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.