doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Bore pitting resources

I am aware of my limits. Striking to refinish, measuring walls, dent raising, cones and chokes, and light honing, and that is all. I am interested in a neat little 16ga Samuel Smallwood hammergun with 30” damascus tubes. Nice acquisition if the barrels aren’t toast. Who do folks turn to to determine what can be done to remove bore pitting, and is skilled to do that work? I want to inquire about having the bores cleaned up as much as the existing material would allow.

The pitting is just past the forcing cones. Below are the measurements.

Right
Bore .663”
Choke .020”
MWT:
9” from muzzle .038”
15” from muzzle .043”
9” from breach .068”
End of chamber .108”

Left
Bore .661”
Choke .030”
MWT:
9” from muzzle .035”
15” from muzzle .039”
9” from breach .065”
End of chamber .106”

Thank you.

Skeets.

Briley.

Merrington (not sure if he’s doing much work anymore)

Mike Orlen.

If the barrels are damascus Orlen is questionable. He does not like messing with them (unless he's changed his mind).

Jon Hosford

Guy on the Parker site, I forget who, had what I thought was the best approach to pitting. He said, "You never make a barrel stronger by removing material." As applied to pits, if they are too deep for safety, dont shoot it. If they are not too deep, shoot it. Cleanup may take a little longer, but a Frontier pad sems to get the plastic out of the bore pretty well. JMHO

Pit keep on pitting unless they are removed or so I am told

[quote=limapapa]Guy on the Parker site, I forget who, had what I thought was the best approach to pitting. He said, "You never make a barrel stronger by removing material."

I have read this many times, and it has been repeated to the point that it seems to be gospel. Unfortunately its just not correct. Pitting (corrosion) in many industries is regularly removed and treated.
This is done not only to stop the corrosion but to reduce the stress that can lead to cracking and failures.
As long as a reasonable wall thickness is maintained. Removing the corrosion may not make it stronger than new, but will definitely make it stronger than a corroded barrel and less likely to fail due to stress related corrosion cracking.
Correctly done by experienced gunsmiths “ With proper equipment” The barrel can safely have the corrosion removed if not too deep.
The key is having this work done by reputable barrel smiths.
I have only used Dean Harris who owns Skeets, but I am confident if Dean tells you he can remove the corrosion once he has inspected the barrel, you can be damn sure it will be done right.

Second on Dean Harris! Definitely my choice for barrels and very fair and reasonable on price and turn around time.