possible for a fixed choke gun to be threaded for choke tubes?

bamafan4life · June 5, 2009, 10:39 PM

Is it posssible? can it be done be done at home by someone with some gunsmithing experance (ive done almost everything that doesnt require a lathe or a mill) i have this old sears and roebuck 200 that i cut the barrel down on last night to 20'' im planning on making this a home defence shotgun. but i dont have a turkey gun i like. so im wondering if i could tap (or something similar) the inside of the barrel so i could use a turkey choke and a cylinder choke. what tools would be needed? if i cant do it is there any reliable smiths that can? whats the charge? anouther option is to buy a winchester 1200 or 1300 barrel for my gun. the sears 200 will use all model 1200 parts except the stock (anyone know of anouther stock that would fit this? i kind of wont a synthetic but cant find one.) the problem with buying anouther barrel is 1. i cant find any resonable priced one online. 2. i cant find alot of options for this gun. well any help will be apreciated.

thank you,

hogdogs · June 5, 2009, 10:57 PM

Chokes are a very thin wall piece, any deviation from center will result in a poor pattern at least and a possible catastrophe at worst. I am a very handy guy and have threaded a bazillion (or close to it) holes but would gladly pay for it to be done by a 'smith SHOP not just any smith... then I would give the work my "pinky test" and see if it felt right to me...
Brent

JWT · June 5, 2009, 11:42 PM

Contact Briley, they will thread barrels and install choke tubes. Their on line site gives a list of prices. Not sure if it will be any cheaper than buying a new barrel but it will give more flexibility in selecting a choke.

zippy13 · June 6, 2009, 01:20 AM

+1 to hogdogs and JWT

b.thomas · June 6, 2009, 07:50 AM

Carlson is about as cheap as you can and still good a quality choke tube!

http://www.choketube.com/instal.html

mwar410 · June 6, 2009, 01:28 PM

Briley does excellent work, but they are primarily for competition guns, ie. high prices. Try Colonial Armsthey will install ckokes for under $100.

SumToy Custom Barrel · June 6, 2009, 04:44 PM

bamafan4life
You can buy the stuff to do it. We do it all the time in the shop. It is not that hard to do. The thing about it is the $$$$$$ for them.

Unless you are going to do 3 or 4 barrels I would look into having some one do it for you.

Note (For win chokes the OD of the Barrels needs to be .850)

publius · June 6, 2009, 08:04 PM

Usually. NO. unless it is an old gun with very thin walls it can be threaded. you cannot do it yourself. there is more to it than getting the right size tap and going at it.

zippy13 · June 7, 2009, 12:51 AM

If you want adjustability without having to install screw-ins, think old school: A cutts style or a poly-choke/vari-choke style. These are attached to the exterior of the barrel. The downside is they aren't much cheaper than having screw-ins installed.

BigJimP · June 7, 2009, 11:49 AM

I wouldn't attempt to thread any of my own barrels / but then I wouldn't whack a barrel off to 20" either ... and the question is whether you really made the cut at a perfect 90 degrees to the central axis of the barrel ... and if you didn't, it will probably have to be cut again / then threaded ...

Buy another barrel .... and you'll be way ahead / use the one you cut down as is. Take it to a pattern board and see what you have.

SumToy Custom Barrel · June 7, 2009, 03:16 PM

The reamer will run on a pilot and will cut the end of the barrel to 90% true to bore of barrel. The reamer will run 150 to 200 and the tap will run 220 to 250. Then you have to buy the bushings.

olddrum1 · June 8, 2009, 01:10 AM

By the time you're done messing around with the old Sears shotgun you probably could have taken the money and bought a used 1200 with a lot less heartache and added a second gun to your collection.

