crack in the barrel extension and determined that it was the cause of all my woes.
Has anyone ever seen this before? Could this been caused by the consitant use of 3.5"? The gunsmith though it could be welded. Any chance Winchester may help out on this? Pics attached.
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Try Winchester first and see what they have to say but since it was purchased used I say good luck with that! I would just bring it to a reputable welding shop that is set up with a TIG welder. There is no danger to weld that part up if it is done by a professional. Repaired properly it will be stronger than original.

Also for it to crack in that place I would suspect that the barrel extension doesn't make full contact with the frame on that corner. Those full power loads would have caused the extension to flex and stretch to the point of cracking over time. Have that looked at as well. If there is a small gap at that point have the welder build up that corner of the extension a little and then file it down until full contact is acheived and the gun locks up tight.
 
Forget about winchester. They donot make a replacement barrel for the x2 in 3 1/2" any more. You can only get a 3" and it is 569.00, plus taxes plus shipping per Epps. Had one bent beyond repair last year by canada post so have searched every avenue for a new 3 1/2 believe me. Used would be your only option. That is not a big deal to repair but make sure the individual doing it is qualified. I have a couple of these in X2 two are 3 1/2" and never seen this problem before. Could just be a material flaw in that barrel.
 
I am pretty sure sx3 barrels work in SX2's and vice versa. Find someone with one and test it out. Just know a new barrel will cost $600+ here.
 
If that was out on the farm and broke the day before hunting opened, it would be out in the shop gettin buzz boxed on the ole Lincoln and probably hold the rest of the guns days. :ninja:
But since this is "modern days", find a good tig welder and there will be no problem.
 
I'd run it by the manufacturer first. Barring that, see below

DILLIGAF said:
Go to a machine shop and get it welded... No problems there....
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You should get someone to do liquid penetrant testing to the to see if there are any other cracks on it.

If you pay the shipping, I can do it here.

.
 
Welding if done properly is stonger than the origional steel, get someone who knows what they are doing and you won't have a problem.

+2 on what supercub said though, should get it die checked at the least for other faults in the barrel.
 
crazydave said:
Welding if done properly is stonger than the origional steel, get someone who knows what they are doing and you won't have a problem.

+2 on what supercub said though, should get it die checked at the least for other faults in the barrel.
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Welding the break is certainly do-able, but the danger with welding is that the heat from the weld migrates a couple inches and changes the metal properties in the chamber area. Heat applied in this way can make steel brittle, and that's dangerous in chambers and barrels.

I would not take it to a welding shop - I would only take it to a gunsmith to be welded up - he will be aware of the danger and use a heat sink to prevent heat damage to the barrel or chamber which is very close to the broken area that needs to be welded.
 
Wow, I have a lot to think about. Thanks for all the responses. Has anyone else experienced this or is it just a fluke?
 
jethunter said:
Welding the break is certainly do-able, but the danger with welding is that the heat from the weld migrates a couple inches and changes the metal properties in the chamber area. Heat applied in this way can make steel brittle, and that's dangerous in chambers and barrels.

I would not take it to a welding shop - I would only take it to a gunsmith to be welded up - he will be aware of the danger and use a heat sink to prevent heat damage to the barrel or chamber which is very close to the broken area that needs to be welded.
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Most gunsmiths (but not all) know very little about welding and even fewer gunsmiths own a TIG welder...which is why most of them (but not all) will actually use the services of a reputable welding shop for anything other than soldering/brazing jobs. Using the GTAW (TIG) process of welding will give the highest quality of weld possible with very minimal heat migration to surrounding areas. Steel becomes brittle when it is cooled off too fast. When allowed to cool at a slower/normal pace it retains it's strength.

There is exactly 2 3/4" (it's actually 2 15/16" to the crack but it needs to be beveled some to ensure full penetration) of steel between the area to be welded and the chamber on the OP's barrel. You will have melted thru the side of the barrel extension long before the chamber gets hot enough to have altered the composition of the steel.

In battles, machine guns are sometimes fired to the point where the barrels and chambers are red hot and the rounds eventually "cook off" because of heat transfer to the cartridge. These barrels were simply allowed to cool down and went back to battle if there was no time to swap it out or if the rifling was still good.
 
jaydawg said:
Wow, I have a lot to think about. Thanks for all the responses. Has anyone else experienced this or is it just a fluke?
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I've never seen it in person but I had a sporting clays shooter from the Montreal area tell me it happened to his Browning Gold, which is pretty much the same gun. I have shot over 15 900 rds thru my Browning Gold 3 1/2" that was manufactured and purchased in 1999, the only thing I have had to fix/replace is the the recoil spring, buffer in the reciever and the plastic follower in the mag tube.
 
