stock straightening

[ArtS]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

Mike altered the chokes on a set of grade-1 Laminated Steel barrels for me about 5 years ago.






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I have had Mike work on guns several years ago, barrel work and stock bending both. His work was excellent. About two years ago I wanted a set of Parker composite barrels bored out slightly to remove some pitting. Barrel thickness was good. I contacted him and was told he didn't do composite barrels. This may have been a temporary thing but I haven't approached him about it since. I found that Skeets Gunshop does an excellent job on them and has quick turnaround and good prices.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Arthur Shaffer

. I contacted him .

That, in itself, was quite a chore, He's terrible about answering his phone. I found, in the past, that it's best to call him before 8am.

Sadly, Mitch Shultz, has retired, but we talked about honing, or opening chokes on composite barrels. His take on it was that from a practical point, there is no reason to avoid this type of work, and he believed the reluctance of others came down a liability concern, but not a metallurgical one.

[ArtS]

Originally Posted by edgarspencer

That, in itself, was quite a chore, He's terrible about answering his phone. I found, in the past, that it's best to call him before 8am.

Sadly, Mitch Shultz, has retired, but we talked about honing, or opening chokes on composite barrels. His take on it was that from a practical point, there is no reason to avoid this type of work, and he believed the reluctance of others came down a liability concern, but not a metallurgical one.

I have been told the same about the physical work. Most people who do any of this have told me that the composite barrels are softer and much easier to bore or hone. I was told this by Skeets when I had the latest barrel bored.

Also, there is a question of boring vs honing. It takes a good inventory of reamers to cover the honing requirements, but the cost of significant removal can be half the job cost when paying for hones. From the smith standpoint I suspect that their preference would be to bore and then polish.

[Aaron Beck]

Wrought iron is softer than steel but due to its inclusions it doesnt machine as well. It can very quickly dull cutting tools and perhaps this is why someone would avoid damascus. I would agree that liability is a more likely concern and certainly so for dent raising, but the cost of the tooling isnt a small matter especially when the operator is doing high quality work at bottom line prices.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Aaron Beck

Wrought iron is softer than steel but due to its inclusions it doesnt machine as well. It can very quickly dull cutting tools and perhaps this is why someone would avoid damascus. I would agree that liability is a more likely concern and certainly so for dent raising, but the cost of the tooling isnt a small matter especially when the operator is doing high quality work at bottom line prices.

I am not sure what Mike Orlen uses, but I think it is the same as Mitch Shultz's machine; a Sunnen hone.

[ArtS]

For what it's worth, when I had the barrel done by Skeets last winter, he told me that he pretty much bored everything due to the cost of the hones which wear out very quickly as opposed to the reamers which can be sharpened. Chokes and boring makes up the bulk of his work I would guess due to the trapshooter following of the shop.

[BRDHNTR]

I inherited my grandfathers 16 ga VH yrs ago. He ordered it and bought it somewhere in Boston
Anyhow, he ordered it with significant drop. My dad shot it for yrs before handing it to my at age 16. I just adjusted to the drop and shot it very well. Finally I had to have it restocked. The stock just had too much oil in it and the wood could not be saved so I had Larry DelGrego restock it to my dimensions. Great 16 vh. Shoots very well even after all these yrs. Every time I shoot it, it reminds me to remember my grandfather and dad from whom I inherited it. Nothing like a Parker 16 with so many family memories.