How far to restore

[browningautorifle]

Slimming down...Frankfurt Arsenal slimmed barrels down testing for how much was too much in 1903 rifles and got to the point where the barrel was so paper thin and still held. They had to blue pill it to pop it.

As for the blinded over gas port, I've done them with a tapped in screw and a touch of wire feed to hold it forever and no issues. I had a '94 Winchester carbine that someone had done a dovetail so deep that it touched the bore. I built over it with wire and kept going, it's still hunting today. My 700 Reminton BDL deluxe that had the screw hole from the factory was among the most accurate rifles I've ever shot. One of the owners along the way between when I first had it and got it back had the first two inch chopped off and crowned...so he felt the same as you all do. I was the first to notice the hole.

[bigduke6]

I agree with you entirely Big Duke. But what do you say to thread 17 where we slimmed down a brand new L4 barrel, sleeved the gas port hole and are still using it as a 7.62mm No5. Given that we had the facilities to use it on the Enfield layer/remote firing for the first 10 rounds. Didn't re-proof it of course. I worked on the practical side that it started its life with a sleeved over gas port and although it's slimmed down, the gas port is STILL sleeved over but un-vented this time.

The fact is Peter you sleeved it.... and its probably like for like at the end of the day, I'm talking more on the lines of someone just plugging it with just a screw etc.

A few years ago, I was asked to shorten and lighten (Turn down the diameter) a .22 barrel off a BSA Martini Action target rifle, I proceeded to cut the barrel to length and re Crown it, then looked at turning it down, It had a scope mount on the barrel just forward of the chamber, which I had to remove * removing the two screws I found one of the threaded holes was very deep...... too deep to be precise, between the bore and the hole it was .5mm thick....... it was too late to do anything with the barrel as I'd already cut it just over 12".

Lesson learnt, in future strip it completely of anything then proceed to cut, if I had of noticed it earlier I could of cut off the bad bit and still be left with plenty of meat to re thread and cut the chamber then cut to size.....

* Lot of .22 target rifles had mounts fitted to the barrel to take the long scopes used.