I have an SKS with a Bent Barrel

[Calum]

LOL, I guess these guns are made of pretty junk steel,
Frank

I've come across a few Enfield like this also...prob' run over by a jeep while in a pothole or something just bend'em back.
The job is allot easier if you know someone with a lathe.

 

[schick]

I recall a recent TV show where they were showing how M16s were made at the FN factory. They showed a woman whose job was to simply test newly made barrels for bends, and straighten them. I suppose that if they straighten new barrels, it's okay to straighten an old one.

 

[Howie]

I saw the exact same show. She had some sort of press setup where the barrel was supported at both ends and a ram that would come down from above and bend the barrel. Repeat as required. She was VERY fast at it, and took no more than a few seconds per bend.

 

[BEARMAN]

Contact the seller , if it was good when he sent it and it was insured P.O should be held responsible. MAYBE TOO LATE NOW.

 

[Calum]

Yah how was it sent?
In a solid gun case, or a cardboard box?

I can't see it being a stock feture, as these rifles are cheap, but even China doesn't make bent barrels.

 

[CanAm]

Most gun factories straighten the barrels. The use a device with a large wheel with handles that forces the barrel between two blocks and they do it while look down the barrel at a light source. Very old technique

 

[GarandLuvr]

I saw an online article once about the Savage factory. It showed the "straightening dude" at work. Every barrel is checked and straightened where necessary. It looked to be a similar setup to the one CanAm described.

Cheers,
GarandLuvr

PS. Barrels in general are not difficult to bend (or unbend), but be sure to accurately locate the area of the bend before going ahead.

 

[Ritchie]

Thanks guys, I had no idea that bending/straightening was so common, even in the factories.

This particular barrel is a screw in one, and I do know someone with a lathe. I'll chuck up a piece of chalk and spin the barrel, that should tell me where the bend is. Then I'll put a car jack under the barrel at the mark and slowly straighten her up. I need to go past the elasticity point of the metal so it doesn't just spring back, but hey, things are lookin good.

They use a device with a large wheel with handles that forces the barrel between two blocks and they do it while look down the barrel at a light source.

This is one way I can see the barel is bent, it's hard to describe but the rifling appears more dense on the side the barrel is bending to when you center the crown and the chamber together.

It came in a cardboard box, but it was wrapped fairly well, no complaints there. Although I always used to ship them with a piece of 2x4

Can't send her back, I've already stripped the horrid orange varnish and lightly sanded the stock ready for staining.

 

[poweredbybeer]

I have a mental medical condition that convinces me to believe I can fix anything and everything....

I have this condition too I've ruined many perfectly good telephones/stereos/toasters/etc. while in the feverish grip of this sickness.

I have nothing to add to this thread, everyone's already said the stuff I was gonna say, so I'll shut up Good luck!