I have a 12 year old Browning Citori with 28" bbls.....and I have a friend with the exact same model gun with 30" bbls. I have been wanting to switch to 30" bbls for several years, but haven't really looked much into it. My friend is willing to trade barrel sets if I want.

My question is this....

Can we simply swap barrel sets on these guns? I've already tried switching them out and they seem to fit perfectly, with no apparent gaps around the receiver closure or hinge. I've always heard that you have to have the barrels "fit" to a receiver if you wanted new barrels....but is this really so? I know the new Blaser O/U shotguns do not require this....and all barrel sets are interchangeable.

Is there anything I should be cautious about? Will it hurt anything to shoot the guns with the "new" barrels?

I would appreciate any input you guys might have. Thanks.

This is a tricky issue. A lot of them will simply swap out. I know Berettaa makes a big deal about this, and says they need to be fitted. I have fitted a new set of double tubes to a Beretta SBT, and they did require some slight fitting of the locking mechanism and forend fit before they went in place, but it was pretty easy. This was with factory replacement barrels, not used ones. Beretta claims that they must be fitted or you will get accelerated wear. This seems odd, given that they have replaceable hing pin bosses in their recievers and I have seen their factory techs screw them out and replace them in 3 or 4 minutes. I suspect they leave the new barrels slightly oversize to be sure they are not loose. With barrels already fitted to an action, I suspect most would interchange. I suspect the situation is the same with browning. I doubt that modern shotguns vary much.

If the barrels go on normally, function well and lock up tight and are on face with the hinge, you should have no problem. If you are not experienced in evaluating double guns, simply swap the barrels and pay a smith a few bucks to do a 2 minute examination. That's all it takes.

quote:

Beretta claims that they must be fitted or you will get accelerated wear. This seems odd, given that they have replaceable hing pin bosses in their recievers and I have seen their factory techs screw them out and replace them in 3 or 4 minutes.

True, but the trunnions are available in difference sizes to compensate for wear and then there are the pins (for the 6 series shotguns) that engage the breech face. These need to fit well too and may not on a non-fitted barrel set.

On a Browning shotgun, I;d be concerned about the fit of the lug to the pivot pin and also the sliding block under the breech. It may fit in the long axis, but if the radius doesn't match I would think wear will be uneven. Having the thing faced correctly may not be the only place you'll have an issue.

Agree with Art S. on the gunsmith, cheap insurance.

The pins on the Beretta are what I found needed to be fitted. It appeared that the hole in socket(?) in the face of the barrels into which the pins seated were left undersized to allow fitting. I took a small cone shaped grinder point which fit the holes, and enlarged them slowly using an indicating fluid. Took about ten minutes. The forend latch lug also required a slight fitting with a file.

No offense meant and this might be a silly question, but why not just trade guns? If there are stock issues (length, drop, wood grain), I would think it would be safer and easier to swap the stocks than the barrels.

Just a thought.

quote:

Originally posted by SmallCal:
No offense meant and this might be a silly question, but why not just trade guns? If there are stock issues (length, drop, wood grain), I would think it would be safer and easier to swap the stocks than the barrels.

Just a thought.

That sounds like a great idea actually....I don't know why I didn't think of that.

or take them to breilly's