Lewi76 Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) Hi folks I've just got my old rough shot gun out and noticed the inside of the barrels are slightly pitted , any advice do I leave it or can it be repaired ? Edited November 10, 2015 by Lewi76 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 Ask a gunsmith to check it out and see if it's still safe to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunman Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 Without looking at it , measuring the bore and walls ,any answer is guess . That said a quick lapp out may be all that's needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewi76 Posted November 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 Cheers I will get it looked at failing that has anyone got a cheap o/u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 Don't bother about it, a bit of light pitting is no problem at all. Thousands of guns have a bit of pitting its normal in older guns. Just carry on using it and don't let it get any worse. Take it to a gunsmith and more than likely he will have you spending money you don;t need to spend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 One man's slight pitting is another man's unsafe gun. Get it checked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewi76 Posted November 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 I've just put a brush down the barrels and it looks better already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabbers Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 put a couple of carts in tie a long bit of string to the trigger and lay on protective sack on ground ,,pull string and see what happens,,obviously a clear field in front,,,kidding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewi76 Posted November 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 The pitting only looks surface but I'm taking it to the local gun smith tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 I've just put a brush down the barrels and it looks better already Give it a swab out with this stuff but be careful not to get it on the bluing or it will take that off as well. http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Painting+%26+Decorating/d150/Metal+Paints+%26+Primers/sd3152/Rustins+Rust+Remover/p20340 Pitting (so called) is not the same as a bit of surface rust. It takes manic amounts of rust to reduce the thickness of the metal enough to make the barrel unsafe. The pitting thing is a throwback to the old days of laminated barrels when barrels were made by twisting scrap steel round and round a mandrel to form a tube. Rusting from the old corrosive cartridges could get into the laminations and run with the grain of the metal. Even then barrel failures were remarkably rare. I would stick my neck out and say you could count on one hand the number of barrels that have ever failed through rust. Many failed through using smokeless cartridges in old BP proof guns. But thats another story. Over the years thousands of barrels have been lapped quite unnecessarily and its a big con. How can you make a barrel "safe" by removing more metal than was affected by a bit of rust? I know of an eight bore that was dredged up in an estuary and put back into service with a barrel red with rust. I also know of a man who brought a Greener GP into a dealer with a bit of pitting and was told it was scrap but they would take it off his hands. Two hours later it was on the dealer's website for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabbers Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 pitting also affects modern steel.rust if new is not a problem when it starts to flake ,well that your thickness dissapearing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savhmr Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Are you sure it's pitting and not just lead fouling? Sometimes even with several cleans I get some fouling marks stubbornly clinging to the bores from the throat to about 8 or 10 inches down the barrel. A good soak with bore cleaner and a decent bore brush usually does the trick with a few attempts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewi76 Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 I've cleaned it through a fair few times now it's better than it was . I know a gunsmith so I'm going to see what he says today fingers crossed its ok . Thanks again for everyone's help and advice it's much appreciated . Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougall Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 depends upon how thick the walls are...any old gun will have some marks on barrels......they add character!...I have a v v old s/s has slight pitting and has 30 thou in both barrels my options were lap it out say 8 thou and make it look shiny or leave it alone with 30 thou of wall thickness......the latter makes far more sense!It is also important to say that lapping out is not without risk...and what if it does not remove all the marks?You end up with a gun still with a pit mark or 2 but getting down to 20 thou,which to most folk is the minimum wall thickness for safe use....... Serious serious pitting,and I mean looks like craters/holes is obviously more worrying and of course may compromise the barrels.....if you are unsure get it looked at and certainly get the walls measured...but large amounts of lapping may well render the gun out of proof and necessitate the gun being sent off to proof(lets call that £300 in prep and proof house costs) and the proof houses as I understand it are being much much harsher and can fail a gun on looks in addition to the the firing test..If the pitting is down your end(breech end) then that is the part of the barrel which takes most pressure..so be safe,if it is up the muzzle end it is very very unlikely to matter... If you are in any doubt then have it looked at but as Vince above says I would see Lapping as a 'last resort' as you are maybe making the barrels prettier but you are opening a bigger can of worms than is frankly required in MOST cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Vince - your post and the reasoning it contained made me re-consider my opinion. