Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Shorten an old barrel to improve accuracy?

It'll point right out the truck window real easy like us Apple-atchun deer hunters like to do... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Thanks guys, for all of the responses.

Here is what I did for a "temporary" fix. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I thought what the heck, the barrel is toast, so I can't hurt it much by cutting it.

You guys are going to think I'm nuts... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

But I hack-sawed it off 3.75 inches from the muzzle, making it 18.25 inches long. Got muh-say-ulf a carbine yuk yuk. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I made the cut pretty square, but used a large flat file to shape the muzzle. I just eyeballed it to be truthful, but got it pretty straight if I do say so myself.

I used the flat file to break the outside corner and round it down. Got that looking pretty symmetric...

I then needed a "real" crown on the muzzle. So I took a carriage bolt from my scrounge-box and chucked the shaft of it in my cordless drill. I then took a strip of 240 grit emery cloth (a strip about 1/2" wide and 3 inches long) and taped it across the round head of the carriage bolt. I held the barreled action upright on a chair and beared down with the drill/carriage-bolt/sandpaper apparatus and let it grind into the muzzle. This situation tended to self align for the most part (the barrel and spinning carriage bolt had to be relatively in line or the bolt would spin off the muzzle). I replaced the sandpaper three or four times, just using electrical tape to tape a new strip of sandpaper over the carriage bolt. This worked! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Then I had to polish things up a bit. I used a small plumbing pipe cap (about 3/4" inside diameter) and put a bolt and tap through that to make a cup that would spin on the end of my drill (imagine a wine glass looking thing). I put some 0000 steel wool into the cup and smeared some Flitz in there too. I put this over the crown and spun it until the crown and muzzle were totally polished. It looked really good.

Then for one last touch up of the crown, I used a small round headed brass screw with some lapping compound on it (got the lapping stuff from my scope ring lap kit). I thought I'd sharpen the crown a bit in case the steel wool rounded it out some. This worked pretty well also--it didn't mark up the muzzle--it just sharpened the edge inside the crown.

Last of all, degrease and cold blue. I'm sure one of you 'smiths could see the kitchen table work stick out like a sore thumb, but for my part I can't tell it from a factory crown job.

But does it shoot any better?

Well, a little. I did turn in some encouraging groups at the range this evening with some old standby loads. Encouraging--that is--for a "shot out" barrel (which this one pretty much is). The old rifle held 1.5 MOA for five shots of a couple different recipes--and this with a fixed 4 power Bushnell Trophy, 4x40--yes, they did make such an animal for one and only one year. Bright scope for a cheapie...

Anyway, I got 2850 fps from 85 grain Sierra BTHP's, with an ES of only 35 fps. With a little more load development I might just get her to at least hover around MOA (hope of hopes, yeah)... Shortening the barrel did improve the groups some, but certainly not to the level that the rifle once shot. Nonetheless, it's useful now. Short and easy to handle, for sure...

I rekkin' I got myself a half decent deer and yote rifle. I'll use it like this until funds permit doing the proper thing. I gotta say I like the short barrel--so maybe an 18.5 inch custom would make as much speed as the old 22" factory job did. Ideas, ideas... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks again for the read. And by the way, if the above has offered any of you some much needed comic relief, let me say that I was glad to be of service... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Dan