doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Repair of Double Rifle Barrel Bulge

Is it possible to repair a minor barrel bulge in either a steel barreled or damascus barreled double rifle? Would the barrels have to be separated in order to do it? Would a minor barrel bulge make a barrel unsafe? Is there anyone in the U.S. who can do this repair?

If there is enough steel in the barrel, and the bulge is small, I have seen a gun rebored, slightly larger, and the outside of the barrel dressed to remove the bulge.

I have an aquaintance that regularly shoots a .450ish British hammer gun with a slight bulge in the right barrel. Idunno how he determined if it was safe or not,but shoot it he does...Bulge is slight, you can feel it with your fingers....

This is question that has two answers . Yes and no . To be frank with out an experienced rifle barrel maker examining it any comments are little more than nothing . There are far more variables to consider ,than if it were a shotgun .I do not know who would be the man to consult but it will be very easy to do further damage if the work is not done correctly ,if it can be done at all .

A bulge is different from a dent in the metal is stretched outward not compressed inward. From a cosmetic viewpoint a bulge can often be returned to original "cosmetic" position but safety is another question. You have to ask why it bulged in the first time in that place and will the same reason occur again causing another bulge or worse to occur. Metal that has become elastic tends to be elastic again and again.

If you had a bulge in your aorta and a doctor told you that he could push it back in place, trim any extra off the surface would you do it? No I hope not. Same thing with a bulged barrel. Remember Tony had a bulge barrel repaired, reproofed and had it crack, fail again, in less than ten rounds.

Would it not be different with a rifle barrel? It seems that it would be thicker to start with?

It's much thicker but the pressures are much greater as well. I'd call JJ at Champlin and ask him what he thinks. I would not fire it myself until it had been pretty much certified safe by someone I trusted to know such things through experience. "Let fortune yield to experience"......the motto of one of my alma maters.

Yes I agree Last Dollar it, a rifle barrel, should be thicker to start with but it failed or bulged once. Ever blow up a balloon? Notice how hard it is to blow up when new. But after it is stretched, by blowing up once, it is easier to do the second time. Once metal is elastic it will be elastic easier the second time. The owner does not state where the bulge is on the barrel. If it is near the muzzle perhaps the barrel can be shortened. If it is at or near the chamber I would be very worried about shooting even a repaired barrel.

I know this guy, Bob knows him too, who has a very neatly repaired left hand. Skin and bone grafts are wonderful things when performed by a very capable surgeon. His injury was from a modern gun from a very good maker who just happened to accidentally bore the barrels a tiny bit eccentric. It was fine right up until it blew up. Food for thought.

Looks great and works kinda OK. But definitely not OEM.