Cost to cut down a barrel?

Deja vu · November 12, 2022, 05:56 PM

I have an old SXS 10ga Parker shotgun that I found in attic when we moved in to the new home. The issue is the left barrel is split down to about 19 inches. Assuming the cylinder walls are thick enough, what would the cost be to higher a skilled gunsmith and have it cut back to a coachguns and install chokes? I don’t need any thing exact just a rough estimate to see if it’s even worth it to me. I know I could go talk to a smith my self but the local guy is basically only open while I’m working.

Scorch · November 12, 2022, 07:23 PM

Some gunsmiths will be reasonable, others not so much. SXS barrels are not just a barrel stuck onto another one. But if someone brought such a project to me, I would likely turn it away.

jmr40 · November 12, 2022, 07:57 PM

I doubt if installing chokes is going to be an option. Cutting it down and installing another bead and going with 2 cylinder choked barrels shouldn't be too expensive.

If the gun is in otherwise working condition, I'd consider doing that to make it usable again.

Bill DeShivs · November 13, 2022, 01:07 AM

You don't need, or want chokes in a coach gun.
It shouldn't be expensive to hacksaw the barrels, smooth them up with a file, fill the void between the ribs, and reinstall the front sight.

WmMunny · November 13, 2022, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deja vu

I I know I could go talk to a smith my self but the local guy is basically only open while I’m working.

Telephone?

Deja vu · November 13, 2022, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WmMunny

Telephone?

Of course, I think that what any one would do. The smith said he wanted to see them first before a quote. I had hoped I could just get a possible range it could be in for similar jobs here.

**44 AMP** · November 13, 2022, 02:13 PM

First step, determine if the "old Parker" has any collector value (even damaged)
And, if it has "fluid steel" barrels or Damascus/ "twist" barrels.

Next, take it/send it to a real gunsmith for evaluation. I don't mean the friendly guy who just builds ARs and mounts scopes and fixes small things by replacing parts, they may not have the experience you need. Some will say they do, when they don't, so beware....

Quote:

The issue is the left barrel is split down to about 19 inches.

This is what concerns me. The barrel is split,, why? and, how??

You say the left barrel is split, it need to be checked. Split (a crack?) split (burst?

) Split from the muzzle all the way down to 19 inches???

Barrels split for two main reasons, firing with an obstructed bore, or metal failure. A black powder twist barrel coming apart due to being fired with smokeless ammo counts as metal failure.

Which brings me back to the point of having a gunsmith check out the gun.

What if the barrel is also "bad" between where the crack ends and the breech? IF so, cutting off the cracked part doesn't make it safe to shoot!!

Last time I checked, Federal law (with some specific exceptions) required shotgun barrels to be 18" minimum, or be registered as an NFA firearm. Some states have their own laws on this matter, as well, and may be more restrictive than the Federal law.

IF your gun has "twist" barrels (which may not be really obvious) it should NOT be used with modern smokeless ammunition!!

Quote:

It shouldn't be expensive to hacksaw the barrels, smooth them up with a file, fill the void between the ribs, and reinstall the front sight.

This is the work needed to return the gun to useable condition, IF there is nothing else wrong with it, BUT what you need to know, first, is would the gun be safe to use after that work was done? If not, then it's an as is wall hanger display

There may be something(s) else wrong with the gun, that you don't know about. You need a guy who knows old SxS shotguns who can evaluate all of it.

Twist barrels (Damascus) were regarded as a sign of quality in the old days, and I've heard when fluid steel (modern) barrels came out, some guns had them but were finished with a fake Damascus pattern, just to appeal to the buying public. Never personally saw one, but it is the kind of thing done back then.

Grandfather had a "stub twist" Ithaca SxS. Farmer neighbor really liked the gun, and after about a "20 years" of him trying to buy it, my Grandfather finally relented and sold it to him. He replaced it with a new Ithaca with fluid steel barrels, in 1909. In the 1940s, the farmer neighbor with his old gun had "about 4 inches" of the left barrel "unravel" when he fired it. No one was hurt, thankfully. I have my Grandfather's 1909 Ithaca, its in perfect mechanical condition, still.

You really need someone experienced to check the gun out. You may have a rare collectible variant. OR it may be a decent old gun that could be returned to service, or it may be something only fit for a wall hanger or a parts gun.

