Not really troubleshooting, but...

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Doubless

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I want to know you guys' opinions on what to do with a mistreated S91 in .504...

I bought this rifle several years ago knowing that the barrel had "minimal pitting, but you won't be disappointed with this one".

Well... the rifle won't stay on a pie plate at 50 yards. It literally is all over the place. The barrel is shot.

Here is the deal: I have a McGowen .458 barrel, but I can't find a gunsmith willing to do the barrel swap for me. So: what would you do? Would you just chalk it up to experience, cannibalize it for parts and hope you need them, keep looking, or what?

I know that there are some of you guys out there that are proficient in the use of a lathe. To me it doesn't look that hard to do what I want done, but I am not a machinist, either. What would you think to be a fair price for the barrel swap and required machining/drilling and tapping, assuming I can find someone to do it?

Thanks for the opinions, guys. These Supers are just too hard to find for me to put it in a corner and forget about it...
 
Since the barrel is "shot" as you say, have you considered lapping the barrel. It will make it a little bigger in size, but you can always get larger bullets. And if it does not work, what are you really out? I personally would lap it. And here is why. A friend forgot to clean his rifle. The barrel rusted terrible. So he gave me the rifle as "parts" thinking I could get some use out of it. I lapped the barrel then polished it with JB Bore paste. It is now a very good short range (50 yards) shooter. In fact when he was over to the house, I took it out and traced a penny on paper then colored the circle black. At 25 yards off a bench rest I put three round balls in that black circle. Needless to say, he was impressed. So I would lap the barrel. After all it sounds like you have nothing to loose.
 
Cayuga, I don't know how big I would have to go. I have already tried .510" and they were no more accurate than the originals. I can see rifling in the bore, but I have to wonder if there are gaps in it. I really felt like even if the rifling were damaged, something as big as .510" should have shot.

I thought about re-boring it to .54 but was worried the barrel would be too thin where the rib goes on the bottom of the barrel: that those attaching screws would be virtually into the barrel.
 
That swap should be a piece of cake. There is no real headspace to worry about and the barrel is threaded to the action. The only potential problem i can see is if the barrel is rusted to the action.

Is the 458 barrel a contoured blank with no threads yet?
 
Yes; it is. It is funny: I have a buddy that borrowed my Umag for a trip to CO last fall. He has a good friend that is a gunsmith, and when Ralph asked Jimmy about doing it, Jimmy told him that his charges would be worth more than the rifle is worth. That surprised me. I see threading internally and externally for mating to the action and for the breach plug, one screw hole for the front sight, and either two or three for the ramrod thimbles and rail attachment. (It wears a Lyman 357 now, and I felt like I would leave that on it, so I didnt need the scope mount holes...)

I guess the guy is VERY proud of his work.

I asked Ralph to get a firm number quote. I don't think the guy knows what these S91s bring. I would still expect it to be worth $400 or so, even with a "bastard-sized" barrel, so long as it shot.
 
Gunsmiths are a funny bunch. Many are just part time home garage shop guys. The ones with skills are in high demand and usually booked a year or more in advance. That being said, Ive seen several rebarreled whites. A gunsmith may say not interested just because he may not be looking for any additional work. Most decent gunsmiths WILL tell you it will be a year or 2 wait, but many times it ends up sooner, just be prepared. Keep looking and trying. I would contact doc white first. It actually isnt that hard a job to do for a decent machinist. the hardest part is probably getting the old barrel off.
 
Imo. Cost would be 400-600
Questions affecting cost
1- blued or stainless
2-replacement barrel contouring
3-stock inletting
4- specific taps needed for job
 
Well, it may come back butchered, but I post a lot on the Accurate Reloading forums, and there is a gunsmith there who has agreed to do the work; his quoted price is $175 plus return shipping. That price includes a coat of Alumahyde if I wish. He also says he has left over Cerakote he can use, but it will cost more. I am thinking I will tell him to make his best judgment on color, go ahead and Cerakote it for me and tell me how much additional it will be.

The man may be a hack, but what I have right now is unusable. As I said earlier, I have the replacement barrel. $250 is not going to break me, and it won't make me a millionaire. (I figure another $75 for the Cerakoting...) The machining and D&T should not be much of a challenge, and if the syn stock doesn't fit perfectly, there is always glass bedding. I have never done it, but it cannot be rocket science. Besides, I read years ago on the DWB site that some of those guys used to free float their Whites anyway. I can play with it once I get it back and see.

Thanks for the opinions, guys. I will attempt to get photos up (if I can figure out how to do that) once this thing gets turned around. I am really hoping this works. I have a .451 S91 that is too pretty to shoot, and I would like to have a shooter...
 
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