7.62mm barrels

[Peter Laidler]

I think that it's being totally unrealistic to suggest that starting a total external re-profiling exercise from scratch using a large outside diameter rifled barrel blank would be easier (thread 6) It's totally unnecessary because you already have it - on the old barrel! What's more, it's all accurately done at the factory using the original drawings and passed by the MoS examiners. All you gotta do is to reline it!

Shot out/worn out/rusty barrels appear to be unavailable simply because by definition nobody in their right mind would a) want to buy one and b) as a result, feel the need to advertise any for sale! That's just my logical pragmatic view.#

Here's another point to ponder too. As soon as you pin a barrel with a transverse cross-pin, the barrel is weakened at that point and is only as strong as THAT diameter. (not a STRICTLY mechanically correct fact as there are certain tensile and stress related variables. But it IS weakened!)

Obviously some of the operations such as drilling out the barrel length would need to be done commercially and that would be relatively cheap. Look chaps...... the gun trade in the UK were boring out No1 and 4 rifle barrels AND BREN GUN barrels into shotguns by the thousands...... And that was with the bodies attached! What's the difficulty in boring out to.7" over .410"? Drilling a Bren barrel is simplicity itself. But this time you ain't paying for a desk bound geek to draw up the radial and lateral profile on his CAD!
Nope, I'm of the 'can do' era of graduates/engineers/Armourers as opposed to the 'its too difficult' generation. They never thought like that when they were making the Bren to start with.....