Jimiles

I'm using CCI subs - this is the only cartridge I have found which will cycle my Remington 597. I have also noticed a couple of rounds out of every 100 seem unusually loud. I was using a second had generic moderator and I put it down to the mod being knackered so fitted a new A-Tech Wave and its exactly the same...every now and then theres a really loud crack.

You really do need to get all of the dust out of the holes or you may well find the resin doesn't bond to the wall material at all.

Yep, I'll take these please.

If Oly doesn't I will!

Well, sort of...I bought myself a battery pack but then realised that my Photon does not actually have a connection point for external batteries. I am surprised to learn that a Mk 1 does have a connection point while mine, which is presumably a later model, does not.

Thanks Salopian, Brock & Norris were actually the first recommendation given to me...and I may still end up going there. It is their price that made me think twice, Brock & Norris charge £125 plus VAT to do this work. When I factored in the fuel costs to take the rifle up to Whitchurch and then go back and collect it on completion its going to total up to about £140. It was at that point I thought I'd try a machine shop!

It is if I can't find a gunsmith who wants the work. To date I have contacted five gunsmiths within striking distance and I have only had one response - and the price quoted is £145.

As the barrel is already screwcut - and proof marked accordingly - all I am doing is re-machining exactly the same feature five inches nearer to the breach. I do appreciate that its a legal requirement if/when I come to sell the rifle but logically I don't see that I am weakening the barrel in any way. I actually wouldn't take the undercut quite as deep as shown in the photograph so if anything the new work should be stronger than the original.

Where were they Walshie?

Those were the days...they haven't quoted a price yet but I reckon it will have gone up by at least a hundred!

Basically yes, I don't want to put a lot of money into what is basically a second hand ratting rifle. A modern machine shop seems a good compromise for me. I'm in Snowdonia and the nearest professional facility offering this type of work are north of Shrewsbury, about two hours away. They also insist on getting the rifle proofed after the work which, for my purposes, I do not think I need.

Thanks Walshie, I have explained the importance of the thread being central to the bore and NOT to the outside diameter of the barrel and they do understand this. Apparently they can centre it on the bore so I'm happy in that aspect.

I am going to take my Remington 597 to a local machine shop and ask them to shorten the barrel to about 14"and then re-cut the thread. They've not done this before but they're quite happy to simply replicate the original pattern. Before they do this can anybody explain why there is such a wide & deep groove as arrowed between the thread and the machined face? Why can't the thread simply continue up to the face? I am concerned that this groove looks to be quite deep but surely removing so much metal here is creating an unnecessarily weak point in the barrel. My other concern is the crown of which I've got no understanding at all. Looking at my rifle it appears to be a simple rounding of the muzzle area with a slight chamfer cut inside the bore. Is that all that is required or should I use this opportunity to get a more elaborate crown machined?

Only seen 1 or 2 up in the forest so far this year, normally my dog would be putting up dozens... It might be because its so mild.

I'm on the top of a mountain in Snowdonia...so it'll be really wet & windy!!