Should I get it fixed?

[Thumbcocker]

I traded into a Ruger Bisley Hunter model. It shoots good. Really good. Put two deer in the freezer this year. When I was cleaning it and slugging the bore, something I routinely do with a new to me gun, there was a pronounced thread choke. Really pronounced. I sent it back to Ruger and they test fired it at 15 yards and sent it back to me with the choke still there. I have the services of a certified revolver smith available and he can pull the barrel, machine the front of the frame, and reinstall it without the choke. Should I fix it or leave it alone?

[chsparkman]

Are you shooting boolits through it? If so, and it still shoots well, then I'd leave it alone. Likewise if you're only shooting jacketed through it. If you haven't yet used boolits, then only your test loads can tell for sure. Good luck. I love my Bisley Hunter in .41 mag.

[C. Latch]

How old is this gun? If it was a decade old, your ideas might work. If it's a year old, probably not. FWIW my .45 is a year old and has a noticeable constriction at the frame, but everyone says that this existed before the barrel was screwed into the frame, and relieving the frame threads won't fix it. Apparently for the last several years Ruger has loosely screwed barrels into their frames and used a threadlocker to hold them, so the 'frame choke' issue isn't an issue anymore.

But, again, despite that, mine has the choke, and most other folks seem to still be reporting it.

[fivegunner]

I have a stainless 45colt bisley BH that has the same problem I am slowly fire lapping it, up to 45 rounds and I think I will have to go to 100-150 to get the choke out . but its working (less leading and is more accurate) it`s not hard to fire lap just takes alot of time , shoot 6 then clean, shot 6more and clean ect. anyway that`s what I would do if I was you.:Fire::Fire::Fire:

[contender1]

Firelap.
If your gun already shoots good, firelapping will not hurt it and can help it some. 2 dogs has written a GREAT article on firelapping, and it's well worth the read. I do not think any gun has gotten worse after firelapping from all I've ever seen.

[btroj]

Let me get this straight.

You have a gun that shoots good. Real good you say.

You decided it has a perceived problem you might want to fix.

What part of "shoots good, real good" is bugging you?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Pb2au]

Don't go looking for problems.
If it shoots well, then there is no problem. It's more fun to shoot guns than to wait on them to come home from the factory or a gunsmith.

[cbrick]

I traded into a Ruger Bisley Hunter model. It shoots good. Really good. Should I fix it or leave it alone?

Yep, better fix that! We just can't have them revolvers shooting good, really good now can we?

Fix it? Fix what?

Rick

[Outpost75]

You say it shoots OK, then if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

It's your money, but if you are going to continue stewing on it, then sell the gun.

Otherwise, if you spend money fixing it, it will continue to be something for you to whine about.

You could spend the money on a range rod and set of plug gages, then spend the rest of your life in searching for the Holy Grail of Wheelguns.

The rest of us will just keep shooting our Rugers and accept them as they came.

[waksupi]

Treat it like a sore pecker.

[Sweetpea]

Treat it like a sore pecker.


Ric, what's an icepack gonna do for a hogleg?:veryconfu:mrgreen:

[Bullshop Junior]

Let me get this straight.

You have a gun that shoots good. Real good you say.

You decided it has a perceived problem you might want to fix.

What part of "shoots good, real good" is bugging you?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Agreed!!

[dubber123]

I've never seen a gun hurt by firelapping yet. It will take quite a few lapping rounds to get out the choke on a Ruger based on the last one I did. If it will make you feel better, go ahead and do it, but I have to ask, what does REALLY GOOD mean for accuracy? If it's not in the 1-1/2" range or less at 50 yds., lapping SURELY won't hurt it. Many are scared to death of firelapping, without ever having tried it. The WORST I would count on would be the same accuracy, with less fouling and an easier cleanup.

[MtGun44]

"It SURELY won't hurt" . . . . . . . . . NO NOT "SURELY" --- you can say 'probably',
'maybe', 'high probability', 'in my experience', 'I have never seen it hurt'. . . .
whatever you want to say, but not "SURELY".