You might have to spend a bit of $ to find that out, but its not wasted money. Having the barrels chopped and finished on a gun that might be a time bomb when fired would be wasted money to me.

Good Luck!

HiBC · November 13, 2022, 03:48 PM

Parkers are very highly regarded as classic American double guns.

"Split" could have more than one meaning. Does "split" mean the tube itself is cracked through, or does it mean the solder joint between the tube and the rib has failed?

If the tube has separated from the rib...... It might be hard to find an Old Guy with the skills, but if you find that guy,it might be possible to have the ribs/barrels resoldered.

It would not be cheap.....but chopping an old Parker ??

If the actual barrel tube itself is split.....I guess,Parker or not you are just trying to salvage something out of a wreck.

I agree with the idea of having a good Gunsmith evaluate the project.

FITASC · November 13, 2022, 05:58 PM

I would contact Mike Orlen in Amherst, MA; his rates are reasonable, his turnaround reasonably rapid, and his work is excellent

bladesmith 1 · November 14, 2022, 11:48 AM

I don't believe any Damascus barrel has split because of metal fatigue. At least in my 25 years of shooting them have I ever read of that happening. I also put on a SxS event every year since 2005. Many of the competitors shoot Damascus barrel guns, myself included, some of them twist Damascus. We all shoot nitro powders and none of them have ever blown up. That is a big misconception about Damascus barrels. If any kind of barrel splits or blows up in the chambers it's because of too much pressure. If they let go down the barrels it's because of a constriction. I have heard of Damascus barrels unraveling at the breach end, but that's far and few in between. It's because someone tried to shoot a slug down a full choked barrel. But they still don't blow up. You could cut the barrels off at 18 1/2", then check the barrel wall thickness. You should have at least .040 thickness. If so, and there's no sign the split went into the barrel that's left you'd be safe. No sense trying to put choke tubes in it, but you could.
Most of us shooting Damascus barrel guns reload, and tend to keep pressures at, or under 7500psi. It's more out of respect for 100+ year old wooden stocks. Although Sherman Bell wrote some articles in the Double Gun Journal where he tested some 40 Damascus SxSs " wall hangers " that were given to him with instructions to blow them up. Using Remington proof loads of 18,300psi NONE of them would blow, split, crack, or become more off face. He keep increasing the pressures with stronger reloads until one Parker to let go at 30,000psi. I only stated the above to show not all Damascus barreled guns are unsafe. If you don't feel confortable shooting one, then don't.
I would have to assume the one split barrel you have was because of an obstruction, not because it was Damascus.
You could always go to the www.doublegunshop.com and sell your Parker for parts. Good luck.

bladesmith 1 · November 14, 2022, 12:12 PM

I have right now three Parkers, all with Damascus barrels. All of them have over .040 at the breech, and not half way down the barrels. The British today still proof Damascus barreled guns, and they want at least .020 at the breech. Just about everyone here in the USA would think that's too thin. Here we made guns for the average man, not the rich, so the guns had thicker walls. Much thicker, like double or more. And the rich British shooter would have his gunsmith hone the barrels every year after the shooting season. So they got pretty thin sometimes. Here we just cleaned and oiled them up good and put em away. Our barrels tended to stay the same thickness. So I said .040, but you'll probably find them thicker.
Many gunsmiths today won't touch Damascus barrel guns unless they know something about them, and I mean more than old hand me down tales.
There's another whole world out there shooting old SxSs with Damascus or steel barrels. Go to www.parkerguns.org or www.doublegunshop.com and read a little. You'll find lots of guys shooting those dangerous Damascus guns.

November 12, 2022, 05:56 PM	#1
Deja vu Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2010 Location: Border of Idaho & Montana Posts: 2,584	Cost to cut down a barrel? I have an old SXS 10ga Parker shotgun that I found in attic when we moved in to the new home. The issue is the left barrel is split down to about 19 inches. Assuming the cylinder walls are thick enough, what would the cost be to higher a skilled gunsmith and have it cut back to a coachguns and install chokes? I don’t need any thing exact just a rough estimate to see if it’s even worth it to me. I know I could go talk to a smith my self but the local guy is basically only open while I’m working. __________________ Shot placement is everything! I would rather take a round of 50BMG to the foot than a 22short to the base of the skull. all 26 of my guns are 45/70 govt, 357 mag, 22 or 12 ga... I believe in keeping it simple. Wish my wife did as well...

