how to put bead on shotgun

[camoman33935]

Hey yall,

Yesterday I got a Iver Johnson Champion .410 for coon hunting. The gun is missing the bead and I was wondering if there was any cheap way to get a bead on or if I have to take it to a gunsmith. As long as it gets a bead on and stays on its good with me but I really dont want to put much more money into a $40 gun thats going to get beat up a little hunting coons.

Thanks yall

 

[BADUNAME37]

Go to MidwayUSA and order the bead you would like. They come in several very small and fine threads. If there is already a hole, take the barrel somewhere where you can figure out just which machine screw will perfectly fit the OEM threads and order the bead with those threads. If there is NOT a hole, go to MidwayUSA and figure out which bead you want (size of thread and number of threads per inch unless metric). Then get a drill and shallow tap so you can carefully drill and tap for the new bead. If you need to do that, just be sure you have something in the bottom of the barrel in case the drill goes through the top too fast, you don't ding the bottom of the barrel. As for getting it perfectly on top, that is pretty straightforward, unless someone is stone-cold drunk.

When I install a new bead, I use red Loctite on the threads. The only other thing is to make sure the bead is flush with the inside of the barrel by filing or grinding the threaded length first, and keep trying it until you are happy there are no protrusions into the barrel.

Expect to pay a whopping several dollars for the bead and probably a bit more than that for shipping. The last time I purchased a bead, it was cheaper for me to buy several as the postage rate was still the same whether I ordered one or five. At least with several, you can try them out to see which ones you like best on that particular gun! Then, after you are certain which one you will install, use the Loctite.

 

[gdesloge]

Does the tapped hole penetrate the top of the barrel through to the bore?

Thanks,

gd

 

[seanie!]

Does the tapped hole penetrate the top of the barrel through to the bore?

On my Maverick, yes. On my Benelli, no. I suspect that's because the Benelli has a vent rib though. And possibly because it cost more than $200.

 

[highorder]

Most beads on plain barrels are drilled, tapped holes thru the barrel. I just installed a new bead on a Model 12; after it was installed, I polished the underside of the bead smooth with the bore. Easy as pie.

 

[Old Shooter]

Buy it, drill it, thread it, screw it, shoot it, done.

 

[Jim K]

Front sights are usually screwed in, but middle beads are often just driven into a tapered hole, so check to make sure the hole has threads. If it doesn't, the bead you want has no threads.

For a round bead, you might want to buy a bead wrench, though a tap wrench of the right size can be used. It needs to have fingers that will hold the bead without damaging it.

Jim

 

[Higgy]

You may need a special tap, such as a size 6-48. If so, you can get one of those at midway too.