Trade gun

[brawny man]

Hello the Forum!

I bought a used NW trade gun and after a bench session found that it shoots to the right. I removed the barrel and laid it on a flat surface. It has about a 1/8" bow in the barrel. I have read that in the old days a bent barrel was "adjusted" by using a couple of trees for leverage,different metals back then. I am hoping that a Forum member has a better way to adjust a smoothbore barrel. Thanks for your help.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I bend barrels in the crook of a tree. works just as good now as it did in the old days.

 

[brubincam]

trap shooters bend barrels :hmm: had a show on tv that showed a barrel maker straightening barrels before breeching them.. :bow:

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I try to be a little more scientific, but not much. I lay the barrel on my workbench with a scrap of wood under each end. I then use two pipe clamps, padded with leather scraps, to draw the middle of the barrel down to touch the bench top. The amount of bend is thus determined by the thickness of the wood blocks at each end. It is still totally trial and error as there is no predicting the amount of "spring back". Blocks of 1/2" thickness likely will have no lasting effect as the barrel will spring back more than 1/2". I generally start with a 1/2" block under one end and 3/4" under the other and often even that amount of bend will all spring back. I just add 1/8" drywall shims, one by one, until I get it to shoot where I look. If you shoot on a range you can probably do your barrel bending on site, remove barrel, bend, reinstall barrel, shoot at least one group of five, remove barrel and try again. I've even had to do this with a couple of T/C rifle barrels which required the sights to be widely off center to zero in. They grouped better after bending than before! :grin:

 

[brawny man]

Thanks for your advice. I am a bit hesitant about the barrel bending since I don't want to end up with a blanket gun. :redface: I have asked other local shooters about their flint smooth bores and quite a few have the same shoots left/right problem. I will proceed slowly on the project and try not to overdo it. Thanks to all for your replies.

 

[Deadeye]

You could move your front sight to the right or your eye to the left but you already know your barrel is bent so, imho, bend it the other way and make it straight.

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

I have to admit I don't understand how this can work. Presumably the barrel was inletted into the stock prior to bending. After discovering the gun shoots other than point of aim, the gun owner bends the barrel. How can the bent barrel, fit back into the stock? This might work for a 1/2 stock but seems like it would be out of the question for a full stocked tradegun, since metal bends but wood breaks.

 

[brawny man]

While looking/sighting down the barrel there is a slight gap in the wood to metal fit on one side of the barrel while the other has none. I believe the gap will be evened out when I am done "adjusting".

 

[Black Hand]

...How can the bent barrel, fit back into the stock? This might work for a 1/2 stock but seems like it would be out of the question for a full stocked tradegun, since metal bends but wood breaks....

I would have to disagree. Take the barrel out and you can flex the forestock a ways in any direction. Admittedly, sharply bent, it would break, but the bend in the barrel is gentle (~1/8" deflection) and the stock should easily adapt. The only issue I might see is the pin holes in the lugs and stock might be slightly off. Just my experience. Proceed at your own risk!

 

[shootemup]

You could move your front sight to the right or your eye to the left...

:shocked2: Bend the barrel! Move the sight! You'll look funny with that eye moved over to the left, besides that surgery would be expensive... :rotf:

 

[tg]

I have never heard of any problems putting the bent barrel back in the stock, next time you take the barrel out of a very long thin rifle look down the stock it will probably be a bit off having been held straight by the barrel.

 

If the forestock won't follow the barrel it is way to thick. The straightened barrel will pull the veneer thin forestock to fit it's new position.
Bending barrels to straighten them is not rocket science, it is just scary sounding. No big deal.

 

[Many Klatch]

Stick the barrel between two trees and gently give it a tug in the right direction. Reinstall it in the gun and then shoot it for a while. See if the point of impact moved enough. If not, repeat until the process is complete.

I usually don't bother with removing the barrel from the stock, because I'm lazy, so I have never had a problem with the barrel and the wood not fitting. Barrel bending has worked on both rifles and smoothbores for me.

Many Klatch

 

[LRB]

If you will pull the breech, and look through the bore, you will notice oval, egg shaped, annular rings from light reflection, if the barrel is bent. When bending the barrel to straighten, these rings will become round, rather than egg shaped, when the barrel is straight. That takes most of the guess work out of the process. As far as the lugs lining back up with the pins holes, your pin holes should be slotted to begin with to compensate for lateral movement in the wood. As stated before, the thin forearm wood will adjust itself. A bend of 1/8" in the length of an average barrel is not very much as far as the stock is concerned, but is enough to throw your shot off. Just bend, and check the reflected light rings until they appear perfectly round, then go fire for effect.

 

[squirejohn]

I've bent a couple of barrels using a method similar to Coyote Joe's. Before and after each bend I place the barrel on a piece of plate glass (any smooth flat surface will do) and measure the amount of bend acheived or needed using various size drill bits as guages along the length of the barrel - sort of like "go no go guage". This facilitates judging the amount of bend required whether "too much" or "not enough".

 

[Runner]

I used a wood plug in the end of the barrel to keep it from being distorted, and put it across two aluminum blocks. I used three and four clamps to make small adjustments and then backed them off and checked the result. My barrel had an under rib, so it was a little harder to bend.
Good luck and good luck with the new gun!

 

[cable]

moving youor eye to the left can also be accomplished between tree trunks but requires a bit of higher velocity manipulation.

 

[Rod Lassey]

I've been following this thread as I built a Caywood Northwest gun last winter that shot low and well to the right. The shooting low I can handle, just got to see more barrel when I sight, but the shooting to the right was really bothering me. It shot a good foot to the right at 35 yards or so. I could compensate by putting the front sight over by the left side of the tang, but it was awkward. I tried moving my head to compensate, but that was even worse. So, yesterday I took the plunge, took the barrel out and put it between the logs on the corner of my cabin, and gave a firm pull. Put it back in, and it shoots center! I couldn't believe it, got it on the first try. The biggest part was working up the nerve to bend it.
Thanks, guys.

 

[brawny man]

I like the idea of using various drill bits as go, no go guages to check the barrel gap as my eyes are not as good as they used to be. I will have to slot my barrel lugs to allow some movement as they only have a single hole drilled in them. Thanks everyone for all the good ideas.

 

[Black Hand]

I will have to slot my barrel lugs to allow some movement as they only have a single hole drilled in them.

Slotting the lugs may help alleviate the problem. If the barrel/wood can't expand and contract according to the temperature, that could throw off your shots. Avoids the possibility of splitting the thin wood of the forestock....