November 12, 2022, 07:23 PM	#2
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Some gunsmiths will be reasonable, others not so much. SXS barrels are not just a barrel stuck onto another one. But if someone brought such a project to me, I would likely turn it away. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

November 12, 2022, 07:57 PM	#3
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,808	I doubt if installing chokes is going to be an option. Cutting it down and installing another bead and going with 2 cylinder choked barrels shouldn't be too expensive. If the gun is in otherwise working condition, I'd consider doing that to make it usable again. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

November 13, 2022, 01:07 AM	#4
Bill DeShivs Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 10,985	You don't need, or want chokes in a coach gun. It shouldn't be expensive to hacksaw the barrels, smooth them up with a file, fill the void between the ribs, and reinstall the front sight. __________________ Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler www.billdeshivs.com

November 13, 2022, 05:58 PM	#9
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	I would contact Mike Orlen in Amherst, MA; his rates are reasonable, his turnaround reasonably rapid, and his work is excellent __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

November 13, 2022, 03:48 PM	#8
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,286	Parkers are very highly regarded as classic American double guns. "Split" could have more than one meaning. Does "split" mean the tube itself is cracked through, or does it mean the solder joint between the tube and the rib has failed? If the tube has separated from the rib...... It might be hard to find an Old Guy with the skills, but if you find that guy,it might be possible to have the ribs/barrels resoldered. It would not be cheap.....but chopping an old Parker ?? If the actual barrel tube itself is split.....I guess,Parker or not you are just trying to salvage something out of a wreck. I agree with the idea of having a good Gunsmith evaluate the project.

November 14, 2022, 11:48 AM	#10
bladesmith 1 Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2018 Posts: 240	I don't believe any Damascus barrel has split because of metal fatigue. At least in my 25 years of shooting them have I ever read of that happening. I also put on a SxS event every year since 2005. Many of the competitors shoot Damascus barrel guns, myself included, some of them twist Damascus. We all shoot nitro powders and none of them have ever blown up. That is a big misconception about Damascus barrels. If any kind of barrel splits or blows up in the chambers it's because of too much pressure. If they let go down the barrels it's because of a constriction. I have heard of Damascus barrels unraveling at the breach end, but that's far and few in between. It's because someone tried to shoot a slug down a full choked barrel. But they still don't blow up. You could cut the barrels off at 18 1/2", then check the barrel wall thickness. You should have at least .040 thickness. If so, and there's no sign the split went into the barrel that's left you'd be safe. No sense trying to put choke tubes in it, but you could. Most of us shooting Damascus barrel guns reload, and tend to keep pressures at, or under 7500psi. It's more out of respect for 100+ year old wooden stocks. Although Sherman Bell wrote some articles in the Double Gun Journal where he tested some 40 Damascus SxSs " wall hangers " that were given to him with instructions to blow them up. Using Remington proof loads of 18,300psi NONE of them would blow, split, crack, or become more off face. He keep increasing the pressures with stronger reloads until one Parker to let go at 30,000psi. I only stated the above to show not all Damascus barreled guns are unsafe. If you don't feel confortable shooting one, then don't. I would have to assume the one split barrel you have was because of an obstruction, not because it was Damascus. You could always go to the www.doublegunshop.com and sell your Parker for parts. Good luck.

November 14, 2022, 12:12 PM	#11
bladesmith 1 Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2018 Posts: 240	I have right now three Parkers, all with Damascus barrels. All of them have over .040 at the breech, and not half way down the barrels. The British today still proof Damascus barreled guns, and they want at least .020 at the breech. Just about everyone here in the USA would think that's too thin. Here we made guns for the average man, not the rich, so the guns had thicker walls. Much thicker, like double or more. And the rich British shooter would have his gunsmith hone the barrels every year after the shooting season. So they got pretty thin sometimes. Here we just cleaned and oiled them up good and put em away. Our barrels tended to stay the same thickness. So I said .040, but you'll probably find them thicker. Many gunsmiths today won't touch Damascus barrel guns unless they know something about them, and I mean more than old hand me down tales. There's another whole world out there shooting old SxSs with Damascus or steel barrels. Go to www.parkerguns.org or www.doublegunshop.com and read a little. You'll find lots of guys shooting those dangerous Damascus guns.