shotgun barrel

[Taylor]

Is there a rule of thumb on tapping a barrel for the ability to change chokes?

I have a Mossberg barrel (ribbed) with a modified choke.I would like to be able to change the chokes.Is this a suitable barrel?Enough "meat" to cut?

[Ballistics in Scotland]

The chances are that it is. Pump-guns are usually pretty stout in the barrel. But as this job requires quite expensive tooling, there isn't really any advantage in doing it yourself. A gunsmith who does the work would advise you, probably without seeing the gun.

The Brownells catalogue is worth consulting for the various choke-tube specifications. Some makers do two types, one for maximum ruggedness and the other for fitting in a relatively small diameter barrel.

[lefty o]

for common pump guns its usually cheaper just to buy another barrel.

[Blackwater]

I'm sure it can be threaded for chokes. I have a Browning B-2000 12 ga. that I had one of its barrels bored and threaded for choke tubes by Comp-N-Choke, and it has a small (.725") bore, and is chrome lined and has thinner walls than most shotguns. No 'smith locally would try to thread it because of the chrome lining, so I took it to Charlie Boswell at Comp-N-Choke, and they did an excellent job. Those B-2000 barrels are made of a higher grade steel than most shotgun barrels, and are thinner, but the did a great job. If I ever need to get a barrel reamed for choke tubes again, and I very well might, I'll have them do it. They have carbide cutters that can handle even chrome plated bores, and their jigs align concentric with the centerline of the barrel much better than the hand tools most 'smiths use. Charlie gave me a real deal on the reaming and 4 vented tubes. I understand he's retired and some younger guys are in charge now, but I'd still trust them. They do some really good work there, and I know I can break clays quite a bit further than I used to be able to with that gun, and any of the barrels I have. I was astonished, since I really hadn't believed tubes could be that much of a help. I'm a believer now, though! Seeing is always believing!

Oh! They had to use the thin walled chokes in my gun, and said not to try to shoot steel shot in them. I wouldn't dare touch or mess up the great performance they now give me. My tubes are the extended and vented. It's said that the vertical slots "grab" the plastic wads, slowing it down so it can't bust up the pattern. Whatever they do, all I know is I can consistently break clays quite a bit further than I could with the standard barrel and its factory chokes. And that's all I really care about with that gun. Sure makes me curious sometimes, though, and makes me wonder what the "magic" is in them. FWIW?

[Hogtamer]

They were a flop in the market as the a-5 ruled, but my all time favorite gas operated shotgun. Shells in the left pouch, hulls in the right I can shuck shells in that baby on a good dove shoot quicker than anything. Must be a 70's thing, as you can see from this pic last September I'm partial to Active hulls too.

[Taylor]

Mossberg has a 28" ribbed with chokes for $207.But since I already have a barrel,just a thought.

[Blackwater]

Tamer, one little story about the B-2000 that you'll likely appreciate is that the little brass piston in front of the magazine tube, has to be reversed when going from std. to express or mag. shells. I knew this when I got mine, and was VERY careful to ALWAYS get it in just like it was when I bought it. Legend has it that the B-2000 was famous for hangups and not feeding right, and sure enough, mine hung up often with std. loads. Some years later, I chanced upon a diagram for how that part should be installed, and lo and behold, when I'd bought the gun, it had been installed bass-ackwards, and I'd been shooting it all that time reversed! I now know how it's supposed to go, and why, and it's as reliable as any repeater I've ever had in my hands. Silly me! Things like this sure keep me humble!

[Menner]

I have a 1100 that I had a 30" full that I took to a local gunsmith and he sent it off had it cut to 26" (handy in the duck blind) and had it cut for chokes (true choke is the tubes they used) work done and returned with 3 tubes for $130 and I shoot steel through it all the time
Tony

[Drm50]

I'm sure it can be threaded for chokes. I have a Browning B-2000 12 ga. that I had one of its barrels bored and threaded for choke tubes by Comp-N-Choke, and it has a small (.725") bore, and is chrome lined and has thinner walls than most shotguns. No 'smith locally would try to thread it because of the chrome lining, so I took it to Charlie Boswell at Comp-N-Choke, and they did an excellent job. Those B-2000 barrels are made of a higher grade steel than most shotgun barrels, and are thinner, but the did a great job. If I ever need to get a barrel reamed for choke tubes again, and I very well might, I'll have them do it. They have carbide cutters that can handle even chrome plated bores, and their jigs align concentric with the centerline of the barrel much better than the hand tools most 'smiths use. Charlie gave me a real deal on the reaming and 4 vented tubes. I understand he's retired and some younger guys are in charge now, but I'd still trust them. They do some really good work there, and I know I can break clays quite a bit further than I used to be able to with that gun, and any of the barrels I have. I was astonished, since I really hadn't believed tubes could be that much of a help. I'm a believer now, though! Seeing is always believing!

