Hunting Forum

I have an o/u with fixed chokes. I am either looking  at getting the bores opened up to IC or maybe have removable chokes put in. Anyone know what kind of price I am looking at. It is a Beretta Silver Snipe

Roughly $200 to ream the bore, thread and supply removable choke tubes. I did it once for my own single shot and it was not terrible hard but the necessary reamer/threader tool costs about $200 itself so I have only done it at school with their tool.

I wouldn't do that. Just learn to shoot it that way. The gun manufacturers made it that way for a reason. If you don't like it, go buy another one with screw in chokes. I'm not being a smarta**, I'm being serious. If you learn how that gun shoots, you will hit everything you shoot at. I have an old bolt action 12 gauge and I hit more birds than my friend, with his Benelli semi auto.

The gun was made that way because Berettas weren't offered with removable chokes in 1960. It is choked full (and it is a tight full)and that is not going to do me any good shooting birds at thirty feet. The pattern will be like shooting a rifle.

Two hundred sounds pretty reasonable for chokes in both barrels. Its a little less than I was expecting. Any idea what it costs to just open up the tubes. Being that this gun is only going to be used for close range shooting I don't absolutely need the option of chhanging between chokes.

Thanks

I just got an email from a local gunsmith that I know and he said he does not do it becasue those reamers you mentioned are too expensive.

BOTH barrels are full choked?????? I thought most older doubles and O/U guns were usually IC/modified or modified/full. I know all three of my doubles are IC/modified (all are over 80 years old) and my O/U has screw in tubes, but it's less than 10 years old.

This gun is marked mod/full. however if you put a bore gauge in there they are actually Improv. Mod/ Super Full. From what I hear this is common that the European chokes are a little tighter than ours, even on guns that are new. Some o/u were offered in F/F. I have an old win 101 from the 60's thats f/f. And there are some other  combos that I have come across, IC/SK, SK/SK, Etc. But I havn't seen many of these. Mostly IC/Mod and Mod/F. I woul actually like to get one of these open bored 101's or Superposed.

I believe the price of $200 would be for a removable choke in only one barrel. Probably about $300-$350 for both barrels. Opening both chokes to Imp/Cyl would be about $200-$250 I think.

I don,t remember the exact spec's but I've done about 20 and there is a minimum barrel thickness at the muzzle that must be present for this to be possible. About one in 5 guns did"nt have enough material at the end of the barrel to be safely threaded. I did end up buying an 870 barrel because I pushed the limit once.

The biggest issue for most gunsmiths is that it is not a job often sought by customers. In 12 years of gunsmithing, this is probably the 3rd or 4th time I have had a serious inquiry where I could have said "send me your barrels and I'll do it" so the reamers are just too expenssive to bother with to have them sitting unused for years at a time in a box. Plus, you have to have realers per gauge and choke, for instance, I used the Colonial chokes for my 12 ga job I did, but to do it for Rem-Chokes I would have to get that reamer, for Mossberg, that reamer, for Accuchoke, that and so-on. You almost need a smith dedicated to shotgunners. Probably the best bet to locate someone for this job is to ask at the local sporting clays range. There are probably a couple of good smiths dedicated to shotgunning they use or allow to advertise there.

So you know better the cost, Brownells sells the 12 Ga. RemChoke reamer for $150 and the choke tube tap for $140. You could really do it yourself if you have access to a good big bench vice and a big reamer handle. You can do it on a lathe but when I did it I chose to do it by hand assuming I'd not have access to a lathe when I got home from school. I chucked the barrel up in the vice with oak blocks with a "v" cut in them to increase the bearing surface of the blocks on the barrel and put rosin on the wood to add grip. I angled the muzzle to a comfortable angle upward toward me, roughly a 45 degree angle. Per the instructor, I liberally applied cutting oil to the reamer and started pressing in and turning the reamerwith as few stops and starts as I could until the reamer face-cutter reached the crown and then I gave it a few extra turns to make sure the face was cut flush. Once the reamer was removed I used light (600 grit I think) paper on a wooden dowel to hand polish the reamed surface to remove any small burrs. Next, I used the tap and was warned by the instructor that once begun I could not back it out and should try hard to not stop and start. By hand this was tough but I managed to keep constant forward pressure on it as I turned it each time the hands overlapped each other as I reached for the handle to continue the same speed without stopping much. This is important because of the tiny threads. It is very easy to cross-thread the reamer if you back it out and try re-starting and you can skip threads inside if you do a lot of stopping and starting. The reamer had a stop as I recall and I turned to that point and then gently backed it out. With a bristle brush and kerosene I scrubbed the threads and bore out and inserted the tubes finger-tight without any problems.

Thanks for all the replys.

I have heard of people that have done this themselves, however I just don't feel comfortable doing it.There was a few smiths in the area that were shotgun specialists. However they have retired. I have two guys I deal with but they are just custom rifle guys. There is a big trap shoot coming up not far from me, and I have been told there are several vendors that come in and set up stands. Maybe I can find the "right" guy there.

I believe Briley is the leader in screw in choke modifications

send it to briley.I had chokes put in my perazzi o/u barrel and couldn't be happier.They do great work.

If your going to spend $200 to $300 on boring this shotgun out, why not just go buy a new shotgun? Go to a local gun store or pawn shop and check. I can get a benelli semi with screw in chokes at this pawn shop across the street from me for $250, I just don't have the money right now. I just don't want you doing something you'll regret doing later. I personally would keep the shotgun the way it is, and buy a different one.

I don't think I will regret it.  Right now this gun serves me no purpose with the chokes that  are in it. And the weight and balance are far too good just to get rid of it.  And  at its value of about 650 I don't see it as a prized collectable so I  am not worried about keeping it in original condition. I have plenty of other shotguns for other uses. But like I said previously this gun will be used exclusively for close range birds.

Personally I don't like the feel of semi's and pumps. I have had them and all but one pump are gone. I would rather get this gun modified to the chokes that I need rather than investing 1000 minimum for another quality O/U. I know that there are decent guns out there that are a lesser price. However I look at quality guns as an investment.

I am going to contact Briley. they have been around for quite some time and have a great reputation. But I found a couple guys not far from me that I am also going to talk to. Thanks again for all the input

shiloh....you don't do any stock work do you????

Well I found a smith within an hour from me that is going to give me a good deal and do removable chokes in both barrells for 250. Taking the gun on Saturday.

good luck with the smith, i would use Briley's in Texas. they knew what they are doing.

i took a 20 gauge Browning full choke barrel A5 to a smith , when I got it back it had the choke installed and several chokes liwth it, but you could see the bulge barrel where he bored it. it shot fine but didn't look too good. I know several people that sent their barrels to Briley's and they did a good job.

Got the gun back a few weeks ago. Outstanding job. There was no swelling of the barrel that was mentioned. Needed to use thin wall chokes because of the wall thickness. Patterns nice also. Price was 100 per tube and chokes were about 20 each. If anyone in pa needs work done i would recommend going to him.contact me and i will give you his number