Undoing Screw In Chokes

[Mills Morrison]

Has anyone here ever had barrels with screw in chokes taken back to fixed chokes? If so, who did it, how complicated (expensive) was it and were you pleased with the results.

:bigbye:

[Rick Losey]

i would think you would have to cut the barrels and lose all choke

unless there was an incredible amount of wall thickness that would allow back boring and honing

[Mills Morrison]

The way it could be done is a new choke tube that does not have the notches for the wrench and then heating up/welding so the tube stays in place.

Something icky about screw in chokes in vintage guns.

[Rick Losey]

true - that fixes a screw in choke - but to me its not removing it, i still think that would be a challenge

[John Campbell]

If you actually have a gun you are considering such work for, contact Kirk Merrington.

[Mills Morrison]

I was looking at one as a potential project. Unless I find out the damage can be undone, I don't plan on buying it.

[Eric Eis]

Mills, call Kirk, he will tell you what can and can't be done.

[John Campbell]

The solution is to "sleeve" the recess then rebore the chokes. This all depends on barrel wall thickness of that particular gun at the muzzle. The process is not cheap, thus the gun must be "worth it." Kirk can tell you what can be done... but he must have the barrels in hand.

[Mills Morrison]

Sounds like it is better to pass on to something else. I was just curious if anyone had ever tried it.

[Rich Anderson]

I don't know why the notches in the choke tube couldn't be filled in by micro welding them. We saw where a member had a barrel repaired at the muzzel so that the damage was unnoticeable.

Anybody who would put screw in chokes in a vintage gun should be castorated with a dull butter knife, but thats just my thought. I passed on a Purdy that was a great deal price wise but it had screw in chokes:eek: The barrels had one of the nicest damascuss patterns I've seen.

[Mills Morrison]

I can handle a lot of issues with old guns, but draw the line at screw in chokes. I would consider a gun with screw in chokes if they could be undone

[John Hancock]

Addressed this twice, if you can buy an extended choke tube it is helpful. Make up a facing cutter to put about a 10 degree crown on the muzzle letting the OD of the crown end at about half of the wall thickness of the barrel then with the extended choke tube turned down so that it is about .150" longer than needed you can put the choke tube on a mandrel and bell it out in the lathe. Then cut the same 10 degree angle on it so it will match the cut on the muzzle, leaving it slightly long, and finally through trial and error trim the tube to length so it will seat at the step in the barrel and at the muzzle at the same time. You have to use a tapered tool to install it, like Teague uses on his English choke tubes which is easy to make. I put them in with one of the locktite products ( would have to look up the number) and when secured you can then reface the muzzle with a 90 degree cutter and the joint is pretty well invisible. Most choke cubes are a little over bore size at the entrance so the wad won't hang up so you will be able to see that step in the bore looking from the muzzle end, you can hone it to help. This isn't as good as sleeving the end of the barrel but a lot easier than boring the barrel on a double and then making a sleeve to put in it. On another one the tubes that were the extended ones had a larger OD than the tube so it was a piece of cake not having to bell out a tube to get material to work with. Of course you start with a full choke tube and you'll have material to open up to IC or Mod and everything looks nice. Just one way it can be done. JH

[Greg Baehman]

Although I personally haven't had it done, I've heard of others that have had Mike Orlen install permanent choke sleeves in their guns at a reasonable cost of $95/tube. The results are virtually invisible and whatever choke constriction you want.

[Mills Morrison]

Thanks for that info Wild Skies. Ideally, I would find records of the original choke constriction and get it restored to that choke.