[Ganked]

Keeping in mind that I have very, very little prior experience with shotguns, even this was a huge oversight on my part. To keep it simple, I installed a choke down the chamber end of a 28'' Mossberg 500 barrel and it's pretty well wedged in (though it slowly rotates if you use the wrench). I probably should have noticed that there are no threads in the chamber area or that a shotgun shell wouldn't chamber but I was functioning on not a whole lot of sleep.

Basically, is there anything I can do or do I pretty much have a $100 hitting stick? If it is indeed the latter, where is the best place to get Mossberg 500 barrels? I was looking for an 18.5 or 20'' to at least feel like I'm getting something different.

[Sunray]

Chokes don't go anywhere near the chamber. The choke goes in the muzzle. The barrel does have to be threaded for changeable chokes though. Try whacking it out with a wooden dowel from the muzzle or take the whole thing to a smithy.
Mossberg sells all kinds of extra barrels. Your local gun shop should be able to get whatever you want.
http://www.mossberg.com/products/access.asp?type=barrels&section=access

[Grayrock]

Perhaps you got lucky and did no damage to the chamber. As suggested, use a dowel to see if you can dislodge the choke tube. As there are no threads there, it is just a friction fit there in the chamber. Good luck.

[icebones]

oh man... well you cant blame yourself, everyone make mistakes

gently try to remove the choke (lefty loosy righty tighty)

thoroughly inspect or have a gunsmith inspect youe chamber for damage.

even thin, very light scratches probally wouldnt hurt the function of the shotgun.

is you want a shorter barrel, 24'' is a good balence of velocity and compactness

but i would go with a 20'' and no shorter, just a personal preferance.

[Jeff F]

I'd try a wood dowel from the muzzle end and knock it out. You could also take the barrel off and try pushing a brass bore brush in from the chamber end and when its about half way or so through the choke tube reverse the pull sharply and pull it out that way. I've done that with rifle cartridges that had a case head separation and got the case out of a chamber. After you get it out make sure and check the threads real good before you try and screw that tube in the muzzle so as not to cross thread it.

[Snarlingiron]

If I may make a suggestion. The wooden dowel is a good idea, but don't try it with a small diameter one. You don't say what the gage of the gun is, but a 1/4" or 3/8" dowel should work on a 12 ga or 20 ga. Slide it down the muzzle with one edge against one side of the bore. When you feel the first "jump" you have entered the chamber, and the next thing you encounter should be the edge of the choke tube. Tap lightly with a light hammer, or a screwdriver handle. If it does not dislodge, slide it back and move it to the opposite side and repeat. I'm betting it comes out easier than you might expect. If you don't care about the choke tube, or you are willing to sacrifice it and there is enough protruding, grab it with a pair of pliers and give it a good tug while rotating it counter clockwise.

It is possible, even likely that you have "worried" some slight threads into the chamber, but this will most likely not cause you any difficulty.

Just my nickel's worth (inflation).

[CCW1911]

You might try this. Take the barrel off the receiver. Set a chunk of wood, 2x4 or anything on a solid floor like a concrete garage floor. Bang the chamber end of the barrel straight down on the block, the wood will protect the barrel and it should dislodge the choke without any further damage.

[dagger dog]

If the threads have cut into the chamber they will most likley couse the plastic hull to stick in the chamber and won't be able to be extracted with normal effort, causing problems. If this is the case just chalk it up to learning, and buy a new bbl.
I envy you Mossberg owners you can purchase bbls about 1/2 the price of Remingtons!

[okiewita40]

Go with what snarlingiron said. The dowel rod and a light hammer seem like the best bet in the situation. I'd have to say that the chamber will probably be ok though. If nothing else then you can probably use a bit of steel wool to polish the chamber and knock down the edges of the thread marks you left in there. Or just go buy a new barrel and learn from a mistake.

[Guyon]

Well, did it come out?

[rcmodel]

I doubt that anything you can do with a choke tube by hand would ruin the barrel.

Even deep "thread-like" scratches will polish out with a chamber hone. A gunsmith shouldn't charge much to do it.

If you can see them and they are not really deep, you can polish the chamber yourself with some 600 grit Black paper on a 3/4" dowel rod.

Use back & forth polishing, not round & round.

It would take you two days to remove enough metal from the chamber to make it oversize, so don't worry about that!

rcmodel

[Ganked]

Thanks for the advice guys. I haven't gotten around to doing it yet, namely as I don't have anything at the moment that resembles a wooden dowel but that should change maybe tomorrow. I forgot to mention, it is a 12 gauge and I'll post an update tomorrow, thanks.

[Ganked]

Update

So I tried using a 5/8'' dowel but the edge of the choke is less than .5mm thick so I could not get a grip on it, I haven't given up yet. Tomorrow, I'll try banging it on a block of wood.

I may end up ordering that spare barrel anyways.

[brentn]

You screwed it in right? Try screwing it out and pulling. Lets all face it that the chamber is defenitly going to be marred, I mean he threaded in a choke tube, well enough that it isn't coming out with considerable force.

