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BigFiveJack
.333 member

Reged: 25/12/05
Posts: 256
Loc: Half hour North of Tampa Bay F...

Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built DR's
#74539 - 25/03/07 12:04 PM

If you have bought a vintage U.K. built DR in an elephant

caliber, and you've decided that the 28 inch barrels are

too long for your liking, and you choose to have them

cut to 26 or 24 inches by a smith with very strong

credetials and a reputation to match, and the work turns

out so well that the rifle could be taken by most as if the

shorter barrel length is NOT a modern alteration but truly

original to the rifle, have you hurt the resale potential

in the rifle when you reveal that you've had the barrels

shortened? [Whew... long question...!]

--------------------
Cordially,
Jack

NRA Endowment Member
DRSS Member

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mickey
.416 member

Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 4647
Loc: Pend Oreille Valley, Idaho

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built DR's [Re: BigFiveJack]
#74540 - 25/03/07 12:08 PM

Yes.

(that's the short answer)

--------------------
Lovu Zdar
Mick

A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.

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es
.224 member

Reged: 04/04/04
Posts: 30
Loc: South Texas USA

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built DR's [Re: mickey]
#74541 - 25/03/07 12:15 PM

Buy a modern rifle with the barrels that make you happy and save that irreplaceable Brit gun. By the time you pay to have it cut, re-regulated, new sight made to look like the old one, possibly replace the rear sight etc, etc, etc and you add in the loss in value you can handily buy a nice modern rifle that will take hunting and shooting for the rest of your life.

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mickey
.416 member

Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 4647
Loc: Pend Oreille Valley, Idaho

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built DR's [Re: mickey]
#74543 - 25/03/07 12:17 PM

Jack

It doesn't matter who you have do it. If it is not done by the maker you will hurt the value.

It also will need to be re regulated and re proofed.

--------------------
Lovu Zdar
Mick

A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.

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500Nitro
.450 member

Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built DR's [Re: mickey]
#74544 - 25/03/07 12:18 PM

Depends.

If it's NOT noticeable, and no one knows, no,
but if it's a gun that most others are 28 in
and this is 24 or 26, yes, probably.

Jeffrey's are hard to pick as he sold all sorts
of length guns but others are easier to pick.

Mickey - quite a few guns sold to the US
had shortened barrels and no one picked them.
I was told later / after the events.
I also saw a few DR's in the US that had been
shortened but it didn't seem to change the price ???
(Then again, it wasn't specified that they had been
shortened !).

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mickey
.416 member

Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 4647
Loc: Pend Oreille Valley, Idaho

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built Dr's [Re: 500Nitro]
#74546 - 25/03/07 12:30 PM

N

I find it a bit dishonest if a seller knowingly sells a rifle that has been altered.

A lot of things can and do slip by but that doesn't make it right.

I had a very nice Manton that had 28" barrels that I considered cutting down to 26". I even got a price from Paul Roberts (when he owned Rigby) to do the work.

Interestingly enough he told me I was being foolish and to either get used to the long barrels or buy a different rifle.

I took his advise and sold the rifle and bought another, and another, and another

--------------------
Lovu Zdar
Mick

A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.

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Rusty
.333 member

Reged: 08/02/03
Posts: 464
Loc: Missouri City, Texas

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built Dr's [Re: mickey]
#74574 - 26/03/07 12:09 AM

There is nothing worng with a 450#2 with 28" barrels. NE450#2 on AR has one! It's a great shooter!

Cutting the barrels of any double rifle requires that multiple things muct be done to the rifle before it can shoot again.

I personally thing it devaluated the rifle. It should not be done, unless the rifle is in such a condition that it will not shoot correctly because of the muzzles.

--------------------
Rusty
We band of brothers!
DRSS

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470evans
.333 member

Reged: 30/03/05
Posts: 278
Loc: Texas, USA

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built Dr's [Re: Rusty]
#74576 - 26/03/07 12:36 AM

My 470 Evans has 28" barrels. When I first got it I spoke with JJ about cutting them to 26" and similar to Paul Roberts, JJ discouraged me from doing it. I'm glad I didn't now. The gun shoots and handles great... just ask the tuskless cow elephant and buffalo I took last year in Zim.

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500grains
.416 member

Reged: 16/02/04
Posts: 4732
Loc: Salt Lake City, Utah USA

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built Dr's [Re: 470evans]
#74578 - 26/03/07 01:10 AM

I think people who modify fine vintage rifles ought to be horse whipped, whether they are cutting barrels on doubles, cutting stocks, adding scopes mounts, etc.

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bouldersmith
.375 member

Reged: 23/03/06
Posts: 629
Loc: Boulder Colorado

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built Dr's [Re: 500grains]
#74583 - 26/03/07 01:30 AM

I like the way 500grains thinks!
Steve

--------------------
New website http://www.bertramandco.com

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500Nitro
.450 member

Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built Dr's [Re: mickey]
#74597 - 26/03/07 05:04 AM

mickey

So do I. I was thinking of a couple of people in particular that you know !!!!

If I sell a gun, I tell the possible buyer all the good and (if any) not so good / bad things about the gun. Since all of my guns have been given the "once over" by a qualified gunsmith, they all work.

I considered cutting my 28" 500 Nitro barrels - but again just got used to it and now they are fine.

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NE450No2
.375 member

Reged: 10/01/03
Posts: 942

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built Dr's [Re: 500Nitro]
#74601 - 26/03/07 05:49 AM

I like 27 and 28" bbls on big bore doubles.
24" feels too stubby to me on a big bore.

My 450 No2 has 28"bbls, my 450/400 26".
both handle just perfect.

My 9,3x74R has 24 " bbls, again it feels just right.

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mickey
.416 member

Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 4647
Loc: Pend Oreille Valley, Idaho

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built Dr's [Re: 500Nitro]
#74604 - 26/03/07 06:49 AM

I know two of the people you are referring too and can guess on a couple of others.

In one case I knew the seller was lying about the rifle and made an offer that reflected it.

The offer was accepted.

I once saw a 577 BPE being represented as a Nitro rifle. It even had a 'proof' that said so. The 'proof' just said
CARDITE APPROVED.

I think The guy now does lettering for Searcy.

The guy that used to own Cape Outfitters used to send BP rifles to Belgium. There the Flats were polished off and new Nitro Proofs were added by a local gunsmith. The rifles were then shipped back for sale.

--------------------
Lovu Zdar
Mick

A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.

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500Nitro
.450 member

Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia

Re: Cutting Barrels On Vintage U.K. Built Dr's [Re: mickey]
#74607 - 26/03/07 07:18 AM

Mickey

PM sent.

Some of the crap I saw in the US amazed me.

Particularly the 375 2 1/2 NE's that had
been rechambered to 375 Fl Mag.

Yes, some of the "Champlin" guns were some
I was thinking of.

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