Boring out a fixed choke...

[Andy54Hawken]

@AndyinEverson and then hone your way to the desired clearances!

Like we need more click bait for @Stomper

That is a good idea...may look into that...Thanks
Andy

 

[Stomper]

I'll have to a get a picture of the muzzle soon and measurements as well...got to cooking dinner and getting riled up here has made the picture gettin' and measurement takin' a mite slower than I would like...
Andy

Yeah, wait until the slightly blurred vision, distended jugulars, and shaking hands subside a bit... we'll wait!

 

[Kruel J]

 

[Ura-Ki]

Hey Andy, you can Hone out your barrel using an automotive break cylinder hone and power drill! Use lots of cutting oil ( of auto trans fluid) and take your time!

each choke size is only 10k between the normal sizes, and 5K between the "Light" sizes, so just measure what you have and then hone your way to the desired size!
I have done a few classic Winchester Scatterguns this way, it is very easy and is neato for fine tuning the pattern!

 

[Stomper]

How much for that awesom wristwatch?!

 

[MountainBear]

Just so I can piss in the same pool as Andy, I just sent a perfectly functional Model 37 to be reblued...

I guess the collectors original guns just got a bit rarer. You're welcome...

 

[MountainBear]

To be fair, mine, like Andy's isn't going anywhere. It is the only gun from my Dad's dad that's still in the family...

 

[turq]

I had my Browning SXS20 ga back bored and opened up to remove a pit in one bbl by a craftsman near Seattle named Stan Baker if memory serves.
He suggested to back bore then open, it was full and mod.
Not sure of the end product chokes to this day, full went to imp mod and mod went to ??? Imp mod? The back bore was noticable....soft shooting.

 

[284guy]

You need one of them fancy polychokes! I have the unfortunate ability of finding really nice shotguns with polychokes on them. Last summer a guy mentioned to me that he had a vent rib sweet sixteen he wanted to sell. It's one of my bucket list guns. Sadly, he brings out a 85-90% gun, with a shortened barrel and poly choke installed. I wanted to cry though I know it was popular back in the day.

 

[Adam13]

Tagged, interesting topic!

i would contact Briley. I know they do it but i don't know what the cost is.

 

[KKG]

So I have Winchester model 37 single shot shotgun in 20 gauge...I shoot petty good with it and its easy to carry in the field for grouse.
Grouse by the way are my favorite critters to hunt.
I was thinking of having the Full choke on this gun opened up to say Modified or Improved Cylinder or perhaps have it threaded and choke tubes installed.
I only plan on using this gun for grouse...

So is it that hard of a job to have a 'Smith bore my barrel out to Modified or IC ...or would it be better and or cheaper to have it threaded for choke tubes....?

Its an older gun , so barrel thickness , may come into play here , for the tubes.
Its also not in "collector grade" shape , not beat up , by any means , just good honest wear from field use.
Andy

Andy;

I'd suggest that you have the choke opened up because it's a VERY Simply process and you might even try it yourself. You Simply take a piece of VERY fine(I use 400 grit) Emery Cloth and wrap several layers around a wooden dowel that you can Chuck up in your Hand Drill. Now starting VERY slowly and keeping the Cloth wet with Water slowly run the Dowel in and out you will need to ad a piece of paper the roll every so often to keep the Pressure on. You should also keep Measuring(about every time you ad the New piece of paper) to see how open the Choke has become. Brownell used to makes a tool(you can probably find one on Fleabay) for this purpose but they may have stopped because of all the Screw-in Choke Tubes. I have one and would be willing to give it to you. I don't know many Shotguns you are planning to do but they can all be done the same way or you can do different for each Shotgun. One IC one Modified etc. When you are getting VERY close to what you want then it's time to change to Crocus Cloth which can be added on top of the other paper if there is anything left. This will give the finished product a VERY Nice Polished Shine.

I'm not providing this information just to Andy but to others as well. Enjoy!!!

 

[RMc]

Mike Orlen's shop price list has a chart at the bottom showing the minimum barrel wall thickness and maximum bore size for different choke tube installations. He also offers fixed choke modifications.

He has done excellent barrel work and choke installation for me.



This is his forum over at Shotgun World, where he offers a 20% labor discount for members.
Shotgunworld.com • Re: Shotgun Barrel Service! at Wholesale Prices for Members!

 

[Flymph]

View attachment 562157

WOAH! That startled me!

 

[DeanMk]

So I have Winchester model 37 single shot shotgun in 20 gauge...I shoot petty good with it and its easy to carry in the field for grouse.
Grouse by the way are my favorite critters to hunt.
I was thinking of having the Full choke on this gun opened up to say Modified or Improved Cylinder or perhaps have it threaded and choke tubes installed.
I only plan on using this gun for grouse...

So is it that hard of a job to have a 'Smith bore my barrel out to Modified or IC ...or would it be better and or cheaper to have it threaded for choke tubes....?