June 5, 2009, 10:39 PM	#1
bamafan4life Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2009 Posts: 190	possible for a fixed choke gun to be threaded for choke tubes? Is it posssible? can it be done be done at home by someone with some gunsmithing experance (ive done almost everything that doesnt require a lathe or a mill) i have this old sears and roebuck 200 that i cut the barrel down on last night to 20'' im planning on making this a home defence shotgun. but i dont have a turkey gun i like. so im wondering if i could tap (or something similar) the inside of the barrel so i could use a turkey choke and a cylinder choke. what tools would be needed? if i cant do it is there any reliable smiths that can? whats the charge? anouther option is to buy a winchester 1200 or 1300 barrel for my gun. the sears 200 will use all model 1200 parts except the stock (anyone know of anouther stock that would fit this? i kind of wont a synthetic but cant find one.) the problem with buying anouther barrel is 1. i cant find any resonable priced one online. 2. i cant find alot of options for this gun. well any help will be apreciated. thank you,

June 5, 2009, 10:57 PM	#2
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	Chokes are a very thin wall piece, any deviation from center will result in a poor pattern at least and a possible catastrophe at worst. I am a very handy guy and have threaded a bazillion (or close to it) holes but would gladly pay for it to be done by a 'smith SHOP not just any smith... then I would give the work my "pinky test" and see if it felt right to me... Brent Last edited by hogdogs; June 6, 2009 at 07:39 AM.

June 6, 2009, 08:04 PM	#8
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,505	Usually. NO. unless it is an old gun with very thin walls it can be threaded. you cannot do it yourself. there is more to it than getting the right size tap and going at it. __________________ "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." Mark Twain

June 5, 2009, 11:42 PM	#3
JWT Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2007 Location: Southern Arizona Posts: 3,888	Contact Briley, they will thread barrels and install choke tubes. Their on line site gives a list of prices. Not sure if it will be any cheaper than buying a new barrel but it will give more flexibility in selecting a choke.

June 6, 2009, 01:20 AM	#4
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	+1 to hogdogs and JWT

June 6, 2009, 07:50 AM	#5
b.thomas Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Posts: 461	Carlson is about as cheap as you can and still good a quality choke tube! http://www.choketube.com/instal.html

June 6, 2009, 01:28 PM	#6
mwar410 Senior Member Join Date: December 25, 2008 Location: maine Posts: 234	Briley does excellent work, but they are primarily for competition guns, ie. high prices. Try Colonial Armsthey will install ckokes for under $100.

June 6, 2009, 04:44 PM	#7
SumToy Custom Barrel Member Join Date: October 26, 2008 Location: GA Posts: 63	bamafan4life You can buy the stuff to do it. We do it all the time in the shop. It is not that hard to do. The thing about it is the $$$$$$ for them. Unless you are going to do 3 or 4 barrels I would look into having some one do it for you. Note (For win chokes the OD of the Barrels needs to be .850)

June 7, 2009, 12:51 AM	#9
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	If you want adjustability without having to install screw-ins, think old school: A cutts style or a poly-choke/vari-choke style. These are attached to the exterior of the barrel. The downside is they aren't much cheaper than having screw-ins installed.

June 7, 2009, 11:49 AM	#10
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I wouldn't attempt to thread any of my own barrels / but then I wouldn't whack a barrel off to 20" either ... and the question is whether you really made the cut at a perfect 90 degrees to the central axis of the barrel ... and if you didn't, it will probably have to be cut again / then threaded ... Buy another barrel .... and you'll be way ahead / use the one you cut down as is. Take it to a pattern board and see what you have.

June 7, 2009, 03:16 PM	#11
SumToy Custom Barrel Member Join Date: October 26, 2008 Location: GA Posts: 63	The reamer will run on a pilot and will cut the end of the barrel to 90% true to bore of barrel. The reamer will run 150 to 200 and the tap will run 220 to 250. Then you have to buy the bushings.

June 8, 2009, 01:10 AM	#12
olddrum1 Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Mid Missouri Posts: 807	By the time you're done messing around with the old Sears shotgun you probably could have taken the money and bought a used 1200 with a lot less heartache and added a second gun to your collection.