16ga.com Forum Index
Author Message
<  16ga. General Discussion  ~  Oops!
nj gsp
PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2022 6:01 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 09 Aug 2007
Posts: 437
Location: WI

So, while hunting in Maine last Thursday, I took a hard fall and although I did my best to protect it as I went down, the muzzle of my L.C. Smith smacked into a large granite boulder. I was more worried about the fact I couldn't put much weight on my left ankle right away (I walked it off and was fine), and judging by the look of the muzzle this was not the first time this has happened. In fact, I noticed a slight flat spot on the barrel that didn't hit the rock.

I don't know any gunsmiths here in the upper midwest that would be able to turn this thing around in a few days, so I decided to fix it myself. I mean, I made a new firing pin for it, so how hard could it be?

I ordered a #10 tapered pin which was delivered today, so after work I took it out to the shop. The dent was deep enough I couldn't get the tapered pin in at first, so I gently spread the dent a little using a 1/2" impact extension, then finished it out using the tapered pin.

It worked great - I trued up both barrels, I gently peened the roughed up edge of the dented barrel to move the metal back in place, and carefully stoned the end of the muzzle to remove the burrs and no more. Then carefully dusted the sharp edges with a little 320 polishing cloth.

I checked for roundness with Dykem on the pin, and both barrels are now about as perfectly round as possible. I cracked off a couple of RST papers through it and it works fine.

Back in business!

Before:





After:



Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
RGuill96971
PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2022 6:11 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 21 Mar 2019
Posts: 519
Location: Texas

When I saw the Picture, I thought damn that sucks, then I looked at the last picture. Man, I must say you do some good work, had I not read what had happened I would never have believed it was even damaged. Excellent job.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
skeettx
PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2022 6:51 pm  Reply with quote
Member
Member


Joined: 15 Apr 2007
Posts: 9455
Location: Amarillo, Texas

Well done, I have used the extension method before
Mike


Last edited by skeettx on Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:15 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
df
PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2022 6:55 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 01 Oct 2007
Posts: 962
Location: Minnesota

Very nice work. Thank you for sharing.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Purple16
PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2022 6:58 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 19 Jan 2019
Posts: 283
Location: Idaho & South Dakota

Sucks it happened but looks like a great fix. Well done!

_________________
"A gun should be a thing of beauty, something which gives its owner pride and pleasure. For that reason, most men will buy the best gun they can afford. With a good gun on his arm, a man becomes a sporting gentleman, both on the field and off."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
3birddogs
PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2022 4:10 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 07 Sep 2011
Posts: 567
Location: wheeling, wv

Great job! Accidents like that are probably why we find so many vintage doubles sporting 27 and 26.5" barrels, cut not to open them up, but to eliminate muzzle damage.

_________________
we salute you bird of thunder
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Yahoo Messenger
Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:52 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2786
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

nj gap,

Looks like a real nice job, make sure your barrel thickness is good and that your choke is also. Congrats on a real nice job repairing your L.C. Smith double gun.
You may still want a Master Gun Maker to inspect your work/gun.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

_________________
"L.C. Smith America's Best" - John Houchins

Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
slowshooter
PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2022 8:58 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Aug 2016
Posts: 3
Location: San Jose, CA

Great repair. I would have sat around crying for a month.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
nj gsp
PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:07 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 09 Aug 2007
Posts: 437
Location: WI

Thanks everyone! At the time I just flipped the barrel selector and limped back to the truck with a single shot.

There is hardly any choke to speak of with these barrels, and the right barrel is basically cylinder choke anyway. I'm not too worried about having it inspected, because unless a gunsmith was going to x-ray it, I doubt they'd be able to see anything that I can't already.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Dave in Maine
PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2022 5:20 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 12 Sep 2010
Posts: 1972
Location: Maine

This is one of those jobs where a surveyor's plumb bob would come in handy.

Nice work, fixing it.

_________________
“A man’s rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.”
Frederick Douglass, November 15, 1867, speech in Williamsport, Pa.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
skeettx
PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:14 pm  Reply with quote
Member
Member


Joined: 15 Apr 2007
Posts: 9455
Location: Amarillo, Texas

http://www.16ga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14984&highlight=craftsman
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
16gaDavis
PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:08 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 24 Jun 2013
Posts: 2062
Location: canandaigua - western n.y. (formerly deerhunter)

before you go all in on making the barrel round , you have to decide how you miss birds most . I did that once doing a full face down fall and cracked the gun down on cement . The barrel got flattened almost perfectly horizontal . Made skeet shooting easier as the pattern was oval horizontally . Could have created the perfect bird gun by flattening the other barrel on the sides to make a vertical oval pattern . So much tweaking one can do !!

_________________
Molly sez AArrrooooooah !
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
WyoChukar
PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2022 7:49 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

For all who may experience such an "oops!" there is a way to fix it before you get home...if you are in the habit of carrying tools in your car/truck.

I have found that socket sets have a variety of "bottle neck" tapered sockets in the smaller sizes, and this continues up into the next range of diameters when you jump from 3/8" drive to 1/2" drive. If you have a good selection of these and a matching socket extension, plus a hammer, it is easy to carefully restore the muzzle to round in increments.

It is very quick and easy to do. I actually posted a "how to" with photos a few years ago when I received a Parker 10 ga. with a damaged muzzle.

_________________
Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ROMAC
PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2022 8:24 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 07 Mar 2010
Posts: 482
Location: South Eastern PA

I have a super light Westley Richards patent 16 gauge SXS with Damascus barrels that one of the barrels got kind of oval on me.

I gave it to John Hosford at the NE SXS shoot and he used one of his devices to fix it in about 3 minutes. Charged me $10.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
nj gsp
PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2022 6:11 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 09 Aug 2007
Posts: 437
Location: WI

A 1/2” extension will certainly work on the end of the muzzle, but the No. 10 tapered pin removed the dent all the way back from the end of the muzzle which was about 3/4”. I just used the extension to open up the dent in the end of the barrel enough to get the tapered pin into the muzzle.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
All times are GMT - 7 Hours

View next topic
View previous topic
Page 1 of 2
Goto page 1, 2  Next
16ga.com Forum Index  ~  16ga. General Discussion

Post new topic   Reply to topic


 
Jump to:  

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum




Powered by phpBB and NoseBleed v1.09