Its an older gun , so barrel thickness , may come into play here , for the tubes.
Its also not in "collector grade" shape , not beat up , by any means , just good honest wear from field use.
Andy

My H&R dates from '81 and I had the choke opened to modified in '91 or '92.
Had the smith put the guts back into it and replace the broken piece and open up the choke.
The gun was payment for helping a friend move some stuff into a moving van, so all I had invested was maybe an hour of my time.
Total bill, including shipping, was in the $90 range.
...made all the difference in the world, too.
Never could understand why I couldn't hit much of anything with all the full choke shotguns we had, until I had that one opened to modified.
Now I hit the bird every time (when I'm not shooting over the gun ).
I think I had the gun back in a month. 'Smith said it wasn't too hard. They literally take a large drill bit and drill out the inside of the barrel until they reach the desired bore size.
It's not much of a change....According to my chart (which I will attach to this post), with 20 gauge, the bore only has to be opened up .011" (.025" to .014").
As for removable chokes, while I see the advantage of having various chokes available to you, I don't like the idea of having all that constriction in one short part of the barrel. Think about it, the shot's moving along down the barrel at a pretty fair clip, when all of a sudden, the barrel constricts. In that short of a distance, it would seem like an instant, but the effect would almost be akin to the shot hitting a wall.
That's gotta be tough on the barrel.
With a break action, like your model 37, they typically feature a taper choke. Its like the world's longest forcing cone. The barrel simply gets smaller, over its entire length (past the chamber, that is) so the "choking process" is a much smoother and gentler transition.
If it were me, I'd just open the choke up to Modified or maybe, Skeet #2 (i.e., light modified) and get to knockin' down some birds.


Dean

 

[RMc]

Some background:

The Winchester Mdl. 37 was produced from 1936 to 1964. This was a basic "single barrel" shotgun, as such, it was not serialized - nor required to be. Like many shotguns of the era, the only choke marking found on most was "CHOKE." This was short for "choke bored" or, in current parlance "full choke". Occasionally, a special order or later youth model would be marked "MOD" or "CYL", for "modified choke" and no choke constriction respectively.

An aside:Twenty gauge buckshot shells of the 1930s were usually loaded with Western 9 Buck, also known as #3B Eastern. Today these would be #3B "American Standard."

 

[RMc]

So I have Winchester model 37 single shot shotgun in 20 gauge...I shoot petty good with it and its easy to carry in the field for grouse.
Grouse by the way are my favorite critters to hunt.
I was thinking of having the Full choke on this gun opened up to say Modified or Improved Cylinder or perhaps have it threaded and choke
tubes installed.
I only plan on using this gun for grouse...

So is it that hard of a job to have a 'Smith bore my barrel out to Modified or IC ...or would it be better and or cheaper to have it threaded for choke tubes....?

Its an older gun , so barrel thickness , may come into play here , for the tubes.
Its also not in "collector grade" shape , not beat up , by any means , just good honest wear from field use.
Andy

Regardless of which choke modification you choose, I would suggest first undertaking a little pattern board work with your preferred grouse load. this would be wise if only to have a "before" base of comparison.

Since your 1950s vintage Winchester 37 was made when card and fiber wads were the norm, the full choke likely has a greater degree of constriction than current full chokes. This may compound your pattern concerns with current plastic wad factory ammunition as the shotcup walls effectively add to the choke constriction effect.

If you load your own shotshells you may even find it interesting to fire a few card and fiber loads to see how the 'lil-twenty patterns with the wads it was built for.

Just for fun, you might even try loading some black powder "twenties" with card and fiber wads. Using once fired hulls, black powder loads can be assembled without a loading press - for your single shot. Just knock out the spent primer with an blunted nail, press in a new 209 primer and from there assemble the load with a traditional dram charge. No crimp would be necessary, just press in the tight fitting over shot card for your trial loads. You may just find the black powder/white smoke route may appeal - even with cartridges in your little single barrel!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Regardless of which choke modification you choose, I would suggest first undertaking a little pattern board work with your preferred grouse load. this would be wise if only to have a "before" base of comparison.

Since your 1950s vintage Winchester 37 was made when card and fiber wads were the norm, the full choke likely has a greater degree of constriction than current full chokes. This may compound your pattern concerns with current plastic wad factory ammunition as the shotcup walls effectively add to the choke constriction effect.

If you load your own shotshells you may even find it interesting to fire a few card and fiber loads to see how the 'lil-twenty patterns with the wads it was built for.

Just for fun, you might even try loading some black powder "twenties" with card and fiber wads. Using once fired hulls, black powder loads can be assembled without a loading press - for your single shot. Just knock out the spent primer with an blunted nail, press in a new 209 primer and from there assemble the load with a traditional dram charge. No crimp would be necessary, just press in the tight fitting over shot card for your trial loads. You may just find the black powder/white smoke route may appeal - even with cartridges in your little single barrel!

I have patterned this gun ...and compared those patterns with my more open bored shotguns and would prefer that the 37 have a more open choke...
And i have tried various types of shells both factory and home brewed black powder loads.
Thanks
Andy

 

[RMc]

I have patterned this gun ...and compared those patterns with my more open bored shotguns and would prefer that the 37 have a more open choke...
And i have tried various types of shells both factory and home brewed black powder loads.
Thanks
Andy

Sounds good.

I mentioned the black powder aspect since increasingly, my favored upland "walkabout" is a little NEF 12ga 22" with fixed modified choke. This was originally configured as a "youth" model and now set up with a standard length stock, sling swivels and carry strap. More often than not, the little single barrel is stoked with 3 1/8 drams of FFFg pushing 1 1/8 ounces from Federal paper hulls.

Frankly that little 20 bore Winchester 37, with the choke opened, sounds made to order for your upland jaunts.

Regards.

 

[DeanMk]

Andy,

Hopefully you don't see this as an insult to your intelligence, but when you patterned your shotgun, did you...

A) Sit back 40 yards and count how many pellets fit inside a 40" circle?

...or...

B) Stand back at the approximate average distance you typically shoot grouse at and measure the size of the entire pattern?


Dean

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Andy,

Hopefully you don't see this as an insult to your intelligence, but when you patterned your shotgun, did you...

A) Sit back 40 yards and count how many pellets fit inside a 40" circle?

...or...

B) Stand back at the approximate average distance you typically shoot grouse at and measure the size of the entire pattern?


Dean

I used the "B" method as I try to "Zero" my guns as well as practice my shooting with an eye to how I would shoot in the field....
Andy