Author Topic: bent barrel  (Read 2712 times)

Offline bob in the woods

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bent barrel
« on: August 13, 2009, 04:52:57 PM »
I just finished a transitional rifle, walnut stock with wood box etc. Anyway, it has a 42 inch D weight Colrain
barrel in .62 cal.  Took it to the range and it was off by 6 inches at 25 yds,  1 foot at 50 yds.
I took the barrel out when I got home and lay it on the table saw. It was bent for sure. Anyway, after clamping it to the bench with a couple of blocks etc I " bent it straight"  .  I'm posting here 'cause I was really surprised at how easy this was to bend. I had to do this once before with a Green Mountain barrel and it was a job to do it. Lots of spring back. This one just bent easy as fence wire!  Something to keep in mind after the barrel delivery guy drops off your package. From now on I'll be checking for straightness before I use it.

northmn

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Re: bent barrel
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2009, 05:10:25 PM »
I have heard about this in swamped barrels, especially ones with a thin waist.  Good to know they can be fixed. 

DP

Offline Stophel

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Re: bent barrel
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2009, 05:30:50 PM »
I've bent a colerain oct-round smooth barrel before (the guy was shooting mainly balls, and balls seem to always shoot WAAAAY low).  I had to bend that sucker like a banana before it would set.  Kinda scary at first, but soon you just crank away on it.
When a reenactor says "They didn't write everything down"   what that really means is: "I'm too lazy to look for documentation."

Offline Benedict

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Re: bent barrel
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2009, 06:22:26 PM »
Something to keep in mind when inletting barrels too.

Bruce

Offline frogwalking

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Re: bent barrel
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2009, 07:55:50 PM »
I once had an original 1842 US percussion musket.  The gun was not worth a lot, having been "sporterized" into a shotgun.  Being a frog of little mind, I shot it.  The barrel looked bent when I sighted down it, but I thought it was an optical illusion.  When we shot the gun, it became perfectly obvious that it was indeed bent.  I was all upset over the whole situation when my wife said "Why don't you just bend it straight?"  The iron was so soft, it could amost be bent across ones knee.  I did get it straightened out quite easily, after which it managed to scatter musket balls more or less in the right direction.  This greatly improved my state of mind, if anyone was wondering. ;D
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Offline Roger Fisher

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Re: bent barrel
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2009, 08:46:44 PM »
My latest effort being a 28 gauge Oct to round smooth barrel shot (as expeccted) 4 in low and a tad left at 30 yd rest with 65 2 f and .014 spit patching.

Combination of filing away at the turtle frt sight and also filing the turtle's back thinner and thinner to get a bit more blade showing to see the thing and now when I see the turtles backside shes 'on'!  I get some east and west shots which I allow are my fault. 

Heading shortly northwest to Whispering Pines rondy and shoot for 3 days of it.

Life is good! ;D