How much pressure to put a dent in a shotgun barrel?

[PeterHenry]

I was out shooting at ducks tonight, and managed to hit barrels of my Browning with a walking stick in the dark. I'm fairly sure that no damage has been done because the gun is built like a small anti aircraft gun, and it's a horn / hazel stick that hit it.

But, it got me thinking - what would I have to do to put a dent in it? Obviously stones and other bits of metal are bad, (I'm always quite wary of hide poles) but I can't see a stick / branch doing much harm unless you really swung into it - even with thin side by side barrels? Or am I missing something?

Grouse butt sticks must get a fair few whacks?

[Dave at kelton]

I would expect barrel wall thickness and material comes into it but generally unless these are thin it would take something hard, and or pointy. That is pressure over a small area of the barrels. The dents I have seen in barrels have all looked very much like that.

I have caught barrels on both foreign and English guns, steel,and Damascus on occasion without I’ll effect. I only once dented a barrel and that was when I the strap broke on a ten bore and it clattered onto the flags.

Doubtless one of our gunsmiths with greater knowledge will help us.

Have a great season!

[London Best]

The only barrel I ever dented was done on the edge of a cast iron B.R. sign whilst walking down a railway track. Spanish Arramberri side lock SxS. I had given it quite a whack.
It was quite a deep dent but I used it to shoot pigeons that day and then had it removed.

[JohnfromUK]

There isn't a straight simple answer because different barrels have different wall thickness, which varies down the barrel's length.  I think a light and curved 'non fixed' obstacle such as a stick is unlikely to cause a dent, especially as you say your gun has good wall thickness.

A metallic obstacle can do it quite easily, especially thing like vehicle door/boot edges etc, gates and fence posts, and other gun barrels.  Looking through the (clean) barrel at a light sky and moving it (slight circular motion) to see the 'ring shadows' usually shows the dent quite easily and similar looking along the outside against a light window can identify the location, which can also often be done by feel.  If you think you see a dent, get it to a gunsmith as continuing to use a slightly dented gun will cause localised wear over time.

Obviously thin walled guns are more easily dented and also can not always take repairs if the walls are very thin (though they may still be 'in proof').

[Sweet11-87]

well ive seen 2 that i thought were gona need work and both were fine , first i seen a very compact and tidy sxs get swung round and up into the top of the box steel clay stand when somone went for an overheader way to late and i got to look at a browning cynergy after a mokka reversed over it in a dollomite carpark. both were totally fine, gun was in a slip when it got ran over so wasnt even scraped.

[PeterHenry]

12 hours ago, Dave at kelton said:

I would expect barrel wall thickness and material comes into it but generally unless these are thin it would take something hard, and or pointy. That is pressure over a small area of the barrels. The dents I have seen in barrels have all looked very much like that.

I have caught barrels on both foreign and English guns, steel,and Damascus on occasion without I’ll effect. I only once dented a barrel and that was when I the strap broke on a ten bore and it clattered onto the flags.

Doubtless one of our gunsmiths with greater knowledge will help us.

Have a great season!

 

10 hours ago, London Best said:

The only barrel I ever dented was done on the edge of a cast iron B.R. sign whilst walking down a railway track. Spanish Arramberri side lock SxS. I had given it quite a whack.
It was quite a deep dent but I used it to shoot pigeons that day and then had it removed.

 

9 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

There isn't a straight simple answer because different barrels have different wall thickness, which varies down the barrel's length.  I think a light and curved 'non fixed' obstacle such as a stick is unlikely to cause a dent, especially as you say your gun has good wall thickness.

A metallic obstacle can do it quite easily, especially thing like vehicle door/boot edges etc, gates and fence posts, and other gun barrels.  Looking through the (clean) barrel at a light sky and moving it (slight circular motion) to see the 'ring shadows' usually shows the dent quite easily and similar looking along the outside against a light window can identify the location, which can also often be done by feel.  If you think you see a dent, get it to a gunsmith as continuing to use a slightly dented gun will cause localised wear over time.

Obviously thin walled guns are more easily dented and also can not always take repairs if the walls are very thin (though they may still be 'in proof').

 

9 hours ago, Sweet11-87 said:

well ive seen 2 that i thought were gona need work and both were fine , first i seen a very compact and tidy sxs get swung round and up into the top of the box steel clay stand when somone went for an overheader way to late and i got to look at a browning cynergy after a mokka reversed over it in a dollomite carpark. both were totally fine, gun was in a slip when it got ran over so wasnt even scraped.

