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Thread: I messed up a Colt 14.5" barrel while drilling it for an extended FH

  1. #1
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    I messed up a Colt 14.5" barrel while drilling it for an extended FH

    I need help and sage advice. Last night I decided to assemble two 14.5" uppers I had in the safe, one a Colt and the other an FN (no marks on it I can see other than NATO 1x9). Anyway I decided to do the Colt first and as I was drilling the pin hole in the threads for the extended A2 FH pin I must have dozed off because I drilled straight through the barrel and chrome lining into the bore. Have I ruined this barrel? Is it worth/safe to shoot? Is the accuracy potential for this barrel gone? Is there any way to salvage it without having it cut down to a shorter length?

  2. #2
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    I don't have the answer to that--perhaps call a gunsmith and ask?

  3. #3
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    If I'm wrong someone wil be along to correct me.

    You have a hole in the barrel already, the gas port.

    I think the big concern will be not to seat the pin so deep that it protrudes into the bore. There is where the problem lies.

    Once the pin is in place and welded, there shouldn't be any gas leak problems.

    The next thing is to make sure to get the burrs, from the drilling, out.
    When I made a barrel a number of years ago, after drilling the gas port, I scrubbed the bore with a couple new bronze brushes. After say 10 strokes, I ran a patch throught the barrel slowly, soft side facing out. I then looked down the barrel to see if there was any material hanging up, if there was, I would repeat the process until the patch no longer caught on any burrs.

    This worked for me.

    As far as the integrity of the chrome lining, I don't have an answer for you, the barrel I did was chrome molly.

    Again, if I am totally out of my lane, someone will be along to correct me.
    In the sport of combat, there is no second place.

  4. #4
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    IF no one here has a striaght answer, I would call colt and see what they have to say and then take it to a gunsmith to look at, as mike 556 mentioned. Sounds like it should be dead to me if the chrome/rifling weas drilled through, but I am no professional.

    Hope it works out for you; I guess you could always cut it and re-crown it and have a nice SBR barrel...
    Last edited by THCDDM4; 08-19-10 at 16:28.
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  5. #5
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    On the thread re: Battle Comp muzzle device I was told that this would ruin the bbl.



    I would imagine you could salvage it by havingi t cut down, re-crowned and re threaded but then you will have an SBR bbl.
    Last edited by Alex V; 08-19-10 at 16:27.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex V View Post
    On the thread re: Battle Comp muzzle device I was told that this would ruin the bbl.



    I would imagine you could salvage it by havingi t cut down, re-crowned and re threaded but then you will have an SBR bbl.
    Alex V,

    Do you know who said this and did they give a reason why.
    I'm always looking to expand my data base.

    TIA
    In the sport of combat, there is no second place.

  7. #7
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    You might want to pm gotm4 and ask him

  8. #8
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    The gas port is not the same as drilling a hole through the threads. The gas port is very small, and not close to the muzzle.



    While I think you could probably make something work Id be worried about accuracy dropping off. That hole, even if welded, is close enough to the muzzle part of the bullet would be going through the muzzle as its passing the hole. Especially if you drilled through a land which is what the round is actually touching in the barrel for the most part.


    If it were me, instead of paying to fix the barrel and maybe have it work as normal or not, Id just put in a new barrel. DD or BCM sell them pretty cheap, and they are quality tubes. I don't necessarily see the point in spending the cash for a "maybe", and then possibly having to buy a new barrel anyways if it doesnt work out.


    I don't really think theres a lot of experience in this topic, and if one or two worked out that were welded over that doesnt mean yours will. Besides welding on barrel steel will change that steels characteristics. Welding works by heating the area up so the base metal can accept the welded metal into it. You are heating up the area right around the weld to above temps that change that steels characteristics. One reason why high temp silver solder is not a popular method to perm attach muzzle devices is because you are getting the steel up to red hot temps.
    Last edited by Belmont31R; 08-19-10 at 17:33.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Belmont31R View Post
    The gas port is not the same as drilling a hole through the threads. The gas port is very small, and not close to the muzzle.



    While I think you could probably make something work Id be worried about accuracy dropping off. That hole, even if welded, is close enough to the muzzle part of the bullet would be going through the muzzle as its passing the hole. Especially if you drilled through a land which is what the round is actually touching in the barrel for the most part.


    If it were me, instead of paying to fix the barrel and maybe have it work as normal or not, Id just put in a new barrel. DD or BCM sell them pretty cheap, and they are quality tubes. I don't necessarily see the point in spending the cash for a "maybe", and then possibly having to buy a new barrel anyways if it doesnt work out.


    I don't really think theres a lot of experience in this topic, and if one or two worked out that were welded over that doesnt mean yours will. Besides welding on barrel steel will change that steels characteristics. Welding works by heating the area up so the base metal can accept the welded metal into it. You are heating up the area right around the weld to above temps that change that steels characteristics. One reason why high temp silver solder is not a popular method to perm attach muzzle devices is because you are getting the steel up to red hot temps.
    Thanks for the info Belmont31r.
    Logging this into the grey matter data base.

    Hopefully this thread will bring more knowledge to eveyone.
    In the sport of combat, there is no second place.

  10. #10
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    Any disruption of the rifling at the muzzle will usually adversely effect accuracy. I don't recall where I read that, but it's one of the reasons that cleaning a barrel from the muzzle end must be done with care.

    Once the hole filled is filled with the welded-in FH pin, I don't think there would be a safety issue. How much - if any - the accuracy is effected will only be revealed with a trip to the range. The toughest part will be cleaning up the hole of any burs inside the barrel.

    I agree - rebarrel and save this one for a SBR project.
    Last edited by Canonshooter; 08-19-10 at 18:56.

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