Barrel Fit Question

[tstetz]

Okay, please forgive the newbie questions but I'm still reading and learning here.

I decided to try my existing 12 gauge barrel on my SB2 rifle action to see if it fits. It seems to just fine. Locks up fine, breaks fine and it looks like its good to go (no gaps etc.). I read through the barrel fitting FAQ's and it doesn't seem like I need to do any of that.So, my questions are...

1. What are the odds my barrel does indeed fit without having to do any fitting. Is that common and possible?

2. IS it safe to try out since it looks good to go??

I'll probably still want o pick up a dedicated shotgun barrel for this action later but I'm just wondering if I can use my existing barrel in the meantime.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[quickdtoo]

I'd check latch engagement by smoking the shelf, other than that, lots of barrels will fit just fine with very little to no fitting, it's just a matter of trying them. Some say that barrels originally fitted to frames made the same year have a good chance of fitting, but my experience is still up in the air on that, I've had many of the same year that didn't come close to fitting while others fit fine and that's with over 40 frames to check. That's one nice thing about having more frames, you stand a good chance of having a second hand barrel fit well. 

Tim

[tstetz]

Thanks!