Oh... I've done it now! Shotgun choke problem...

GC

GC

Well-known member
Well, I think I may have made a costly mistake. Many of you know I tend to really like shotguns. In particular a certain Benelli M1S90 and Kick's Gobblin' Thunder choke combo. This has been my dedicated turkey/predator gun for several years now. I only use it for those two purposes and nothing else. The one Kick's choke tube works great for both turkey hunting and predator hunting. I change loads of course, but no need to change chokes. So I haven't changed the choke tube for several years. Guess what? Yep, you already know don't ya - it's STUCK TIGHT!

I don't mean a little firm, stuck a little, it's some stuck. No, I mean it's STUCK!!! I've been planning on doing some testing of a few different new loads with a variety of chokes. In the past I've used the Kick's .660" with Federal Premium No. Four Buck for predators and Winchester Supreme Turkey loads in size #5 shot for turkeys. This has worked great for me and I've cleanly killed coyotes and gobblers a little past the 50 yards mark. However, there are new loads to consider, mainly the Dead Coyote along with some high velocity Hevi-Shot BB waterfowl loads. Since Kick's says they don't recommend shooting Hevi-Shot through the Gobblin' Thunder choke I have I was fortunate for a fellow from the forums here (Mr. Pike) to send me a couple of new Kick's chokes that are approved for Hevi-Shot to test my loads through. Byron South contributed to the cause with some Dead Coyote loads for testing. Finally got the loads together, the chokes are here and I found the time to do the range work.

Except I can't get my current, and now likely forever, choke tube off my barrel. I've hunted in some bad weather over the last six years with the shotgun. And shot it quite a bit with heavy magnum loads of all sorts. Yes, I've cleaned it. Yes, the choke was applied with some white choke tube grease to prevent seizing. Yes, the barrel has been removed. No, I haven't taken the choke off. Not once. Not likely too at this point. I guess that moisture has caused a massive seizure in the threads... rusted in?

I've soaked it in Kroil a creeping oil to break the lock-up. I've applied heat to the choke tube. I froze it in the freezer. Short of locking the barrel in a vice and getting a pipe wrench with a cheater bar, ruining the choke and possibly the barrel... I'm at a loss. I've worked on this for three days. What a dumb a$$ thing to allow to happen... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
 
http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/blp16-pb-ea.html

GC,

I'm not going to guarantee this stuff because I have never used it for your particular application. I do know, however, that it works well for automotive applications.
Could you plug the muzzle-end of the barrel, stand it on the choke and spray this stuff in there until it covers where the threads should be?
Again, I've never used it for this so I DO NOT know what it will do to your bluing/barrel.

Just trying to help a PMer out is all...
 
If Kroil won't break it loose, I don't hold out much hope of anything else being effective. Kroil is the best penetrating oil made.

GC, you have my sympathy, this sounds like something that happens to me. Guess it's your turn this week. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/angry-smiley-055.gif

Good luck. Try freezing the barrel/choke, then heat the choke with a hair dryer while the barrel's cold. If that don't get it, you're screwed. Buy another barrel before you ruin this one.
 
i feel thier for you buddy it has not been my week either i took my bolt apart and cleaned it up looked threw it and patch was stuck in it, i had a couple tooth picks sitting beside me so i put a tooth pick threw the firing pin hole and it broke i can budge it from the looks of it im gona have to buy a new bolt. but any way is your choke ported?? might be easier to get it to move if it is, if its not i dont know what to tell you. if it were me id probably keep trying to soak it in some type of oil or something.
 
GC, can you locate some PB Blaster? It's a penetrating oil that's sprayed on. I've used other stuff, but the PB works better than anything that I've ever tried. Another thing that you can try is to heat up the choke tube/barrel and then immerse it in water to cool it quickly. This might break the bond between the tube and barrel.
When you install your new choke tube use Permatex Anti Sieze Lubricant. It's silver in color and will take heat over 2K and still allow for easy disassembly. I've never seen this stuff fail to work. It's great stuff and a little goes a long way. It's messy if it gets on your hands though. MI VHNTR
 
You might be able to use a good quality strap wrench and remove the choke after it soaks in the solvent. One other thing , if you don't mind screwing up the choke, you can drill a hole in the choke end and stick a screw driver or metal rod through the hole and screw it out. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
GC I have 2 things you can try. Last would be to take it to a gun smith maybe they have some tricks. My number one would be and dont laugh but Ive learned long ago that it works very well. Seeing that you have already tried the penetrating aproach and heat and cold try this.Get the best grip on the choke you canhopefully with the wrench that came with it. If it has holes through it (ported) put a good steel rod through. Put the pressure on it like you are trying to loosen it and at the same time tap straigh down on the tube preferably wrench not directly on the tube. Not hard taps but steady ping,ping,ping,ping,ping!!!!!!.With the steady tapping and presure it will hopefuly break loose. It may take several taps maybe even more than one session . Like 1 minute the rest then go again.Ive broken loose some pretty tough nuts like this. Let us all know how you come out on this problem. Thats a bummer and I feel for ya.
Good luck buddy.
Daryl P.
 