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arjimlad Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 I bought an old English SBS ejector years ago with some pitting in the barrels - gunshop said not to worry about it & that it was in proof, but because you can't see how deep the pits are, it played on my mind. It was also a ****** to clean, what with the pits holding onto residue etc you could never get the patches out properly clean. I took it back to the shop, and bought an AYA no 4 with spotless bores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Without looking at it , measuring the bore and walls ,any answer is guess . That said a quick lapp out may be all that's needed. +1...................pitting often looks worse than it is..........if you have meat in your barrel "lapping" is a fairly cheap job.............if you like the gun and want it to last it is worth getting it done and once it is smooth and clean providing you maintain it.....it will stay that way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 It is a tricky one. To remove pits, more metal must be removed, which will hardly increase barrel strength. If they remain, it will be harder to determine how deep they are and any deterioration. If they are lapped out, you can keep an eye on whether they recur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 If you put a lightly oiled mop down the barrels after cleaning any pitting should never get worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougall Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 +1...................pitting often looks worse than it is..........if you have meat in your barrel "lapping" is a fairly cheap job.............if you like the gun and want it to last it is worth getting it done and once it is smooth and clean providing you maintain it.....it will stay that way... erm...if you like the gun and want it to last then i would be VERY cautious about lapping....it can and does go wrong,you wont know how far to go until metal is being machined out and you may well end up with a re-proof which may or may not lead to your gun being scrapped at some cost.........as it as an old rough gun and you are unsure get it looked at to reassure yourself it is safe to shoot...dont fill it with magnum shells.....if you want a perfect bores gun go buy another for smart and keep this as your knock about...job done.........would I personally re-lap/re-proof hell no for a rough gun you may spend £400 and get no where...why not spend that/put it toward a better gun??? your choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 erm...if you like the gun and want it to last then i would be VERY cautious about lapping....it can and does go wrong,you wont know how far to go until metal is being machined out and you may well end up with a re-proof which may or may not lead to your gun being scrapped at some cost.........as it as an old rough gun and you are unsure get it looked at to reassure yourself it is safe to shoot...dont fill it with magnum shells.....if you want a perfect bores gun go buy another for smart and keep this as your knock about...job done.........would I personally re-lap/re-proof hell no for a rough gun you may spend £400 and get no where...why not spend that/put it toward a better gun??? your choice. i get your point....dont know where your prices come from....i had my barrells honed/lapped out on an old aya best quality sxs a few years ago....the smith checked the wall thickness...it had never been touched and the bill was £60.00 / barrel.....we are not talking "skimming" the bores out just light honing...which often is all thats needed.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 i get your point....dont know where your prices come from....i had my barrells honed/lapped out on an old aya best quality sxs a few years ago....the smith checked the wall thickness...it had never been touched and the bill was £60.00 / barrel.....we are not talking "skimming" the bores out just light honing...which often is all thats needed.......... Honing is putting a bit of emery on an electric drill, at £60 per barrel thats not a bad little earner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewi76 Posted November 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 I've tried the gun today and it works fine with 32grm 6 shot so I will keep it as it is now and buy another for best . Thanks again for everyone's help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougall Posted November 12, 2015 Report Share Posted November 12, 2015 i get your point....dont know where your prices come from....i had my barrells honed/lapped out on an old aya best quality sxs a few years ago....the smith checked the wall thickness...it had never been touched and the bill was £60.00 / barrel.....we are not talking "skimming" the bores out just light honing...which often is all thats needed.......... lapping is £10/thou +vat per barrel...and my £400 figure was to include a re-proof...........honed is totally different lapping is literally removing metal with a cutting machine and if u think all barrels are dead straight/up for this process please think again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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