bent barrel

[jwm]

I thought that I got a great deal today...now I'm not so sure.  A local shop had a Buffalo Classic .45-70 advertised at a good price.  When I went to look at it I found the metalwork in excellent-to-new condition, but some previous owner had slathered so much spar varnish or polyurethane stock finish on the nicely-grained wood that the checkering was completely filled in and smooth.  The trigger was the heaviest I have felt on a Handi, but smooth and without grit or creep.  The price was so good I snapped it up and chuckled all the way home.

Upon closer examination I discovered that the barrel is bent noticeably to the right.  The bend is just a gentle "wow" over the entire length of the barrel.  It is very noticeable when viewing a bright through the bore, as though boresighting, but even sighting along the exterior of the barrel allows it to be seen.

I haven't fired the gun yet.  I assume that it is safe to shoot?  Is it even worth worrying about?  The gunshop is a very honest and trustworthy place, and I don't doubt that they would take the gun back for a full refund if I return it, but I don't know if I should.  The price was very good, and if the gun shoots well I am hoping that I can learn to live with the crazy barrel.  In case it matters, the gun is a fairly new one, with an extractor only.

Any comments would be appreciated.

[quickdtoo]

H&R would replace the barrel, all ya gotta do is call em and make arrangements to send it in.  Just make sure they have one in stock before you send it off. With the right setup, you can straighten it yourself, maybe not perfect, but good enough to sight in and shoot accurately.

Tim

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,88522.msg535464.html#msg535464

[Dinny]

Maybe you could use it for hunting. Should shoot right around any trees in the way. LOL    In WWII the Germans had a rifle that was used to shoot around corners. It did have one slight design flaw. The bullets would yaw out of the barrel in such a way that the bullets would fragment shortly after they exited. It proved effective when used from tanks on infantry as it affected more than just one person with it's broad spray.
 
I would send it back to H&R like Tim recommended. They should be able to fix you up with a brand new barrel.

Thanks, Dinny

[Spanky]

A heavy trigger, jacked up stocks and a bent barrel. A "great deal"??



Spanky

[PHATINJUN]

My first thoughts would be who ever had it was un happy lost thier temper and took and swung it into a tree. ...maybe that's what the heavy crud on the stock is covering up a cracked/repaired stock? Why else would you cover up what is probly the best looking real wood stock that H&R makes today.Good deal?? Depends on if the frame is ok and if you paid frame only price. Kurt

[44 Man]

I read an interesting article several years ago.  It was about an old gentleman at Savage that straightened the barrels.  He would look through every barrel that they made.  If one was bent, he said it showed up easily when looking through the rifleing.  He just had a jig to hold them and a big bar that was inserted into the barrel and he did it all by hand.  Certainly didn't make it sould like it was a big deal at all.  Of course he likely had 30 or 40 years of experience.  44 Man

[blacksan]

I was trained by an Ol' Timey machinist/smith (Bob Thacker) that still had one of the ancient over-head barrel presses used to straighten bent barrels. Back in the day before modern lathes the heat generated by lathe work to accomplish desired contour would cause the barrel to bend between centers due to heat induced metal expansion. You simply placed the barrel in a fixture that allowed you to peer through it toward a light source and turn a overhead circular wheel-like handle compressing the barrel in a jig to straighten it. To get the desired effect you might need to loosen the fixture and turn the barrel in the jig and tweak it a little more. It's amazing how a skilled operator could make it right just by observing shadows cast through a bent barrel and splitting the difference. I also had a friend that worked for Beretta that brought over-under shotguns to speck so they would shot point of impact in relation to there sights. There method was a HEAVY oak table covered with sand bags. You took your shot and adjusted by whacking the barrels in the desired location to effectively bend them to your liking. The beauty of that system was the sand bags didn't mare the finish or ding the tubes. If folks only knew......... 

[gcrank1]

Double tree trunk.......bark doesnt mar the barrels and gives enough to take the curve.
Maybe he had to tweak it to get it to shoot straight without the sight hanging way off one side. If so
send it back for a new one.

[jwm]

I honestly didn't consider the possibility that someone had "modified" this barrel into its present state...I had assumed that it was a factory flaw.  I have seen similar non-straight barrels before, usually on inexpensive .22 rifles, that had about the same degree of bend.  I think that this one is more noticeable due to the greater barrel length.

I will talk to my dealer about having him send the barrel or gun back to H&R.  I'm not sure if I can do so myself, being a loyal citizen of the Great Republic of Canuckistan.

The wood stock appears whole and undamaged under the thick clearcoat.  I would have refinished it anyway so I didn't consider the heavy varnish a problem.  The trigger is still better than a lot of factory triggers nowadays on other guns, probably about five pounds or so.  The barrel is the big "if" in my book.

But all of you are correct...I am definitely swinging from "What a deal!" to "What the H***?"  I will post if anything interesting develops.