In my opinion, NEVER futz with a gun that is shooting well. Hard and fast rule.

Just because there is some THEORETICAL reason why the gun "shouldn't" shoot well,
the REALITY trumps that all day long.

Bill

[Hickok]

It is taking deer and shooting real good.....leave it alone.

Fixing that gun would be like fixing Elvira's hair because it is too long and too black.....a mistake!:wink:

[dubber123]

"It SURELY won't hurt" . . . . . . . . . NO NOT "SURELY" --- you can say 'probably',
'maybe', 'high probability', 'in my experience', 'I have never seen it hurt'. . . .
whatever you want to say, but not "SURELY".

In my opinion, NEVER futz with a gun that is shooting well. Hard and fast rule.

Just because there is some THEORETICAL reason why the gun "shouldn't" shoot well,
the REALITY trumps that all day long.

Bill

I see your point Bill, but could we also then say, "If it has a thread choke it isn't shooting to it's best potential?". I doubt anyone can make the argument that squeezing a boolit or bullet smaller at the beginning of it's run down the barrel is ever an optimum situation.

[TXGunNut]

Too many things can go wrong fixing something that isn't broken. My RBH may have the dreaded thread choke or undersized cylinder mouths but I've never bothered to check because it shoots great.

[jonp]

If it " shoots good, really good" what's your point?

[dubber123]

Still wondering what "really good" is.. If it's a consistent 1" gun at 50 yds., sure, leave it alone. 3"? fix away..

[dmize]

I agree with the "if it aint broke don't fix it crowd".
And Ruger is not going to fix barrel constriction.

[bedbugbilly]

I had a hand gun once that "shot really good" . . . I then knocked off the sights, used a ball peen on the crown and let it sit out in the weather for about six months . . . it shot a lot better afterwards. :-)

If it's shooting well . . . keep on shooting it and stop worrying about it. As already mentioned . . . if its going to keep you up at night . . . get rid of it and find something different . . . then the only thing that will keep you up at night is the regret that you got rid of it.

I had a friend who had a Smith one time that had a slight barrel bulge from a squib - he fretted about it all the time even though the pistol still shot great. In fact, you really had to look to see the bulge. He fretted and fretted about it and finally decided to change the barrel out. Funny thing was, after he changed the barrel out, it shot like ****. I laughed as he finally decided to sell it to another acquaintance of ours and he gave the guy the original barrel with the slight bulge. He switched it back to the original barrel and shot great groups with it. Life's too short to fret . . .

[waksupi]

Ric, what's an icepack gonna do for a hogleg?:veryconfu:mrgreen:

Do I gotta 'splain it to you, Willis?????!!!!! :drinks:

[Lloyd Smale]

ill give that a big amen. I had a 45 colt vaquero that I shot so much with heavy loads it rattled like a babys rattle. I wanted to have some custom work done on it so I told the smith to tighten it back up. Funny thing is even as a rattle it was a very accurate gun. Came back beautifuly finished and tightened up as good as new. Funny thing is groups opened up almost an inch at 25 yars with every load. I had the barrel recrowned and the forcing cone cut when he did the work. I wont metion the smith but hes a good one that has done top shelf work for me so i know it wasnt his fault. Lesson i learned? If it shoots leave it alone!
Let me get this straight.

You have a gun that shoots good. Real good you say.

You decided it has a perceived problem you might want to fix.

What part of "shoots good, real good" is bugging you?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[pdawg_shooter]

I used to be a dealer and ever BH 45 I sent into get warrantied came back "within spec" except one. Gave up and started fixing them myself. The one they did fix came in from the jobber with no full cock notch on the hammer. They did replace the hammer on that one.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Recently I tried to have a Colt SAA built without a frame choke, I bought at .38 barrel and figured out the correct sight height needed to make it a .45, who would do the work, had someone lined up to re mark the side of the barrel from .38 to .45. Then I contacted Clearwater Delta and asked if they could re bore it after the barrel was mounted. They said no, and didn't know anyone who could to that. They suggested I contact Bowen who told me no, they do the best they can but the barrel has to be bored before mounted. Bowen mentioned firelapping but said it's a messy job and by the time I was done the finish would not be the same. Bowen said tight cylinder throats and 11 degree forcing cones were the two factors to maximized revolver accuracy.

