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

I have a superposed in my shop now that blew out the bottom barrel about 2-3 inches if front of the forend. No missing pieces just a big hole. I saw this gun about 12-15 years ago and it was only slightly pregnant then. I didn't think it would cause any problems so I told the owner to keep shooting it. I don't know how many rounds were fired before it blew out. Some day when I get caught up I'm going to try to repair it but first I'm going to talk to some experts about repairs. I measured the wall thickness when it came in and I think it measured a little less than .025. Pretty thin. Bill

Bill, it is unfortunate that the gun you mention blew up, but the fact that it is a Superposed and the fact that it was pregnant 15 years ago may be red herrings. We just don't know for sure.

I shot a 16 Fox for years that had a visible bulge about half way up the right tube. I imagine I would be still be shooting it if it hadnt been stolen. I also noticed the ol Joe went from "cut it off for a cowboy gun" to shoot it as is...I just dont even bother reading his comments anymore, skip em...

FWIW, I have a 28ga O/U with a bulge in the lower bbl forward of the forearm that I have been shooting just that way for over 40 years. I have not had it repaired because the bulge is uniform, meaning it is the same all the way around the innner periphery, no point in having it pounded out cosmetically when it would still have a 'bump' inside on the top. I don't wish to have the ribs removed & all that, to fix it correctly, the side ribs remain tight and the bbls are quite sound & 'ring' nicely still. Pattern were not affected in the least; it is IM/F. 28's are generally loaded to higher pressure than the larger gauges. The gun has seen thousands of rounds through it since the bulge.

I can't say as I have ever personally seen a bulge that only affected the visible portion of the bbl., but it is likely safe enough as is or repaired by a competent gunsmith & either way I doubt there is any reason to look back.

edit: I also had it examined at the time by a smith that I considered to be more than competent & those were the choices he presented. I elected to leave it alone.

Repaired....to your satisfaction not mine.

My Parker T Hammergun circa 1885 had a nice bulge on one barrel when I bought it several years ago. It was about 12-14 inches from the Breech. I peened it back slowly with a backup inside the barrel. Cant tell it now and I have shot it many times since.
I suspect the Old timers did it a lot as practicality was the order of the day

Sell it to Bill Murphy and buy yourself one w/o bulged barrel.

I'm going to look over Gargantua able to digest loads containg up to 4&1/4 drams of powder. It's got 30" F/F barrels, 3" chamber, raised matted rib, and juicy Browning vent pad with white spacer. It's bigger gun then my 201e and Sterlingworth combined. Just the thing for my Kent TM and Bismuth 1&3/8oz semi-mag loads. That's not a "dime a dozen" piece.
It was made in Liege 20 years before I was conceived.

Someone said it quite well...

A bulge is just a reverse dent. Bulges are reduced by careful and judicious peening all the time. Check for a crack, have a knowledegable barrel man work on it, and get on with the program. Or shoot it as is. Or get it tubed. All viable options.
Another would be to get the damaged barrel sleeved.

At 15", the pressure is in the neighborhood of 4500 psi and some change, extrapolating based on the Dupont curve.

Kirk Merrington can do it, or Mike Orlen.

Regards

GKT

I've been shooting a Darne R10 that has two pimple bulges in the left hand tube, for well over a decade. It has seen some hot loads in the past, but, usually doesn't anymore, as it is my prefered grouse gun, and I don't need hot loads in those woods.

The maker, in St Etienne, examined the gun, and told me to shoot it as is. Inspite of a healthy backbore some forgotten gun plumber did in the past before I got it, the minimum wall thickness on this gun is .064. There is a reason for that-it is a 65cm barrel gun, and in order for them to get these guns to balance well, heavy tubes, and an under-rib (uncommon on Darnes, usually) were used. Since the gun was a post WWII example, the steel was pretty good stuff as well. No worries, here.

Some bulges, matter a whole lot more than other bulges, it would seem, and it might have more to do with the rest of the barrels, than the bulge itself.

My point, long way around, is this-someone who knows something about shotgun barrels, and has the tools to examine all the details should have a look at it, and pronounce it fit to use as is (like my example, above) based on some measurements and knowledge of the gun. Kirk Merrington is a good example of someone who is more than capable of this.
Best,
Ted