Thanks for the help guys. When I installed the choke 5 or 6 years ago I used the white synthetic choke tube grease on the threads and screwed in hand tight snug. Since then I've shot hundreds of heavy magnum type loads through it turkey and predator hunting, testing loads, practising, ect. Possibly as many as a thousand heavy trap loads practising and while crow hunting. I've hunted in heat, rain, snow, ice, in and out of the vehicle cold and hot which we know causes sweating. I'm sceered... That's hillbilly for afraid. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

I've cleaned the barrel and then tried to get the choke out with a normal hand turning. It didn't budge, so I put a steel dowel rod through the ports and attempted to give it a quick "snap" to break it free. Nothing. No problem, I poured Kroil into a small coffee can and immersed the choke end of the barrel into the can and let it soak overnight. Tried the steel rod again... nothing. I soaked it some more then I applied heat to the choke and used the steel rod again. Nothing. I soaked it again and then laid the barrel in the freezer and left it for four hours. Took it out and immediately put it in a padded shop vice and laid into that rod. Nothing. I had my son tap the end of the choke with a small brass shop hammer as I torqued on the steel rod. I let my 23 year old son who outweighs me by a good 40 pounds and hits the weights three times a week try. He bent the rod and marred the choke tube ports, yet... nothing. I'm thinking pipe wrench and ruin the choke tube. Take a chance of screwing up the barrel somehow in the process.

Or... leave it on there and continue to shoot the heck out of things with it just as I have for the last six years. Feeling pretty stupid for not occasionally unscrewing the thing when I cleaned the barrel. Or, just feeling pretty stupid... dang I hate it when I screw something up like this. I think Benelli barrels are running around $350.00? The choke was about $65.00 back in the day. They've actually became a little cheaper the last few years. I guess competition in the market has driven the price down some. Sorry, I'm rambling... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
go shoot about 100 dove loads through it as quick as you can shoot the and after you get done it should be loose. it worked for me. i had the same problem with my mossy.


Ryan /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
GC,
Shooting the quantity of heavy loads that you have especially the #4 buck may have bulged the the choke tube enough to lock it into the barrel. I have seen this happen one other time although it was caused by steel shot. If you can get your hands on a good micrometer you can take some measurements on the barrel OD just behind the choke tube, in the middle over the threads and at the front. If there is any bulge it should show up. It won't take too much maybe .0003 - .0004 to lock it up. I'm sure that Benelli and Kicks both hold pretty tight tolerances. If that is the case you may be better off leaving it alone and trying to locate another barrel. If you don't have access to a good micrometer that reads in tenths and you can get your gun to Steelville I'll be happy to check it out for you. I work as a machinist and have the tools necessary to determine exactly what the problem is. If interested you can PM me and I'll give you the details.
 
Oh No!!! Now ya gotta buy a new shotgun! Shoot Dang!!"Honey it aint my fault it just broke"
The way i see it ya got no choice.
LOL
Carl
 
If it is bulged, it is probably not fixable. However two things that have been recommended might work if the bulge is not too bad, but they have to be applied to the barrel not the tube. I am talking about heating and tapping. It is the barrel that has to be heated so it will expand and not be so tight on the tube. It is the barrel that has to be tapped to make the threads more uniformly fit the tube. True, tapping the inside of the tube would do the same thing but tapping the inside of the tube with enough force is difficult.

Jack
 
Get a good machinist/gunsmith to make an expanding mandrel/choke wrench to grab the ID and slots.
Make another tool to fit the chamber end.
Then heat only the barrel while twisting.
Or, put it in a lathe and bore or grind out the choke till it's thin enough to colapse it.
It's worth the trouble for a barrel that expensive.
Best wishes. PC
 
Had the same thing happen to me. Had a lt. mod tube in it for years and when I wanted to change over to a Truglo found the old tube was stuck tight. I just bit the bullet, put a rag in the vise to keep from damaging the finish on the barrel and put a pipe wrench on the tube, couple of hard hits with the hand and it broke loose, no damage to either. Atleast you have an extended tube to work with, just think if it was a flush mount. I did soak it good with PB Blaster the day before, I think it helped.

Nick T
 
You know what an AR-15 carbine stock wrench looks like? C-shaped with a tooth, maybe you could get the tooth in one of the ports and really crank on it.
 
GC,

Had the same thing happen to my SBE with a HS Strut turkey choke. I tried all the things you mentioned, except PB Blaster instead of Kroil. I finally said screw it and clamped on a pipe wrench. Once I got it to turn a little I applied more blaster and let it soak a little more. When the choke finally came out it was visibly bulged. The largest shot I fired through it was 3 1/2" #4 copper plated turkey loads. Perhaps yours is bulged inside the barrel and not seized due to corrosion. In retrospect I should have just taken it to a gunsmith since I knocked off my front sight during the ordeal.

When you get this fixed, which you probably will, I've had excellent results with a Rhino .660 for Dead Coyote and Winchester Xtended Range #5 & #6s turkey loads. I also unscrew the choke and re-oil it when I clean the gun to make sure everything looks good. I feel for you. My SBE was two weeks old when this happened!
 
Lots of good advise ,but i also caught what Jack did about where the heat was applied.
I'd give it a good kroil after heating the outside of the barrel then some freezer time then heat the outside of the barrel and have your hulk son ready to unscrew it.
If you heated the choke tube as you typed you did that would make it tighter.
If you just wrote it wrong -->forget everything i just said!!Best of luck -Mike
 
Back
Top