Straightening a shotgun barrel

[code_blue]

IIRC, SupersetCA unbent his 930 barrel by banging it against a block of wood in one of his videos.

[rmnc3r]

"I took a bunch of folks from my gun club to the Savage factory last year. Savage "trues" all their barrels with a very simple technic. You look through the bore at a white wall. It is amazing how easy it is to see the bend in the bore. Even if it is only a thousandth or two off. I was allowed to try my hand at straightening one. It was quite easy with the overhead press. I was told when they measure a bore with a laser device after this procedure, they were nearly perfect or as close as they could measure."

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?117229-Barrel-straightening

The same could be done with less sophisticated equipment; using 2x4 and C-clamps

[ar15barrels]

"I took a bunch of folks from my gun club to the Savage factory last year. Savage "trues" all their barrels with a very simple technic. You look through the bore at a white wall. It is amazing how easy it is to see the bend in the bore. Even if it is only a thousandth or two off. I was allowed to try my hand at straightening one. It was quite easy with the overhead press. I was told when they measure a bore with a laser device after this procedure, they were nearly perfect or as close as they could measure."

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?117229-Barrel-straightening

The same could be done with less sophisticated equipment; using 2x4 and C-clamps

I have straightened AK barrels that people bent while pressing parts on to them.
I set the barrel in V blocks on the hydraulic press and pushed down with a 3rd V block.
It's a suprising amount of spring that you get so you have to push beyond straight and then let it spring back.
You do this in little steps and check your progress often while re-positioning the barrel to keep the bend directly under the press ram.

I don't know that I would attack a shotgun barrel in the same manner though due to how thin they are.
I would probably make up a dedicated set of blocks that matches the nominal outside diameter.
I would also look for ways to support the barrel from the inside so as to reduce the chance of collapsing the wall as the straightening is occurring.
Expanding mandrels seem like a good way to go.

I have heard of expanding mandrels being used to raise dents in shotgun barrels.

[ojisan]

Plug one end, fill barrel with sand, pack it in tight using whatever method you prefer then plug the other end.
It's a way to bend things like thin wall exhaust pipes or copper tubing without collapsing the tube.

[kcstott]

surprisingly shotgun barrels are very strong. like Randal said the best way to attack this is with a good set of blocks. A good set of rollers would help too.

As for keeping barrel from denting or collapsing. if you have a large freezer just fill it with water and freeze. the ice will support the barrel.

I've straightened shotgun barrels with nothing more than a lead bag and a good whack. not for the faint of heart

[kcstott]

Replace. Anytime metal is bent and then rebent, it becomes weaker. I wouldn't even have a pro do it.

obviously a metallurgical genius