Anyone ever bent a shotgun barrel to change the POI? I have an 1100 that I got when I was 16. It was the only shotgun I owned for about 15 years and I used it for everything. It came with a fixed modified choke that was really lousy for turkeys or buckshot, so I had Walker Arms in Selma put a polychoke on it. That helped it a lot and I used it until the barrel lug broke on it. Sent it back to Remington and they gave me another barrel and shipped the polychoke back with it.

I had another shotgun by then and should have just left it alone, but I got a local guy to put the polychoke on the new barrel. He messed it up and the gun shoots low; like really low. It puts the whole pattern below the POA. I just put the gun away and haven't used it for decades, but I got to reading about people bending a barrel to change POI and decided to try it with the old gun. I used a steel straight edge, some wooden blocks and a C clamp and have put about a half inch of deflection in it. It's gone from a 0/100 pattern to a 20/80, but I'm not satisfied with that. I wonder just how much deflection I can put in it? Anyone ever done this?

Here's a link to one of the better demonstrations of the bending method that I've seen:


http://rvbprecision.com/shooting/shotgun-barrel-bending-change-point-impact.html

That guy only moved his 1/4" to get the results he needed, but 1/2" hasn't been enough for mine.

What about adjusting the cone?

I've got a very pretty 1100 close to same time frame from my dad and it needs adjusting as well...I know where it hits but it aint on the dot

Sumtoy customs will adjust poi in Georgia

That adjustment works fine; it responds as it is supposed to from opening and closing the choke. But it shoots low on every setting. I've done a lot of reading and it seems like it's a pretty common result from gunsmith installations. For some reason, they often shoot low.

Sumtoy would probably bend it somewhat similar to what I am doing if I sent it to him. This gun is in rough shape and is not worth very much. It still has the camo paint from the last time I turkey hunted with it in the 80s. I would buy another barrel, but they want $300 or more for one now, and that's more than my gun is worth.

I can usually adjust the POI by filing the choke, but filing had no effect on the polychoke.

Thanks for the replies; looks like nobody else wants to admit to trying this.

There was a thread on 24hrCF a while back where several fellas swore you could beat shotgun barrels on a tire or sandbag to get them to shoot to POA.

What could go wrong ~ click here

I think you may be better off getting another barrel, leave the new one alone, no polychokes. If you need to adjust the poi, do it with an attachment on the butt of the gun. If you want several different chokes, check with gun doc about adding choke tubes. (Just get another gun with choke tubes and leave the "old girl" to do what she does best). My 1960's 1100 is an awesome killer, it hits where almost anyone that shoots it aims. The only thing I need to add to that gun is a 2 3/4 barrel, because it hates shooting those smaller shells. I haven't done it, because I have other guns for that if needed.

I have no personal experience with this but a buddy of mine has bent a few to get them shooting straight. He swears by it and said he was told this was by a reputable gunsmith. He takes the barrel off and wraps the back end(end where the shell would be) with a towel and then shoves that into a hitch receiver on a truck and puts pressure on whichever way it needs to go. I’m not sure how much pressure it takes or exactly how far in he puts the barrel but he has done it for multiple people I know with good results. I would just start slow and go from there

COULD you not have it tapped and run a red dot on it. That way you can adjust your sight to give you POI you are looking for. Just a thought!

Thanks for the link. That one turned into a comedy thread pretty quickly, and that usually seems to happen everywhere that barrel bending is mentioned. I've never heard of but 2 ways to really change the POI of an aimed shot - either bend the barrel or file the very end of the choke. I know the choke filing works with most guns, but a polychoke is a different thing. This is my first attempt at bending.

Building up the comb can help you compensate for a gun that shoots low, but it is still not shooting true to the rib. I don't wanna use a crooked shooting gun.

Sell me your barrel for $100 and the problem will be solved.

Choke tubes would be a possibility, but I would end up with a 25" barrel. It would probably need thin wall tubes and I suspect it would again cost more than the gun is worth.

My grandfather and his brother bought two brand new sportsman 58 rem automatics back in the 60’s. That’s what he deer hunted with when I was a kid. He fell and bent the barrel one day while we were walking on the RR tracks pretty noticeably. He sticks the thing in between two RR cross ties and bends it back. Hunted with it until he died, now it’s mine. Shoots pretty good still.

It seems that most people bend them that way, but I would think that you need some experience to have a feel for how much you are changing it. That's the reason I liked the method that the guy used in the thread that I linked. He was able to measure exactly how much deflection he put in it, and then test each time to make sure he didn't go to far. My setup isn't as easy to measure as his, but I am sure I've gone further than him without as good results. I was hoping that someone here has tried it and could tell me how far they moved it.

That would certainly work, but if I used this gun it would probably be for doves. And besides, I just want it to shoot straight.

If I have to take it to a gunsmith, I would want him to remove the polychoke and then reinstall it correctly. I'm thinking that would also cost more than the gun is worth.

I once left an old shotgun leaning against the truck. Took off and it fell under the tire. It very much changed the point of impact. Almost like you could shoot around a corner with it. An old gunsmith straightened it right up. So I’m sure a good gunsmith could fix that issue.

I’ve know of Jim McCullough in Valley Grand do that

Is Jimmy still in business? I thought he had retired. Harvey King could certainly fix it, but again, it would cost more than the gun is worth. I figure I either fix it myself or put it back in the closet. Here's a picture of the beauty in question:.

He told me a couple months ago that he was letting his FFL expire
I’m thinking that happens next month

WAY more money that you want to spend, but for a high dollar competition gun, there used to be a guy up north named Cole that sweated stocks. You had to actually go to his business and spend many hours there while he measured you. It would change the POI. Most of the guns he did were Berettas.

I'll see HK Friday morning.
I had to put truglo gobble dot sights on my 870 to correct poi and it still doesn't pattern to poi as good as my son's Winchester spr/xpr I forget what it's called but I can kill a turkey 50+ yrs with hevishot no prob...i figured I'd buy a Carlson 870 barrel at some point to fix issue or buy a over and under and leave the 870 a dedicated turkey gun.
Would be interested in bending barrel also or a some solution but I'm not a shotgun expert by any means