doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Repair of Bulged Barrels -- Can You -- Should You

The difference between a dent and a bulge is vast. Most dents are easily raised and unless extreme in size or have a sharp crease in the metal not be a problem. A bulge is a stretching of the metal in the exact opposite direction and the one which all the stress is being exerted when the pressure builds. Think of it as an aneurysm of the barrel vs a slight collaspe. I will take the slight collaspe as the repair and result are much more predictable.

If you still want the gun buy a set of Briley tubes for $300.00 and shoot it in small gauges.

Jm - yes, there is great doubt that a simple bulge will ever open up! Since it has been cold worked (by the gas hammer that made the bulge) it is actually stronger than the surrounding metal. If done with some skill, it can be made to go back in place with only a bit of cosmetic polishing. "Shrinking" is a common sheet metal technique and shotgun tubes are in the same thickness range as sheet metal and of similar composition. The question here should be, "Can it be done economically?", not "Can it be done safely?" If it isn't economical to fix, then he can most likely (affirmative opinion of gunsmith with gun in-hand needed) shoot it as per 2-pipe.

If the bulge has a crease, the we have a differing issue. I'd estimate from the typical published pressure vs displacement data that the pressure in the 15" from muzzle area will range from 1500 to 2000 psi. It would be easy enough to calculate the hoop stress if we had the wall thickness and bore diameter. That will give a good indication of safety factor.

I see no difference in repairing a bulge vs a dent. A dent is only a bulge to the inside.

For you guys that think any bulge is unsafe, think about all the cold formed parts that you come in contact with in regular course of your days in which your safety relies. Many auto parts that critical to the structure are cold formed. Thousands of aircraft parts in which you place your trust are cold formed.

Jon,
While a bulge in a barrel may resemble an aneurysm in a blood vessel, the materials of each are entirely different in their properties both before and after the bulge. The typical barrel material is a fairly mallable steel.

As for a bulge, especially a "slight" bulge ever openning up, I'm with Rocketman. If you were to test the steel in the area of the bulge, assuming it was not cracked, it would be harder and stronger than the other area. If it were, indeed, "slight", I'd have no reservations of having it reduced or even leaving it as Miller suggests. Some of you may recall the Rem 32 with the bulge that several knowledgeable members were after recently.

I agree (strictly my amateur opinion, no official expertise) with Chuck on this and would like to add that the pressure 15" from the breech is going to be relatively low. The Dupont pressure curve chart that I and many of us have saved, shows less than 4000 psi @ 10". 15" will be somewhat less than that.
Superposeds, while pretty reasomable, are hardly a "dime a dozen". Get a real expert's opinion and go from there.

You might send the brls/gun to Art Isaacson in MO, 636-944-3630. He's seen many 1000s of Superposed.

Don, Jim, and Chuck are on the same wave length. This is not rocket science and the pressures are not off the scale. Find a gunsmith to fix the bulge and strike the barrel to make the repair disappear. End of story, except shooting the gun. I can show you dent and bulge repairs that would make your eyes water if you saw the "before" pictures. So can most good gunsmiths. Go for it.

If it is a nice gun and you really want to shoot it, yet you are uneasy about shooting it "as is," then why not send it to briley and have them fit it with a set of tubes?

Actually, if it is a 12 ga. gun, you could have 3 sets of tubes fitted, one each in 20, 28, and .410 and, given that it is a good quality gun, you would have a skeet setup that is as good as it would be sans bulge......

The short story is "Get someone competent to pound in the bulge because the gun is not going to blow up. End of story." All this "Watch out, you'll die" is BS.

I'm not sure anyone here thinks it will blow up.

I agree with KY jOn....dents are one thing bulges are another.

Homeless, I think you said exactly that when you posted "You have a serious problem. You have a wall hanger." Bullship! If you want to say that a guy has a problem that can't be fixed, don't deny that you said that later on. You said it and it was not correct. I think his gun can be repaired.