The oldest method employed by the old time barrel makers was to stretch a fine wire inside the barrel.
This is stretch from one end to the other, and touching the sides at each end. One side of the barrel was
hammered until the wire touch all the way.
This was used on barrels that was soft, and used lead bullets. The methods that I will describe in this
chapter will be the one I have used for years, and have found it easy for others to use. Lets put a barrel
to test to see if it is straight.
When you look through a bright finish barrel, the interior surface appears to be spread out in a circular
disc as far from the eye to the other end of the barrel. As you look through the center of the disk, is a
circular (the bore) orifice, and surrounding it, like the rings of a target, at equal distances, (if it is
straight).
These circles are well-defined circles around the bore. When you do this look at the edge of a door or
window, not an open light. If the second, third, or fourth rings are a perfect circle around the inside of the
bore, the barrel is straight.
It will be seen that these images are located at a certain point in the bore nearest to the eye. In two
thirds of the length of the barrel, this is the part of the bore that you must direct your attention to. This is
where by using the reflection, which will show you where the bore is crooked.
LONG BENDS
In long bends you will work from 1/2 to 2/3 of the bore, then turn around the barrel and repeat the
process. If a distortion of the circle or rings is noticed, revolve the barrel slowly, and you will see what
side the bend is on. The hardest part is next.
It will take a little practice and time to tell exactly how far, and at what point the bend is. This is done by
looking down the barrel, and at the same time touching on the outside of the barrel. When you think you
have the correct spot where the center of the bend is, move the barrel so that the center jaw or hook is in
that spot, rotate the barrel so the big part of the rings is at the bottom, and apply a little pressure.
If you are at the correct place in the barrel, you will see as you apply the pressure, the barrel goes