Vang Comp

[Pigiron]

Have any of you sent your barrel(s) in to be worked on by Hans?

[Carlo1137]

Not I.

[Pigiron]

Sending the barrel in this week. Just going to have the back-boring done, not the porting. The blueing is so fine on the barrel I don't want to spoil it.

[Synchronizor]

Barrel porting on a shotgun is pointless, unless your goal is to annoy the people you're shooting with. The barrel pressures inside a shotgun are far lower than rifles or handguns, and out at the end of the barrel, those little holes aren't going to vent enough gas to do anything.

Backboring isn't quite as useless as porting, depending on what you're trying to accomplish, but it's not always the best solution. Backboring is generally advertised to reduce recoil and/or improve patterns. Regarding recoil, backboring makes a difference because the larger diameter increases volume (meaning lower pressures) and facilitates more blow-by of the gas, so any load sent through that barrel will have a lower muzzle velocity. You could accomplish the same thing by simply shooting lower-velocity loads, without sacrificing the ability to get the most out of full-power shells when desired. Also, keep in mind that the lighter the shotgun, the harder the recoil, and a bored-out barrel has less mass than an unmodified one.

The alleged improved patterns are also due to the reduced velocity out of the less-efficient, over-bored barrel. A slower shot column will experience less pellet deformation, leading to more consistent patterns. Again, the same thing could be accomplished through chokes, harder or plated shot, higher-end wads, or buffering without giving up velocity.

Porting is a joke; I'm glad you're skipping it. For backboring; well, it's your gun and you can do what you want with it, but you may want to do some more reading to decide if it's really the best approach for what you're trying to accomplish. A good place to start might be Guns and Shooting Online's Shotgun Information page. The authors there tend toward the old-school, traditionalist side of things, but they know their stuff; and most importantly, they aren't trying to sell what they're writing about.

[Pigiron]

My question was more along the lines of just sending the barrel in, not the efficacy of the Vang Comp treatment.

I already have Vang Comp Mossberg 590A1. It is absolutely deadly 25 yards in. @ 15 yards I cover an 8 inch paper plate with my buckshot of choice - Dead Coyote Hevi-Shot 00 Buck. YMMV.

Just want to improve my 870P a bit.

[Synchronizor]

My question was more along the lines of just sending the barrel in, not the efficacy of the Vang Comp treatment.

Ah, my misunderstanding.

I would be interested to hear how the pattern & muzzle velocity out of the barrel changes after it's been modified.

[Pigiron]

My question was more along the lines of just sending the barrel in, not the efficacy of the Vang Comp treatment.

Ah, my misunderstanding.

I would be interested to hear how the pattern & muzzle velocity out of the barrel changes after it's been modified.

You got it. That is my intent. While I certainly have nothing against the Mossberg, far from it. I just prefer hardwood and blued steel and the Remington 870P provides that in spades.

[Pigiron]

All set. Sending the barrel in Monday. Will report back with results.

[Pigiron]

Barrel scheduled for delivery today. Range time Friday or next Monday.

[DarwinsFlinch]

Just in time for weekend testing!