Oh! They had to use the thin walled chokes in my gun, and said not to try to shoot steel shot in them. I wouldn't dare touch or mess up the great performance they now give me. My tubes are the extended and vented. It's said that the vertical slots "grab" the plastic wads, slowing it down so it can't bust up the pattern. Whatever they do, all I know is I can consistently break clays quite a bit further than I could with the standard barrel and its factory chokes. And that's all I really care about with that gun. Sure makes me curious sometimes, though, and makes me wonder what the "magic" is in them. FWIW?

I salvaged a nice 97 Win from a Bubba job. I was able to save almost 24" of barrel. I was going to
put sights on it for slugs. Smith talked me into choke tubes, gun patterned good. I decided to
make my own choke for Turkey a super full. When I went to range to test I had it in a junk 1200
Win in case I had it to tight. Fired a couple AA 71/2s in it, then put it on the 97 to pattern. Gun
shot doughnut patterns. Some old dude told me to go home and drill a pattern of 1/4" holes in
the choke, he said wad was blowing pattern. I thought he was full of it, but had nothing to loose.
drilled the holes, took it back out to shoot and it focused like a spot light. The old guy knew what
he was talking about.

[KCSO]

You have to have a minimum dimension for chokes depending on tur choke regular or thin wall or rem choke ect. You need to know that the barrel is round! A lot of Remingtion barrels are round at the front and rear and not at any other spot. Brownell's has a chart telling you what dimensions you need, I personally use a bore gauge and a bore mike to check each barrel for round before I take the job. Some Savage guns run large in the bore .732 or more and are not suitable.

[Buckshot Bill]

send the barrel to mike orlen he has done dozens for me, quality work, quick turnaround and he is inexpensive. A bit hard to get him on the phone as he stays so busy.

[Texas by God]

Brileys in Houston is well regarded.

[jsn]

What do you intend to do with the barrel?

Upland, waterfowl, ?!?!?

[Taylor]

Nothing in particular.Just want the ability to change chokes.

[725]

Briley put threads / chokes in one of mine. Very happy with them.

[Blackwater]

I salvaged a nice 97 Win from a Bubba job. I was able to save almost 24" of barrel. I was going to
put sights on it for slugs. Smith talked me into choke tubes, gun patterned good. I decided to
make my own choke for Turkey a super full. When I went to range to test I had it in a junk 1200
Win in case I had it to tight. Fired a couple AA 71/2s in it, then put it on the 97 to pattern. Gun
shot doughnut patterns. Some old dude told me to go home and drill a pattern of 1/4" holes in
the choke, he said wad was blowing pattern. I thought he was full of it, but had nothing to loose.
drilled the holes, took it back out to shoot and it focused like a spot light. The old guy knew what
he was talking about.

I'm smiling. Kind'a been there and done that. A friend of mine used to shoot turkey shoots here, and was good enough that he often made more at the shoots than he did on his weekly salary on his job. He'd long ago tried to take whatever was at hand, and fit it to the tasks he wanted it to do. Believe it or not, he'd fasten a barrel into a vise, just tight enough to hold it steady (they're really very soft), and then he'd take a Bernz-O-Matic and heat up the muzzle end, and then he took an old soup spoon that was about the right curvature for the task, and as it heated up, he'd tap lightly on the muzzle at a constant angle, to constrict the choke further, and in a way that tended to concentrate the shot in the center of the pattern. When he was satisfied his work was concentric with a caliper, he'd go out and shoot it at the "regulation" (if you can call it that?) 16 yds. that just about everyone used. He also paid very close attention to what load they were prone to use, and custom tuned his choke to throw the densest center patterns he could get. Then he'd cold blue it if need be to cover up his work, and he'd bend the barrel slightly so it shot off center, because in those shoots, you mostly had to allow anyone to shoot your gun. If they didn't know where to aim, they couldn't out-shoot you, though it took some REALLY sharp shooting to hit with it shooting off center like that. But it all worked for him.

It's amazing what can be done with shotgun barrels. Sum Toy is also nearby, and his chokes have been taking the turkey shooter's world by storm! He'll custom make a choke for you for a quite reasonable price, if you'll tell him the load you want it to shoot with. I never realized how much loads and chokes mattered and varied until this friend took me under his wing and taught me a lot he'd learned. Some I couldn't believe unless and until he SHOWED me, but .... seeing is believing. I've now come to think that voodoo MAY in fact be involved in getting shotgun barrels to do things you want sometimes!!!! Seriously, there's a LOT about shotgun barrels that very few, if any, really truly understand. Even some of the best will admit that they have to learn by trial and error. There IS some "science" to it, but .... there's something going on in shotgun barrels that defies prediction and reason. I can only wish I understood what it is! The more I've learned, the more I realize I don't know. But .... isn't that always the way these things work????

[Hdskip]

check out Carlson's in Atwood Kansas. Great product and reasonable installation charges.

[izzyjoe]

I would look up sumtoy customs, he makes outstanding chokes, and is a super nice guy!