What would be involved in reshaping a muzzle on a SxS shotgun that is very slightly flattened on one side. Ribs are solid, the barrel has just been dinged on the outside at the muzzle, the rest of the barrel is not involved.

Well, you will need to send it around the world to a gunsmith in Tibet

or maybe this

http://www.16ga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14984&highlight=craftsman

The Tibetan route is tempting but your method seems a bit simpler, thanks for the tip.

Mike is from Tibet where he is known as the Amarillo Dalai. Gil

Hosford makes a muzzle rounding mandrel. It is a short tapered insert that goes into the muzzle and allows the flattened section to be tapped out.

Or get it to a smith that has one.

I use a wedge type dent lifter for this type of job. Works very well and hard to go too far with one of them.

Steve, you would have to find out what the muzzle end of the bore is. If you can use a type of bore gage like a Skeet's and insert in into the muzzle side and read what it is. Find out how long the constriction is before going to bore size (ex. 730.).
If you have the means to make a steel plug that is tapered at the end and have the major diameter .001 smaller than the constriction at the muzzle, insert it in the breech end and push it until the tapered end is sticking out of the muzzle and the main body is tight on the dent. Lightly heat barrel with a propane torch, warm to touch, tap plug until it is round again.
Very easy to do if you have the plug.

This happens to be for a 10 ga.


These are what I use to find exact bore size, as some are a .001-002 less as they go further into the barrel. They are made out of aluminum. Once I find size I make the plug as shown above from mild steel.

No need to know bore size. The wedge type slides and adjusts to the bore. It should be close and can not be over size. I just measure the bore and make my wedge smaller than what the choke would be. Works like a charm.

Choke prevents wedge type dent lifters to get all the way to the muzzle. At least mine does.

if you make your own they always fit......

I spun it on the lathe for a damaged choke on a 16gs SxS. Measured the bore, subtracted .050" and made the tool. Quite easy if you have a lathe.

"spun it on the lathe for a damaged choke on a 16gs SxS. Measured the bore, subtracted .050" and made the tool. Quite easy if you have a lathe."

And a milling machine to get the slant perfect.

For professionals that do this all the time, that is the best way, but for hobbyists like myself I do not want to spend $400+ for one.
My way works great.

That one was cut off on the mill but I have built them using a hacksaw as well. The slant does not need to be perfect, just smooth. There is more than one way to get the job done properly a man much wiser than myself once told me. Food for thought.

I once acquired a gun in that condition, the dent being on the outside if you looked head on at the muzzles. Having a strong bond with the muzzleloaders, an inventive DIY group if ever there was one, I bought a section of steel bar and filed it down to a nominal muzzle ID. Then I filed a slight flat along one side of the bar, just enough for the bar to slip into the muzzle past the dent. Gently rotating the bar back and forth ironed out the dent Gun looks fine and shoots to POA. I would not want to do it on a very big dent.

Whereas a tapered mandrel works on everything all the time. Tomato / Potato.

Are we talking about dents in the middle of steel here, or an out-of-round muzzle. I had thought it was the latter.