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

I have never heard of "sweating" a stock, and even google doesn't seem to know what it means. What exactly does it involve?

I suppose it is possible to change the way the gun fits into the stock and let the recoil change the POI, but I can't picture how that would be done. There are a lot of ways to build up on the stock to change the way it fits the shooter, and that can move the pattern around. But the gun is still shooting to the same place relative to the rib. I'm not interested in doing that; I want any gun I use to shoot straight.

I'd be interested in what Mr. King thinks of barrel bending. I'd call him, but he is so busy I hate to bother him. I would think that the best way for him to fix it would be to simply remove the polychoke and reinstall it correctly.

I'll ask him when I see him.

Heck, the FN factory that built Browning Auto 5s had a barrel bending rack, jig, and window with grid paper on it….just for straightening barrels before shipment. They used rods, and hand bent the barrels to true.

FWIW, there’s tons of ‘shotgun people’, that are REALLY just wishful of being considered ‘shotgun people’, that get wrapped around the axle of stock ‘fit’ vs POI as if it’ll make them into an international champion…..all the while never even noticing that their barrel doesn’t shoot to POA to begin with. I’ve seen it, and heard of a lot of error compounded by trying to fit a stock to a POI, with a bent barrel or out of square choke threads. POA/barrel true has to happen first. I’d never take a barrel OUT of true, either. It’s the Indian, not the arrow.

I agree; the gun oughta shoot straight first, then you can adapt the fit. I struggle to hit birds in my old age anyway, and don't need any distractions from the gun

I have no doubt that it's possible to bend a barrel to correct poi, but after several attempts I think it's best to give up on this particular gun. The only way to fix it properly is to remove the polychoke and have it reinstalled correctly. Thanks for all the ideas.

My dad bent a barrel on his model 11. Driving with it in his trunk and the spare landed on it. My uncle put it in the fork of a tree and bent it back. He hunted with it for 30+ years after and it shot perfect. I killed several turkeys with it, a bunch of squirrels, and a truck full of ducks and geese.

About $250-275 should get you a barrel that is exactly like the one that's on it. Used 1100 barrels are fairly common and relatively inexpensive. They made millions of them. Short of bending it in the crook of a tree is sounds like that's you option.

If you need help locating one let me know. Broome Firearms and Barrel Exchange are good places to start.

Sweating may not be the correct term. Just like any other wood, stock can be bent a certain way to fit a LH/RH person after it has been in a steam chamber. I just remember seeing some of this done back when I shot skeet alot. Mostly on Beretta guns.

Years ago, I had a friend that had a German o/u that his Grandad had given to him. It was custom built to his measurements. You could literally see the bend or bow in the butt stock.

I guess "Sweating the stock" is terminology that pre-dates the internet. I have certainly heard that reference. All that means is bending the stock to add cast at the wrist which was in practice more practical for a double barrel. I wasn't going to derail the thread with the discussion as it has nothing to with the POI being off. Drake322 is spot on. They put the stock in a jig on a bench and wrap the wrist and heat it up with steam, pour oil across it, there are multiple ways to get the bend.

Thanks for the offer. It seems like the 1100 has gotten a lot more popular than past few years; I don't know why. I've looked on eBay and GunBroker and other places and haven't seen a 28" vent rib that cheap. But I think $250 is too much for a barrel and wouldn't pay that anyway. The gun was $96 new. I would have to replace the wood too for it to be a decent gun, and they want outrageous amounts for that too. It would likely be cheaper to buy another gun and strip the barrel and wood.

I might see what a local gunsmith would charge to reinstall the polychoke, but otherwise I will just leave it as is. I can't bend it enough to compensate for the crooked installation.

I would just bend the barrel first and see how that went. As others have stated, you can find barrels for decent prices. Also, check where the barrel slides over onto the tube and the barrel nut locks in. Sometimes some strange pressures can be applied in this area which causes it to shoot off poa. Just like a rifle barrel it can cause issues.

I bent it several times, going 5/8" the last try. The POI has risen a little, but still not enough to make it usable. I think all of the problem is in the installation of the polychoke, and it's just too much of an error to overcome.

Cut the poly choke off and see if POI changes. Then thread for chokes on a square bore, or shoot a cylinder.