[leftiye]

Firelap.
If your gun already shoots good, firelapping will not hurt it and can help it some. 2 dogs has written a GREAT article on firelapping, and it's well worth the read. I do not think any gun has gotten worse after firelapping from all I've ever seen.

I've got a Marlin 94 32-20 that came with a barrel that you can't see rifling in, just scratches from one end to t'other. Granted the firelapping probly wasn't done carefully, and gently. Just sayin', some "be careful" would be a wise thing to use.

[leftiye]

Quote Originally Posted by waksupi View Post
Treat it like a sore pecker.


Ric, what's an icepack gonna do for a hogleg?:veryconfu:mrgreen:

Probly make it shrink up to about an inch?

[Geraldo]

Two things you don't mess with if they work: guns and Harleys.

[dubber123]

I've got a Marlin 94 32-20 that came with a barrel that you can't see rifling in, just scratches from one end to t'other. Granted the firelapping probly wasn't done carefully, and gently. Just sayin', some "be careful" would be a wise thing to use.

I've done quite a few, and I really have no idea how you could scratch the bore on a gun firelapping it. My vote would be there was no rifling to begin with in your old Marlin. Too bad.. I use a fairly coarse grit, 320, and I have never seen shinier bores than afterwards. It amazes everyone who looks down one.

[Love Life]

If it shoots very well, then leave it be. I've seen so many people waste so much money through the years chasing unicorns.

[300savage]

If it " shoots good, really good" what's your point?

well obviously you have never owned a gun that shot "good, really good,, no dammit get back over here i mean this thing shoots REEAALY good.."

how good is that you ask ? well thats gooder than your momma's biskits, gooder than elvis's blue suede shoes,, i mean this thing shoots so good it hits stuff i didnt even know i wuz aimin at !

reminds me of an old mauser 270 i carried a bunch on the ranch as a kid, everything i pointed that thing at died.
that was until i grouped it one day and it would barely hold two inches..
for some dumb reason i fell out of love with it, and even though i have many rifles now that will beat that by a bunch i have never really been able to tell any difference in killing effectivness on game, to any distance.

[Hickory]

Colt used to build their Pythons with a chocked bore so that it would shoot better, and they did.

[dubber123]

Colt used to build their Pythons with a chocked bore so that it would shoot better, and they did.


Colt didn't choke them on the cylinder end.. A choked bore is a good thing, as long as it's in the right direction. Wrong direction is a bad thing. Firelapping also produces a choked bore in the right direction, as the compound breaks down as it makes it's way up the bore, cutting less towards the muzzle.

[leftiye]

I've done quite a few, and I really have no idea how you could scratch the bore on a gun firelapping it. My vote would be there was no rifling to begin with in your old Marlin. Too bad.. I use a fairly coarse grit, 320, and I have never seen shinier bores than afterwards. It amazes everyone who looks down one.

Correction, new Marlin.

And how? Simple = coarse abrasive on jacketed bullets with too hot of loads (maybe coarser than 320 would be needed? Thanks for the useful info).

It always amazes me how some can hear you say something and all but call you a liar in their wishing to not believe what you relate. It has been done at least once that a barrel has been ruined. I've heard of others too.

[Thumbcocker]

I tried to post pictures of a target but can't. So lets just say that it easily hits what I aim at my normal hunting ranges and beyond and I am more that pleased with the accuracy.

this thread has gotten me thinking. I noticed that I spend most of my time shooting handguns that don't shoot well for me. Trying different combinations to make the darn things shoot. Once I gert a handgun to shoot well I move on to another one or load or boolit and start over again. My best shooting guns get shot the least I know that they are right so I fight with the stubborn ones. One Bisley .45 Colt made me almost crazy when I had .44 specials that shot rings around it with any reasonable load. Character defect I guess.

