Posted by SGT on August 22, 2007, 10:01 am, in reply to "Re: Trap grade bbls"
I've read yours and the other posts here and I believe Jent has given you good advice; but I'll add my opinion for whatever it is worth. Original Trap grade Smith guns were fitted with "Crown" steel trademarked barrels. In more than three years of looking for a set of Crown grade barrels for a personal project, I found two sets; one set I acquired, and although they came from a regular frame gun, they were too wide at the breech and would not work (yes friend, Smith made their regular frame in different sizes, this is especially true with pre-1920 guns). The other set was on eBay; and was a manual extractor set, meaning that I would have the additional expense of modifying those barrels to work with ejectors, my bid of $550 was sniped at the last second. Had I been successful, I would likely have invested $1000 or more in additional parts and altering those barrels to work with ejectors and having them fitted to my frame. Three years ago I purchased an entire Trap Grade gun for less than that amount (bargains can still be found, sometimes). With eBay no longer allowing barrel sales, I can't tell you when there will be another site where we can purchase gun parts. In my thinking you have two options; either save what remains of your gun for parts and purchase a replacement, or have your existing barrels repaired. If you don't have much money in the existing gun, I would suggest the ladder. You said one barrel was burst and there was some bend in the barrels from the accident. A trained barrel man will remove only the damaged tube, properly align and straighten any bends and put you right back in business. I recently saw photos of just such a repair done by Wind River and their work was superb. As to cost, I have no idea but I can tell you such a repair is labor intensive; existing ribs are removed, the offending barrel amputated at the correct spot, the monoblock drilled out so the new tube can be fitted into place, bends removed from the existing ribs and remaining tube, barrels properly aligned, ribs and barrels wired together for soldering, striking after soldering the ribs, rechambering and choking, refitting the extractor, polishing for a proper rust blue, and the rust blue itself (and my description is very simplistic). Once done however, the finished barrels will be as good as ever; and it is often possible to conceal the monobloc joint so that no one would ever suspect the repair. In the end your gun would retain any family heritage, its overall integrity with original matching serial numbers, and it is doubtful a properly done repair will have a negative impact on the value of a solid "shooter". As to shooting, I absolutely agree with Jent, the repaired barrels will shoot just as well as the originals; and I know this from experience, having owned and used a number of mono-blocked vintage guns over the years. And finally, the mono-blocking process is not some sort of jury-rig repair; it is a technique noted makers have adapted to modern production processes, and thousands of high-grade/quality barrels are manufactured each year fitting steel tubes to mono-blocks. Lastly, if you decide to keep looking for a replacement set, you may get lucky and find a set today; but the odds aren't in your favor. Most collectors, and this would include yours truly, know just how tough graded Smith barrels are to acquire; therefore, if I/they have an extra set the odds are they will not part with same. One other option, and a sacriledge to the collector is to purchase an original two-barrel set and caniblize one set for use on your gun. As the owner of a PE Grade original two-barrel set, I have been so tempted in that regard; but my bottom line is that I cannot bring myself to break up this great piece after it has survived intact for 105 years. Regards.