VLT79 said:
... Steel becomes brittle when it is cooled off too fast. When allowed to cool at a slower/normal pace it retains it's strength.
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That's what I said and that's why I'd want a gunsmith involved in the welding process.

Most gunsmiths might not be welders, but by the same token most welding shops and welders don't know anything about guns. I'd hold out for a 'smith that knows how to weld. I know a couple 'smiths that could do that job, but if it were mine I wouldn't be shy to do it myself since I already have everything I need to do it properly.

Improper welding procedure could turn that thing into a bomb. Seen a mauser receiver that got some minor welding repairs at a welding shop once. Well, most of it - they didn't find all the pieces when it let loose.
You'd think most welders and certainly pressure welders would know what to do, but not necessarily.
 
Had my cousin take a look at it last night. He is a certified high pressure welder in alberta for over 20 years. He just laughed and said the boys all mean well but the repair is nothing. He recommended you find a certified ISO welding shop and they will have it done for you in the time it takes to type another post. He also cannot see this fear of creating a bomb since this is not the section of the barrel that handles the pressure, the repaired area is supported and cradled by the receicer and if there was any pressure it would exit out the shell port as the bolt comes back.
He would not recommend a gunsmith do the repair and suggested you have the entire barrel tested for any further material flaws.
 
Im 100% sure SX2 barrels and SX3 barrels will swap out with each other as one member on here awhile back was selling an SX3 with an SX2 rifled barrel in the receiver. Just because they are different part numbers doesn't matter.

Browning silver and gold barrels would most likely fit, they all use the same action.
 
Winchested said:
Im 100% sure SX2 barrels and SX3 barrels will swap out with each other as one member on here awhile back was selling an SX3 with an SX2 rifled barrel in the receiver. Just because they are different part numbers doesn't matter.

Browning silver and gold barrels would most likely fit, they all use the same action.
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Well I own them so what do I know??
Maybe some serial numbers or models will I don't know. I just know mine won't and when I ordered a new barrel last year from Epps for the X2 that got damaged in shipping they told me the same.They also said The Gold Stalker barrel will NOT fit on the SX3, as the SX3 uses the newer, thinner, lighter style barrel (the Gold Fusion uses this same barrel), so the forearm is thinner on the SX3 Mine are original 3 1/2" factory barrels. I have heard that some aftermarket barrels will fit both the x2 and x3 but don't know the manufacturer.
Look at the winchester site they show them seperate also.
 
3macs1 said:
Had my cousin take a look at it last night. He is a certified high pressure welder in alberta for over 20 years. He just laughed and said the boys all mean well but the repair is nothing. He recommended you find a certified ISO welding shop and they will have it done for you in the time it takes to type another post. He also cannot see this fear of creating a bomb since this is not the section of the barrel that handles the pressure, the repaired area is supported and cradled by the receicer and if there was any pressure it would exit out the shell port as the bolt comes back.
He would not recommend a gunsmith do the repair and suggested you have the entire barrel tested for any further material flaws.
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That's exactly why I'd want somebody who knows something about guns involved. A decent pressure welder should be able to figure it out but obviously they don't always. We do pressure vessel repair every day and I'm involved in developing weld procedures to prevent and correct how repair process welding affects the existing heat treat and metallurgic properties. It's a lot easier to screw up repair welds than new construction because on new construction the heat treat is done AFTER the new welding is complete.

Heat migration has destroyed a lot of rifle bolts that had the handle modified for a scope, and that was not close to the pressure containing area either and yet it happens regularly. In this instance the material thickness should make it quite easy to prevent serious heat buildup but it wouldn't be hard for somebody who doesn't know what they're doing to screw it up.

I'm sure your cousin knows all this and as long as you trust him then that's great if you ever need a gun repaired. But I'm going to use somebody that I trust and that wouldn't be somebody's cousin that used to be a welder. Sorry. :)

BTW, ISO certification doesn't mean s**t. ISO shops turn out garbage all the time. You can get ISO certification for anything and they can screw up every job they do and still maintain ISO certification as long as they have the right paperwork and record keeping system in place.
 
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