Thanks all - much as I suspected 👍

[OGGIE]

I dented a barrel on my first gun when I came off my motorbike. Had it repaired at Linsley's in Leeds.

[Westley]

I saw a Winchester 23 S x S get a bad dent after falling onto a cobbled yard. It was lifted out, but DON'T lean your gun against a car, thankfully it was empty. (So was the gun)  🙄

[Gunman]

Really depends on the barrel thickness and steel . The force of the impact and the profile of the object hitting it .

Some times a very minor knock with a sharp edge will dent but the same knock against a smooth or rounded object will causes no damage .

As to your question how much pressure is required  . I have actually had a set of barrels that were so thin  I actually squashed them by hand by simply holding them to tightly .This was on a old gun that had be bored and struck off way past its safe limits , but was technically still in proof if only by .001"

[PeterHenry]

On 02/09/2023 at 20:51, OGGIE said:

I dented a barrel on my first gun when I came off my motorbike. Had it repaired at Linsley's in Leeds.

 

23 hours ago, Westley said:

I saw a Winchester 23 S x S get a bad dent after falling onto a cobbled yard. It was lifted out, but DON'T lean your gun against a car, thankfully it was empty. (So was the gun)  🙄

 

12 hours ago, Gunman said:

Really depends on the barrel thickness and steel . The force of the impact and the profile of the object hitting it .

Some times a very minor knock with a sharp edge will dent but the same knock against a smooth or rounded object will causes no damage .

As to your question how much pressure is required  . I have actually had a set of barrels that were so thin  I actually squashed them by hand by simply holding them to tightly .This was on a old gun that had be bored and struck off way past its safe limits , but was technically still in proof if only by .001"

Thanks all 👍

So, after being so sure I hadn't pit a dent in the barells, turns out I put one in the ventilated rib....

[Westley]

I had a similar problem with my 725. Thankfully a member of this Forum came to my rescue and between us we sorted the problem. However, IF you are going to tackle the job yourself,  make sure you use the tool made for the job to avoid further damage. With the correct tool, it is a simple job.

[PeterHenry]

On 03/09/2023 at 23:16, Westley said:

I had a similar problem with my 725. Thankfully a member of this Forum came to my rescue and between us we sorted the problem. However, IF you are going to tackle the job yourself,  make sure you use the tool made for the job to avoid further damage. With the correct tool, it is a simple job.

Cheers 👍- I think I'm going to take it somewhere to get it fixed - I'm not good with this sort of thing.

[JohnfromUK]

5 minutes ago, PeterHenry said:

Cheers 👍- I think I'm going to take it somewhere to get it fixed - I'm not good with this sort of thing.

I think that is wise; It is easy (with some types of ventilated rib) to start them lifting - which is a much bigger repair.

[Westley]

4 hours ago, PeterHenry said:

Cheers 👍- I think I'm going to take it somewhere to get it fixed - I'm not good with this sort of thing.

If you are not confident in your ability to do the job, it should not be an expensive repair. 

[30-6]

Done a very slight dent on bottom barrel of a Lanber o/u, looking up the barrel it looked like a human hair, outside you could feel very very slight dent. This was done by a very slight contact with top bar of a 5 bar gate.

I had bought it new, so took it back to RFD , and it was sent back to GMK, who must have inserted a manderel and peened it over. Charged me £25 in 1986.

[enfieldspares]

On 03/09/2023 at 09:27, Gunman said:

As to your question how much pressure is required  . I have actually had a set of barrels that were so thin  I actually squashed them by hand by simply holding them to tightly .This was on a old gun that had be bored and struck off way past its safe limits , but was technically still in proof if only by .001"

Greener recounts in his book how he made a barrel progressively thinner, firing full charges through it after each stage until he finished the trial by stabbing a penknife into the barrels and ripping them up their length to show how thin barrels could be made yet still tolerate being fired.

[TOPGUN749]

My 1895 Clarbrough and Johnstone sidelock has several dents collected over the years,The barrels on side by sides are often quite thin near the muzzle,about 30/1000” in this case.

[JohnfromUK]

18 minutes ago, TOPGUN749 said:

My 1895 Clarbrough and Johnstone sidelock has several dents collected over the years,The barrels on side by sides are often quite thin near the muzzle,about 30/1000” in this case.

30 thou is quite a decent thickness.  One of mine is 21 thou at the thinnest point.  Below 20 is considered minimum 'practical' limit.