Shotguns

Whenever shotgun barrels suffer internal damage, the gun’s owner almost immediately leaps to the conclusion that there was something faulty about the ammunition. It is true that certain forms of barrel damage can indeed be caused by faulty ammunition (see this column January and February 2014). However, as we examined in last month’s Part 1 of this series, certain forms of barrel damage can occur from shoddy barrel modifications through no fault of the ammunition whatsoever. Part 1 covered faulty chamber and forcing cone lengthening. In Part 2 here we’ll examine damage that can occur from faulty backboring, porting, and screw-in choke installation.

Whenever shotgun barrels suffer internal damage, the gun’s owner almost immediately leaps to the conclusion that there was something faulty about the ammunition. It is true that certain forms of barrel damage can indeed be caused by faulty ammunition (see this column January and February 2014). However, as we examined in last month’s Part 1 of this series, certain forms of barrel damage can occur from shoddy barrel modifications through no fault of the ammunition whatsoever. Part 1 covered faulty chamber and forcing cone lengthening. In Part 2 here we’ll examine damage that can occur from faulty backboring, porting, and screw-in choke installation.

In my last two columns we examined damage to shotguns that can occur from shooting excess pressure loads (January 2014) and from barrel obstructions (February 2014).  In this installment let’s begin looking at barrel damage that can occur from improperly performed barrel modifications. 

My January 2014 column in Shotgun Life, which discussed shotshell pressures and the kinds of barrel damage excess cartridge pressure can cause, generated quite a few reader responses.  Several readers contacted me requesting I also devote a column to barrel damage caused by obstructions. Before going further, any time there’s a topic of interest you would like covered in this column, please e-mail me. I pride myself in being 100% responsive to readers’ interests.

Shotshell pressures seem to be a worrisome area for many shotgunners, especially reloaders.  They worry that if they shoot excessive pressure loads that their shotgun could well “blow up.” They’ve heard that from their buddies, but they really don’t have any solid scientific evidence to support those assertions.