Folks said dumb questions were ok?

[riarcher]

Saw in some other post there was mention of "bending a barrel"? I'm new to smoothies but bending a barrel would move a sight. Wouldn't it be better just to relocate the sight? Seems to me if you bend the barrel the relationship of where the sight was pointing and the barrel was shooting wouldn't change and you'd still be off target.
This is a very interesting site. I've been BPing for a few years and never considered half the stuff I've read here. Most makes really (duh) sence after I think it out, but this bending a barrel thing sounds,,,,, ,,err,,, dangerouse to crimping? (or something like that) And how do you know if it's too much or how much if it works. Then again, why not just relocate you rear reference poing while aiming?
You got me baffled on this one! :redface:

 

[gordy]

riarcher: I'll be very interested in the repls to this question! I did it once on a Win.mo.370 breakopen 12ga.I had loaned it to a son-in-law who got someone mad at him,so this person thinking it his,took it by the bbl. and proceeded to wrap it arond a fence post.Needless to say it was in pretty rough shape.The bbl. was bowed about 3/4".Made a set of hardwood blocks that fit the o.d. dia. and proceeded to massage it back in line with a heavy hammer.It came out near perfect.The final little bit I held the muzzle to a light and sighted from the breech untill the reflections looked the same from breech to muzzle.When I finished remaking the gun it shot as true as ever. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Donny]

The centerfire rifle barrel makers of yesterday and today check the barrel for straight several times during production (by just eyeballing thru one end), if need be, and they usually do... then bend the barrel by a few gentle taps with a mallet. recheck by eyeball method, tap again if need be. I don't know about methods for bending modern shotgun barrels..but probally this method.... Why remove then re-solder the sight? you would then have to shoot, remove stock and sight, and re-solder shoot ..redo and redo until ok.

 

[Deadeye]

Barrel bending or straighting is an art. I've straightened many of them. Barrel makers use a fixture that hangs from the ceiling and the operator looks through the barrel as he tightens the screw that bends the barrel. Barrels that are straightened this way sometime tend to bend back when they get hot in firing. Thin barrels like shotgun barrels are easy to bend. Back in the 40s and 50s when vehicles has bumpers that were a few inches from the vehicle body, this was a favorite place for trap shooters to adjust their barrels to shoot where they were looking. Shotgun sights are usually screwed on and many other sights aren't redily movable so bending is an option and it doesn't take much.
How much can be redily calculated before bending.

 

Every smoothbored gun my Brother has made and was expected to shoot round balls, had to have the barrel bent to shoot either to the front sight, or to the bayonette lug which also was the front sight.
: At home, it is done with sand bags (or shot bags) and a lead hammer. At the range, (easier to check progress) it is generally done between the box and cab of a pickup truck. There's always one or more at the range up here in the bush.
: The ball seems to hold it's new direction quite well, as it does with a rifle that has been straightened. Back in 1975, I visited Les Bauska in his shop in Kalispel, Mont. I played with the barrel straightening machine then- had a GREAT time playing and learned to straightenn a barrel in quick time.
: It was stand mounted in front of a window, had the various 'irons' for setting the barrel on, and the circle of little rounded handles sticking down to turn the screw which pressed the 'iron' onto the outside of the barrel betwen the stationary irons, as ou looked through the barrel out the window to check progress.
: Bending a musket barrel for a given sight picture is about necessary if you are intrested in winning smootbore round ball contests - or hunting for that matter.
Daryl

 

the fork of a tree is the traditional "bending fixture". easier on the finish.

 

[Hawkeye]

Some time ago there was a very good article in "Muzzle Blasts" about barrel bending. I think it was the Bevel Brothers. Yes according to them it is done and can be used to regulate a smoothbore to shoot to the front sight. Perhaps somene can find and post the article.

Hawkeye

 

Absolutely, wouldn't it be nice to have such a creature handy? - but with wimpy aspens (poplar) and limbs on Spruce and LodgePole being 50' up, the old pickup is the nly handy thing around. Of course, rags or leather gun cases do help for the elimination of scratches - oh for a nice maple, walnut, or any other that was always handy, back East. Of course, with that damnable humidity, I'll stay with the 40 to 50% humidity that seems to be the norm around here.
: Probably going to the range today, shooting the little guy- .45 Flinter, my.54 & his new .60 pistol and Taylor tells me he's got some ctgs. to try in his 1728 Tower Bess. Hope this spring-like weather holds. It's nice to shoot in abovve freezing temps for a change.
Daryl

 

[musketman]

oh for a nice maple, walnut, or any other that was always handy, back East.

Daryl, send me your address and I'll send you a box of acorns and maple seeds... (just add water and time)

 

[riarcher]

I'd have to be pretty desperate (and P.O.ed) to go smokin' a Bess with a lead hammer cause it wouldn't hit what I aimed at! :no:
I do see me getting "hostiled" enough to wrap it around a tree though. :curse:
Thanks for the warning,,,, I'll bring someone elses pick-up when I decide to sight 'er in. ::
Now that you all mentioned the details and reasons, I seem to remember the "act" abit from long ago. Thanks.
Now if I was to do that with a Bess, would I also want to re-work the stock too? (thinking a steem job maybe warrented? - maybe)
Warned you, I've got millions of question :haha:

 

Actually, the 'bend' is so gentle to get then sighted in, the stock follows the barrel just fine.
: I supposse there's a fine line between plain missing and missing because it isn't sighted in - however a good smooth bore will shoot surprisingly well - group size, that is. They generally have to be 'moved' a bit to get the group centered where a grouve at the breech and the slimmed 'lug' will work effectively.
: The Colerain barrel is a true 10 bore at .775". IT does shoot the .735 ball MUCH more accurately than the .715 - accorading to Bro.

Daryl