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A visit to Bachelder's |
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01-19-2018, 12:51 PM
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#1
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Member
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Member Info
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 600
Thanks: 1,704
Thanked 1,352 Times in 373 Posts
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A visit to Bachelder's
I dropped in at Brad's yesterday to have him inspect my 16ga 0 frame Damascus barrels for soundness, take out some faint hammer marks left over from an old bulge repair, and refinish the barrels. I haven't been concerned about shooting the gun myself as it had passed inspection by another reputable smith and I only shoot 2-1/2" shells. But not knowing the quality of the bulge repair, and these being Damascus barrels was a concern and I didn't want to pass it down to one of my boys if there was any chance the barrels weren't safe, especially if someone might drop in a heavy load without thinking. How many times have we been in similar situations of not really knowing if the barrels are safe to shoot?
Well I learned a lot yesterday. The gun is safe to shoot but with a qualifier. Turns out the chambers had been lengthened (that was a surprise) and whoever reamed them out did a poor alignment job. They weren't bored straight. I've looked down those barrels hundreds of times and I never picked up on it but the forward edge of the chamber lip particularly in one barrel was canted. The risk is the wad might not be fully ejected after the shot and could remain in the barrel causing a problem with the next shot. I've always been careful to make sure the barrels are clear after every shot and have never had this happen to me but I couldn't let my boys shoot the gun knowing that. It took experience and the equipment to see this and Brad has both. He'll re-bore and straighten the chambers. He's comfortable with the wall thickness in front of the forcing cone as long as I shoot 2-1/2" low pressure shells. His other recommendation is to engrave "Shoot Only 2-1/2" Shells" on the water table. Good advice and I will follow. And he will make those Damascus barrels look new again.
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The Following 17 Users Say Thank You to Garth Gustafson For Your Post:
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Alfred Greeson, allen newell, Dave Tatman, Dean H Hanson, Dean Romig, Eric Eis, Garry L Gordon, Jacob Duke, Jay Gardner, Kirk Potter, Mark Ray, Mills Morrison, Paul Ehlers, Richard Flanders, Robert Brooks, robertperly, Russell E. Cleary |
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01-19-2018, 02:23 PM
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#2
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Member
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PGCA Invincible Life Member
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 31,638
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Thanked 33,235 Times in 12,376 Posts
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You should have Brad date the warning so no future shooter would mistake it for an original stamp.
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__________________
"I'm a Setter man.
Not because I think they're better than the other breeds,
but because I'm a romantic - stuck on tradition - and to me, a Setter just "belongs" in the grouse picture."
George King, "That's Ruff", 2010 - a timeless classic.
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The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Dean Romig For Your Post:
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