Is the choke tube now flush with the chamber in which you cannot grip it to pull and twist?

Any pictures?

[foghornl]

Spray some good penetrating oil in there. The choke tube was probably dry, as well as the barrel.

That may just give enough lube in there to help get it out.

I have never done what the OP did, {I have never owned a shotty with swapable chokes} but I have had more than my share of "Oh, Nubbins!" moments over the years.... :o :o :o

Something else to try...take a blow-dryer or paint-stripping type hot air gun, and heat up the exterior of the barrel where the tube is stuck. It MIGHT expand just a bit, enough to maybe get the tube out.

[okiewita40]

Waiting to see how this one turns out.:cool:

[Ganked]

The choke is actually beyond flush with the chamber (don't ask how) and is sticking only about half a mm out of the throat. I can't get a good picture as my camera/lens doesn't like to focus on close objects.

:o Well, if I order a barrel next week, Citicards will bear the burden until mid-May.

[rcmodel]

Yes, it is!

Get a bottle of rubbing alcohol and throughly de-grease the choke tube inside.

Now, pack some rag, or cotton balls, or wadded-up toilet paper in the far end of it.

Now, fill the tube with 5-minute or 30-minute epoxy.
Just don't glue it to the barrel. (Now, that would be really stupid!)

After it hardens, knock the dang thing out from the muzzle.

Then heat the choke tube up to get the epoxy out of it.

I still insist you don't need to buy a new barrel.

rcmodel

[Snarlingiron]

I still insist you don't need to buy a new barrel.

I agree with rcmodel. If it went in there is a way to get it out. May take a bit of thought, and some creative tools, but it can be done. If I had a Mossberg, I would recommend that you send it to me for "disposal".

[Striker]

If rcmodel's technique doesn't work, I'd chuck up an expanding cylinder mandrel into a reversable 1/2" drill, lubricate the choke tube liberally from both ends with a good penetrating oil, clamp the barrel, and try to spin the choke out.

[foghornl]

Is the choke tube still stuck, or did you get it out?

Loks of folks had some good ideas; wanted to see how you fixed it.

[Ganked]

No such luck yet, the choke is reamed pretty hard in there. I tried hitting it on a block of wood but all it seemed to do was chip the wood. I'm probably going to try the epoxy method when I happen upon some epoxy.

[rcmodel]

Hmmmmm! :scrutiny:

Doesn't seem to be a pressing need to get it out!

If it was mine I'd have been all over it as soon as it happened.

rcmodel

[ants]

Come on, give Ganked a break.

He clearly doesn't know a lot about guns. So he's going slow, getting advice, keeping his options open, and taking his time to make sure he doesn't get deeper.

[moooose102]

well, from what i have read here, my advice is take it to a gunsmith! i agree with rcmodel, you very likely will not need to buy a new barrel. any good gunsmith should be able to save it unless you use a hammer to install the choke tube. it will probbably need to be polished out where the threads have scratched the chamber. so you are going to have to take it to a gunsmith anyway. if you have never been to one. its really no big deal. he will have seen a lot of mistakes people have made before. you are not the first person to ever mess up a gun. a gunsmith is just a mechanic who works on guns, you will find that MOST of them are freindly and fair. it really sounds like you are not sure of what you are doing. so save yourself any further greif and possible damage. just take it in and be done with it. just think of it this way, the more you mess it up, the more it is going to cost you to fix it!

[evbutler462]

The suspense is getting to me. Give us an update.

Good luck. I agree that you won't need a new barrel even if the chamber is roughed up. Polish it out and go shoot it.

[Ganked]

Being an unemployed college student, I'm kind of hesitant to go to a gunsmith except as a last resort as right now I'm having to choose between gun related stuff and eating.

I said that I was going to eventually try the epoxy stuff but I don't want to rush it and get the choke stuck in there even more.

[ants]

If you take it to a gunsmith, Ganked, your first question is "How much will it cost?". Even if it's hard to estimate, every business person appreciates a customer who asks reasonable questions and is willing to listen to the answers.

It may be cheaper to be patient and keep working on it until you succeed.

[Brian Dale]

See, this wouldn't have happened if you'd bought an 870... :evil:

I'm Joking!

I'm only posting to take issue with your thread title. You're not discussing stupidity; rather, you're asking people to help to fix a side-effect of ignorance.

No unexpected loud bangs? Nobody hurt or scared away? Not even a sliced fingertip or a mashed thumb? Heck, no problem, and put away that credit card for the moment.

We all have buckets of ignorance of our own. Many of the people here have experience in areas where I'm ignorant, and ignorance is curable. I come here to chip away at my ignorance. It sounds like you and I have similar goals.

My own reaction to the fine suggestions above is to try heat first because it's so easy. Don't forget the oven mitt(s) and to pad the jaws of the needle nose pliers with cloth or something, just for luck.

Buck up, hoss. We're all pullin' for ya. :cool:

[MCgunner]

Is it possible to fix stupidity?

Not according to Ron White. :D