[Hickory]

Colt didn't choke them on the cylinder end.. A choked bore is a good thing, as long as it's in the right direction. Wrong direction is a bad thing. Firelapping also produces a choked bore in the right direction, as the compound breaks down as it makes it's way up the bore, cutting less towards the muzzle.


When I was cleaning it and slugging the bore, something I routinely do with a new to me gun, there was a pronounced thread choke.

I understood he was referring to the bore.

[dubber123]

Correction, new Marlin.

And how? Simple = coarse abrasive on jacketed bullets with too hot of loads (maybe coarser than 320 would be needed? Thanks for the useful info).

It always amazes me how some can hear you say something and all but call you a liar in their wishing to not believe what you relate. It has been done at least once that a barrel has been ruined. I've heard of others too.

It didn't occur to me someone could be such an incredible ******* and go to such amazing extremes to ruin a barrel. I've never used jacketed, and firelapping loads are only supposed to just exit the barrel. I was relating MY experience in personally using the method many times, not something I "heard" of. I know a guy who has "shot out" several muzzle loaders with a patched round ball. Impossible you say? Not if you clean your guns with a tight fitting metal brush on a power drill..

If someone managed to completely remove the rifling from a new Marlin by firelapping alone, I would suggest not buying any more guns from them, they are "gifted".

[Bzcraig]

Treat it like a sore pecker.

Do sore peckers come from Doe Run?

[waksupi]

It didn't occur to me someone could be such an incredible ******* and go to such amazing extremes to ruin a barrel. I've never used jacketed, and firelapping loads are only supposed to just exit the barrel. I was relating MY experience in personally using the method many times, not something I "heard" of. I know a guy who has "shot out" several muzzle loaders with a patched round ball. Impossible you say? Not if you clean your guns with a tight fitting metal brush on a power drill..

If someone managed to completely remove the rifling from a new Marlin by firelapping alone, I would suggest not buying any more guns from them, they are "gifted".


I've seen a rocket surgeon here recommend the good ol' drill cleaning method. Made a note to NEVER pay any attention to anything he says.

[dubber123]

I've seen a rocket surgeon here recommend the good ol' drill cleaning method. Made a note to NEVER pay any attention to anything he says.

This guy has had to send at least 2 muzzle loaders off to be rebored to the next caliber up, claiming to have "shot them out" using lubed, patched round balls. I couldn't figure out how that could be remotely possible, until he shared his cleaning method. It made a lot more sense then.

[waksupi]

This guy has had to send at least 2 muzzle loaders off to be rebored to the next caliber up, claiming to have "shot them out" using lubed, patched round balls. I couldn't figure out how that could be remotely possible, until he shared his cleaning method. It made a lot more sense then.

Simple. It's because he's a dumb ***.

[leftiye]

It didn't occur to me someone could be such an incredible ******* and go to such amazing extremes to ruin a barrel. I've never used jacketed, and firelapping loads are only supposed to just exit the barrel. I was relating MY experience in personally using the method many times, not something I "heard" of. I know a guy who has "shot out" several muzzle loaders with a patched round ball. Impossible you say? Not if you clean your guns with a tight fitting metal brush on a power drill..

If someone managed to completely remove the rifling from a new Marlin by firelapping alone, I would suggest not buying any more guns from them, they are "gifted".

No problemo. I didn't do it. Yes it takes a fool. But to say it can't be done is to some criminals a challenge. Also, as you seem to say, it is foolish to ignore the colossal stupidity of some of those who are out there. They live and breathe and walk amoung us and procreate and vote. Unfortunately.

[dubber123]

No problemo. I didn't do it. Yes it takes a fool. But to say it can't be done is to some criminals a challenge. Also, as you seem to say, it is foolish to ignore the colossal stupidity of some of those who are out there. They live and breathe and walk amoung us and procreate and vote. Unfortunately.

Sorry for any misunderstanding, I just know how slowly the process is with lead boolits at low velocity, I couldn't imagine how a bore could be totally shot out doing it. It must have taken hundreds of over powered jacketed ones to do it anyways. How someone didn't notice the damage happening before it got to that point is beyond me.