bent barrel

[kingsax26]

I'm sure its already been covered however my using the search tool brought up nothing of value. so , I have a fowler that shoot well... at 30 yards it shoots mostly center and 3-4 inches high. at 50 yards it shoots about 4 inches left and 6 inches high. The barrel was bent to shoot POA for the previous owner. I would like to bend the barrel to get rid of the left windage and bring it to center. I am fine with the elevation. I have a custom barrel in 20ga, 46" single front sight

 

[jerrywh]

It isn't a rifle. It's a smooth bore.

 

[ZUG]

Shotgun shooters do bend their barrels (or have them bent) for better POI for their eye/face/build. If this has been done for the previous owner then I would take it to a gunsmith that deals with shotguns and tell him your issue and what you want done. It taks a lot of effort to bend a barrel CORRECTLY. You hear of the people that place the barrel in the crouch of a tree and pull or push the barrel to bend it but that can be a bit too extreme of a method. A gunsmith who specializes in shotguns has fixtures to control the bending process and therefore can do the job correctly. You can give it a try by whatever method you like but if you mess it up and then take it to a gunsmith to fix up your mess he might ask you to leave his shop. :shocked2:

 

[Scota4570]

4" would be difficult for me. I have done this with bore sized mandrills, a large lathe and dial indicators. The lathe was used to hold the barrel only. For only 4" I would mess with the crown rather than bend the barrel.

 

[weum817]

I have a brownells shotgun barrel bending vise that I have never used, I got it from a friend who was a gunsmith and getting rid of all of his stuff.
I know they sell them but are a bit pricey.
it looks like it could be easily made. I have no knowledge of how to use it.

 

[weum817]

As far as the search on here goes, I must be doing something wrong, I never come up with what I'm looking for.

 

[LRB]

Barrels can be straightened with wood blocks and a large C clamp. Never done it, but can also be done using overhead rafters and a car jack. I've used wood blocks and C clamp on a heavy bench a few times with perfect results. Barrels are naturally springy, and it takes a few times to get them to respond and set. You have to bend farther than just straight for it to set. Some have good luck using a forked tree, but I've never done that either. The blocks and clamp are relatively controllable.

 

[nhmoose]

When I need a barrel straightened I give it to my nephew who has worked 30 plus years at a big New England barrel maker.

He uses an overhead bender looking through it at the edge of a window. They come out straight. He is one of about 10 there who can do this simply in a couple of minutes.

I tried it once using the equipment. It took him 20 minutes to fix my try.

 

[silverfox]

A friend of mine had a match air rifle with the barrel bent at about 30 degrees off center. We bent it back but it took a few tries. What we did was with 3 blocks of wood with a (V) notch cut in each. Two on the bench spaced past the bend and the third over the bend with a large c clamp on it. Tighten the clamp an watch the direction the bend goes. It was easy to do but you will have to bend it put it back together and shoot it to see what you have done. Re do it until you get it where you want it. Good Luck
Fox

 

[LRB]

With a smooth bore, you pull the breech plug and look down the bore in decent light. You will see annular reflections. In the area that is bent, these reflections will be ovals rather than round. Straighten until all reflections are round, and the barrel is straight.

 

[M. De Land]

The problem with barrel straightening is that it will introduced stress into it that will want to react when it heats up unless it is relieved by normalizing with heat or cold. About 1200F in an oxygen free environment or about - 300 F.
I have also read a trick the old timers used to take the stress out of iron barrels while being straightened was to pound them straight using hammers with soft lead heads.
The barrels also had a mandrel inserted to keep them round while being straightened with the lead hammers.

 

[Donny]

I may have mentioned before, but years ago I saw a TV show on Savage Arms. A guy looked thru a rifle bbl and then tapped it with a small hammer to straighten it out. Another Eyeball check, a little tap, re-check, done.
That's all.

 

[Dane]

I've bent several using the tools that LRB mentioned.
You are NOT going to bend a 1" barrel with a little tap from a hammer.
Like Wick said........gotta over bend as they are pretty springy.
Mark the center, use a straight edge and a drill bit to see actually how far you've gone.

 

[jerrywh]

I use a lazer and a screw type barrel press with precise control. I have bent some barrels as much as 3" just to achieve a difference of .010". In order to bend a barrel permanently you must pass the yield point. Most barrels are not bent to begin with unless somebody has intentionally bent them. The problem is usually something else. A barrel will shoot wherever the last 6" of the muzzle is pointing. A lot of what you read is not true. A lot.

 

[S.Kenton]

I had a trade gun that shot about 6 inches left at 30 yards from a rest. I took to a well known gun builder in Ohio and told him of my issue.... He simply pulled the barrel, took it out to a nearby forked tree .. put the muzzle end of the barrel in the fork of the tree, applied some force, looked down the barrel a few times and said " there ya go"... It was fixed just like that. Form that point on it shot perfectly center.

 

[jerrywh]

The last barrel I straightened for a guy was bent just as you said by another so called gunsmith.
Just plain luck and dangerous at that. I think more of my guns than that. Try that with a $50,000 gun some time. I don't depend on luck. I depend on talent, proven processes and good tools.

 

[Scota4570]

"I have bent some barrels as much as 3" just to achieve a difference of .010"."

That is my experience too. I'm talking shotgun barrels. I had to flex to the point were it would begin to actually bend. The amount past the actual bend point is only thousands of an inch. I can not see how any of the strong arm methods suggested could result in anything but scrap.

I have never messed with a rifle barrel. The thicker wall would probably result in a different dynamic.

 

[LRB]

The strong arm methods were not actually suggested, but only mentioned as a method used by some. I would not use them either, but I know it can be done. A risky process, but an option for the brave, or foolish. Which ever term fits best.
MD, lead hammers, wood hammers, or even rubber hammers will induce stress if used to permanently shift the metals matrix from one position to another, to any degree at all. Simply filing metal induces stress to some degree, even if minute and insignificant.

 

[kingsax26]

thanks all for t he info. after sitting back and reviewing the situation. I realized the front sight had been moved for windage. The barrel was only bent for elevation. Sooooo...all i ahve to do is move the sight back to center of the barrel and I should be good to go!