Swapping barrels on over/under shtoguns

[rabid wombat]

Silly question - I know that pumps and autos allow for buying aftermarket barrels - 870’s, 1100’s, 500’s, 590’s and etc. I am guessing that O/U’s need fitting. For example, will a set of barrels off one Citori fit another Citori?

Thank you for your replies!

 

[Weflyfast]

I bought a set of barrels for a Citori and got lucky and they did fit and did not bind or need fitting.....BUT.... I have also needed to fit and modify barrels as well-

Sometimes you get lucky- sometimes not-

 

[Lo-Profile]

Yep, sometimes they need fitting.
I got lucky on my Beretta and they didn't.

 

[Bill M.]

Yes, in general O/U barrels need fitting. Browning does not sell O/U barrels. Beretta and some others do. Adding and fitting barrels to an O/U makes sense for a high grade gun or a gun that has been fitted to you. But it is generally pretty expensive. Probably total of $1500 or so for a new barrel and fitting and shipping, O/U and SxS are just a different animal than pumps and autoloaders. And yes, sometimes a barrel that has been fitted to one gun will just snap on to another gun and work. And sometimes not. A new Beretta barrel must be fitted the first time for any gun.

 

[cfullgraf]

I’m not sure what your plans are but insert tubes for O/U barrels do lots of things these days and less expensive than fitting another barrel.

 

[kudu]

My Beretta O/U has a carrier barrel for the Kolar tubes, makes the 12 gauge barrel the exact weight of the other gauge tubes. 12, 20, 28, and .410 all weigh and balance the same when shooting. Might not be a big deal for most shooters, but it may gain you that one or two birds out of 500 that could mean going to a shoot-off and having a chance at the money or going home empty handed. I went for years with a Ruger Red Label with tubes in the existing barrel, worked fine, but I rarely shot the 12 gauge in the 12 gauge events as the recoil works against you eventually after several hundred rounds in a couple days. My 28 gauge average was always my highest.
Haven't shot competition in quite a few years, but when I started out in the early 90's many shooters were shooting Browning Citori 4 barrel sets but using a Remington 1100 in the 12 gauge event.

 

[slickshot223]

It would be a crap shoot to have a second set of barrels fit without some fitting

 

[cfullgraf]

My Beretta O/U has a carrier barrel for the Kolar tubes, makes the 12 gauge barrel the exact weight of the other gauge tubes. 12, 20, 28, and .410 all weigh and balance the same when shooting. Might not be a big deal for most shooters, but it may gain you that one or two birds out of 500 that could mean going to a shoot-off and having a chance at the money or going home empty handed. I went for years with a Ruger Red Label with tubes in the existing barrel, worked fine, but I rarely shot the 12 gauge in the 12 gauge events as the recoil works against you eventually after several hundred rounds in a couple days. My 28 gauge average was always my highest.
Haven't shot competition in quite a few years, but when I started out in the early 90's many shooters were shooting Browning Citori 4 barrel sets but using a Remington 1100 in the 12 gauge event.

I also shot competitive skeet in the 1990's but I could not afford a shotgun with four barrels.

My competition skeet Citori has sub-gauge tubes fitted to the 12 gauge barrel. I could never make the 12 gauge without tubes swing the same as the gun with the sub-gauge tubes installed. I tried various barrel weights without success.

As a result, I shot 20 gauge in the 12 gauge events. My 20 gauge average was higher than my 12 gauge average.

This was before carrier barrels were "the thing" for tubed competition shotguns. I'd love to have one now but...

I'm passed my prime but I still shoot the old Citori better than anything I have bought since.

My first class win in skeet was in 28 gauge. I won the shoot off for the class with doubles at station 3, 4 and 5. It was the first time shooting doubles at 3, 4 and 5 for me. Fortunately I had a chance to practice before the actual shoot off occurred.

28 gauge is about my favorite but I do shoot 20 gauge better. My first pheasant kill as a child was with my Dad's 28 gauge side by side.