Shortening a shotgun barrel

bclinehand

bclinehand

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Clearwater B.C.
I have a vent rib barrel that the previous owner damaged and then cut away about 2 inches of the rib, right at the muzzel. I am wondering if it is a fairly simple job to cut back the barrel and install a new bead.

lets hear from the guys who have done something similar.........replies about taking it to a gunsmith not needed as I only have about 150 into this gun and it's not worth the money I would charge if I were a gunsmith.
 
Cutting ribs can be a problem. Some ribs aren't attached to the barrel over the whole length. Some aren't metal either.
A hack saw won't cut straight(it'll certainly cut it though.) and adds a bunch of filing to the job. Mostly just a nuisance. Cut it just in front of one of the wee 'posts' that create the venting. File the muzzle flat and deburr. A mitre saw(AKA a chop saw) with an abrasive wheel will do it faster and square.
Got a tap set? The bead is just a drilled and tapped blind hole. Usually a 6-40(#33 drill) or 8-32(#29 drill) tap. Fortunately, most bead packages will tell you what drill size and tap size you need. Don't try it with a hand drill unless you've done a lot of hand drilling. The hole has to be top dead centre(easier on a rib than it is on a plain barrel) and perfectly straight. A drill press is the thing to use.
There are glue and silver solder on beads available too. Silver solder on being preferred. Mind you, if the rib isn't metal, no soldering. Two part epoxy will do nicely.
Cutting and crowning a shotgun barrel starts at about $60(Epp's). Plus the cost of installing the bead.
 
Thaqnks for the rundown Sunray I have access to all of the eqipment needed just did not want to screw it up worse than it already was.........is there some sort of reamer/crowning tool a guy could buy to true it up?
 
Cutting the barrel back 2 inches will, of course, make it a cylinder choke. Squaring the muzzle is certainly not critical on a shotgun barrel; appearace is the only issue. Thread size on replacement beads is uaually either 3-56 or 6-48 unless it is not an American gun.
 
My brother in law did mine, on his lathe. Worked slicker than #### on a baby blanket. My dad is an authenticator, no problem with changing up the registration. If you know a machinist just take them the bbl and explain what you want done, cheap and alot easier than doing it and possibly screwing something up.
 
I did this with an old "mooseburg" I got. Previous owner filled it with snow while hunting and fired it until he noticed smoke coming out of the side of the barrel. Chopsaw works good to true it up. My rib on the top was a little loose after the cut so I drilled and tapped the home through the rip into the little support. When I screwed in the bead it held it all together. Used a little locktite too.
 
On a non vent rib barrel, I did it with a tube cutter.
Just tape the barrel first, to avoid scratches.
Mine was an old Remington model ten, that got dented, when I slipped and fell down a steep rock face while hunting.
A tubing cutter will not get close enough to a vent rib to look normal, but you could get within a half inch or less.
 
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