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View Full Version : Cowboy shotgun's choke is too tight.



Four Fingers of Death
03-31-2006, 07:07 AM
I picked up a used Boito (sold as a stoger in the states probably) dbl hamerless coach gun. I had trouble hitting the targets (our club use plastic oil (4-5 litres about a yankee gallon) and the gun was shooting high, which was probably me not holding it properly, but the main problem was a tiny pattern which was hard to see. Everybody else was spraying pellets a few feet above and below it.

I want to go to another shoot Easter weekend and can't get a gunsmith to look at it. I was thinking of mounting my brake cylinder hone in my cordless drill and heading for the range with a wd40, patterning target and a box or two of shells. Antbody tried this?

I was thinking of honing the cylinders as well.

Blackwater
04-01-2006, 02:34 AM
I tried that once, but it took a L-O-N-G time to basically get nowhere. I was a lot younger then, and maybe needed more prep work, but I never did get any noticably larger patterns. Maybe someone else can help?

If I were to try this ever again, I've thought that maybe making a casting from epoxy filled with whatever (even corn meal may work for this, I've speculated?) filler you have handy, and then using valve grinding compound or bore lapping grit would be a lot more efficient way to accomplish what you're wanting to do.

I've only SPECULATED about this, so don't go thinking I'm RECOMMENDING it, PLEASE! Some of you machinists out there may be able to help him, and comment on this idea I've had??? I'd sure appreciate some input, lest I try this on a gun some time and monk it up.

David R
04-01-2006, 06:14 AM
I have used a straight adjustable reamer to take out the last little bit of the choke in all of my shotguns. They alwyas pattern better and more consistant. I hunt partridge, so a full choke is useless to me. If you can find an adjustable reamer, just ream it a little. Look inside the barel and as you go the part that is cut will get bigger (longer) only take out the first 1/8" and try it. You will be surprised. You will also see it was never perfectly round.

A brake cylinder hone will work, but can and will make the barrel bigger behind the choke. Perhaps a dowel with some 320 sand paper wrapped around it would be better.

David

OldBob
04-01-2006, 04:40 PM
I've done one with the emery paper on a dowel like David suggests.......... it was an old timer, choked real full and I wanted it to shoot slugs. It worked out great, I just polished it a bit, and tried it until I got what I wanted, bonus was it patterened shot real nicely too !

Four Fingers of Death
04-05-2006, 08:26 PM
I'll take the gun to our range in the city and do it with a cordless drill. Little bit by little bit should work alright.

McLintock
04-06-2006, 01:16 PM
I opened up a full choke side on a double so I'd have two modified barrels, and think I used a 'D' size adjustable reamer, then a flex hone to smooth it good. Worked good for Cowboy Action stuff.
McLintock

KCSO
04-06-2006, 04:08 PM
Mick
You really need the reamer. A hone will only take about .001 in a half hour to an hours honing and yo will nee to take a full choke from .697 to say 705 or so depending on ammo. The reamer is not that much and you will use it again. What you will need a hone for is if the bore is chromed, then hone off the chrome and then ream. I ream from the breech with a long self centering shank, you can do it from the muzzle but this takes a good hand or a piloted reamer. The reamer will run $25 or so for an import and that will be good for 3-4 jobs w/o sharpening.

Four Fingers of Death
04-07-2006, 06:45 PM
Mick
You really need the reamer. A hone will only take about .001 in a half hour to an hours honing and yo will nee to take a full choke from .697 to say 705 or so depending on ammo. The reamer is not that much and you will use it again. What you will need a hone for is if the bore is chromed, then hone off the chrome and then ream. I ream from the breech with a long self centering shank, you can do it from the muzzle but this takes a good hand or a piloted reamer. The reamer will run $25 or so for an import and that will be good for 3-4 jobs w/o sharpening.

Sounds like the way to go. Probably won't have time to get that organised before next weekend. I ended up finding the best bet was to aim low and spread my chances with the shot richoceing off the ground directly in front of the target which was resting on the ground (probably illegal, but no one noticed).

I'm ken to get it going because I have never had a shoot where all of my equipment was fully up to speed. I have the carbine sorted, I'm now using 45 convertible Ruger revolvers and they are humming, just the shottie to get sorted and lookout.