Gentlemen,
I am new here and aside from the fact there is truly a "gold mine" of information here I am a little disapointed with some of the bantering found here. However, in regards to the question at hand will the 0.001" bulge create an unsafe condition - it is very unlikely. This is assuming no other part of the shotgun was compromised when the bulge occured. No one here other than the owner has personally seen the gun, right ? As previously mentioned the so called bulge is a result of the steel stress exceeding the yield point of the steel (plastic range) resulting in permanent deformation. However, this will not necessarily result in weakening of the barrels or we have many weakened barrels due to dents that have seen regular service for many years. Has anybody ever tried to accurately measure 0.001" repeatedly? Unless you are very experienced and careful with your measuring technique you could very easily exceed 0.001" in measurement error. All else being OK the barrels will be fine.
