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Hi guys,
I asked this question as part of another thread, but a lot of people might have missed it because of that. I think it would benefit being a stand-alone question as I'm sure quite a few people would like to at least know the answer to the question, and some perhaps even to act on this advice, namely: Can used full-length insert barrels be re-used in another shotgun other than the one they were custom made for?
Full-length insert barrels are very expensive to buy new, more than a modest quality new gun in many cases, and they are custom fitted to the shotgun gauge, barrel length and I would imagine also the choke of the gun they were intended for. We are not talking here about the short 44cm and similar inserts that are now seldom sold, but rather full-length to the muzzle inserts. These are sold in a variety of low-intensity, low back-pressure cartridges, such as .22 Hornet, 5,6x52R (.22 Savage), 5,6x50R, 6x70R Norma and so on. Being muzzle-length the best of them are adjustable at the muzzle for windage and elevation. But therein lies the rub: getting a used one that is exactly the right length, down to the last 1/2" or cm is going to be a challenge in an on-line auction.
Can they be shortened? Is it just a case of unscrewing or perhaps un-soldering either the chamber end or the muzzle end and re-cutting the barrel to length, then rethreading, (or re-soldering) it to fit the new host-barrel length? So for instance, a 63,5cm insert for sale would be a good buy for someone wanting to fit it to a 60cm Kurz-Drilling. Or is this length fixed and "not negotiable".
And what of the choke? Is there enough adjustment (or can the muzzle end be adapted), so that the second-hand insert can be made to fit a 1/2 choke barrel when it came originally from a full-choke barrel, and visa-versa? I never see any comment about the original choke in those offered for sale, just the gauge and length.
I'm guessing that most good gunsmiths would know intuitively how to mill out part of the firearms' extractor, to mount the inserts own extractor so as to both index it and also to lift the cartridges out of the insert when the gun is broken open. That part I get! But what of the chamber? These vary somewhat even within a gauge. So again, does the second-hand insert need to be sleeved up or turned down to fit snug?
Obviously, I could order one of these and find out by trial and error, but the high cost of export permits from Germany in particular means that I would sooner do this once with the knowledge I can make my purchase fit first time. I have been told that in fact it might be easier to send the barrel, if not the whole gun, back to Germany to have a new one fitted and regulated there. But there are enough full-length inserts for sale second-hand on Egun and etc., to make me think that there is another viable option.
Would someone who knows these particular inserts well, or who has been down this path, care to comment?
I asked this question as part of another thread, but a lot of people might have missed it because of that. I think it would benefit being a stand-alone question as I'm sure quite a few people would like to at least know the answer to the question, and some perhaps even to act on this advice, namely: Can used full-length insert barrels be re-used in another shotgun other than the one they were custom made for?
Full-length insert barrels are very expensive to buy new, more than a modest quality new gun in many cases, and they are custom fitted to the shotgun gauge, barrel length and I would imagine also the choke of the gun they were intended for. We are not talking here about the short 44cm and similar inserts that are now seldom sold, but rather full-length to the muzzle inserts. These are sold in a variety of low-intensity, low back-pressure cartridges, such as .22 Hornet, 5,6x52R (.22 Savage), 5,6x50R, 6x70R Norma and so on. Being muzzle-length the best of them are adjustable at the muzzle for windage and elevation. But therein lies the rub: getting a used one that is exactly the right length, down to the last 1/2" or cm is going to be a challenge in an on-line auction.
Can they be shortened? Is it just a case of unscrewing or perhaps un-soldering either the chamber end or the muzzle end and re-cutting the barrel to length, then rethreading, (or re-soldering) it to fit the new host-barrel length? So for instance, a 63,5cm insert for sale would be a good buy for someone wanting to fit it to a 60cm Kurz-Drilling. Or is this length fixed and "not negotiable".
And what of the choke? Is there enough adjustment (or can the muzzle end be adapted), so that the second-hand insert can be made to fit a 1/2 choke barrel when it came originally from a full-choke barrel, and visa-versa? I never see any comment about the original choke in those offered for sale, just the gauge and length.
I'm guessing that most good gunsmiths would know intuitively how to mill out part of the firearms' extractor, to mount the inserts own extractor so as to both index it and also to lift the cartridges out of the insert when the gun is broken open. That part I get! But what of the chamber? These vary somewhat even within a gauge. So again, does the second-hand insert need to be sleeved up or turned down to fit snug?
Obviously, I could order one of these and find out by trial and error, but the high cost of export permits from Germany in particular means that I would sooner do this once with the knowledge I can make my purchase fit first time. I have been told that in fact it might be easier to send the barrel, if not the whole gun, back to Germany to have a new one fitted and regulated there. But there are enough full-length inserts for sale second-hand on Egun and etc., to make me think that there is another viable option.
Would someone who knows these particular inserts well, or who has been down this path, care to comment?
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