doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Ring bulge...can it be fixed?

Let's say you have a S x S choked M/F that has a .002 ring bulge just behind the choke area, this ring bulge is visible to the naked eye on both the outside and the inside. Can it be made undetectable by working down or striking it off on the outside and then honing it out on the inside, followed by reblacking if necessary? Have you any first hand knowledge of having done or seen such a repair done?

I realize a ring bulge is only cosmetic and has no effect on patterning, nor will it get worse from further shooting.

Probably reult of an iiot shooting steel. Had a 10 ga. Matador with the same problem, though it didn't appear to disrupt patterns Chops

Jack Rowe fixed an identical bulge for me years ago on a Greener. Nice job and it was undetectable....until I shot it again. Walls were just too thin to stand up to any shot. But anyhow, yes, it can be done. Find a good barrel man. I'd suggest Kirk Merrington in Kerrville, Texas. I'm sure others would be just as good.

Joe is right--it will be worse if you strike the barrels, and horribly unethical if someone buys a gun in that condition, only to find that it immediately bulges again. Many believe it will not get worse, and that it is ok to shoot it as is. Steve

Actually Chops, it was caused by shooting total of 4 cartridges of 1 5/8 oz. #4, 3" Bismuth loads @ ~ 1250fps. These loads, I find out, generate too much "momentum". Caused by too large of shot with too much velocity going through too tight of a constriction. It could have been any non-toxic or even lead shot if that load had too much momentum.

Skies:
The PROPER way to deal with a bulge is to hammer it back down, strike off the outside, then hone out the inside. A reblack is necessary. Simple in concept, but hard to do if you're not an experienced expert.
Striking or honing without moving the metal back into position is as dangerous as honing out a dent without raising it first.
I'd send your barrels to Kirk Merrington and pay what he asks. They will be fine again.

Kensal, is your reply in theory or have you actually had first hand experience with a ring bulge repair?

I think when trying to visualize the amount of steel in whats considered "a heavy barrel", get a set of calipers out and set it to 30 thou (.030), thats what you are dealing with. Imagine just striking that off without hammering down how much metal you'd be left with................its scary

Reducing a wallthickness by .002" by filing shouldn't be something that would make a set of barrels unsafe in most cases. I'm not saying that's how to fix this, just trying to put things in perspective.

The total fix for a bulge is to remove the ribs and cold forge (beat with a hammer) the bulge down all the way around the bulge, polish the inside and outside, re-lay the ribs and reblue. If the ribs aren't removed, the bulge repair won't put metal back in the proper place between the ribs. Then you have a bulge on the side, under the ribs and not on the other side.

Wild Skies: I think removing the rib as Chuck suggested is the only way to do the job right. Is this a valuable gun? As you can see, it's a pretty big deal to attempt the repair, which may or may not work and it probably won't be cheap. If we're talking a $500 shotgun, and the gun belonged to me, I don't think I would worry about it and shoot it as is. If a valuable gun, I would probably try to repair the bulge, knowing going in, it may or may not work. Along these lines, I once asked David Trevallion about a bulge repair. His response was 'ugh'. Good Luck!