topper 88 12 ga which they say can not be fitted with a slug barrel

[warbler]

has the wrong receiver and  serial number is AU an it is a 12 ga full choke.... i want to shoot   foster slugs out of it. how far do i cut the barrel back,,,, cut 2-4 inches an re-bead with no choke?...... any ideas would help..... i have seen them cut back to 20 inch's!on youtube the modified one

[cudatruck]

you could just use a choke removing reamer if you don't want to shorten the barrel. Then if your barrel is thick enough you could ream and tap for screw in choke tubes. if you want it short and open/cylinder choke just cut it and square the muzzle. with the short barrel if you choke tube it you could use a cyl choke for slugs and then an extra full for turkey!

[MSP Ret]

The early (older) H&R barrels were thinner than modern barrels and are great to carry but more difficult to add choke tubes to. You may be able to have a good gunsmouth fit it for thin wall choke tubes (Briley?) but why not keep it the way it is and just buy and fit a slug barrel or newer cut down barrel yourself? It's a simple procedure and many here including myself have done it. Heck, the newer barrel may fit just the way you get it. I have a couple of 88 recievers with more modern barrels on them myself....<><....

[warbler]

thanks for the advice but I'm still stuck with a full choke 12 ga.... i have never fired it...i heard it kicks like a mule to old for that.... and i do not do much hunting with a full choke 12 ga .... i tried to get another barrel from the H&R exchange program just did one for my sb-2 .280 nef put a bull barrel 20 ga rifled slug barrel heavy gun know...

back to the other problem i have the H&R 12 ga it just says 12 ga. full choke..nothing else  they said they could not do the topper 88 cause it had 2 digit AU starting serial number.... something about receiver being to thin walled... i said it shoots 3 in mag they said sorry...will not service it.. Remington did my other gun just in the last 2 weeks.. 

[quickdtoo]

As stated on the H&R Accessory barrel page they won't touch any pre '87 firearm, your M88 was made in 1980 by H&R Inc that went out of business in 1986, they were an entirely different company. Best advice is to buy a used shotgun barrel and fit it yourself, they're bought and sold in the H&R Classifieds regularly, modern H&R/NEF shotgun barrels, except 10ga based barrels, can be fitted to your vintage frame, complete fitting instructions can be found in the FAQs and Help sticky above.

Tim

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,229838.msg1099278933.html#msg1099278933

http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp

Additional barrels may be added to firearms of our manufacture since 1987 only, with a serial number that begins with N, H or C. We do not install additional barrels on any other manufacturer’s firearms.

[mac66]

The way I heard it is that the old pre 88 or 89 frames are cast iron. You can use any shotgun or low pressure rifle or pistol caliber barrel on them. The new frames are steel and will handle the high pressure stuff as well as the low pressure stuff.  Fitting the barrel is pretty easy. Besides the classifieds here, I see barrels all the time on Ebay.

[warbler]

well thanks for the reply on my topper 88 full choke 12 ga ....i just got my new 20ga  fully rifled slug barrel back for my sb-2 nef  handi rifle forearm fit was awful , i thought lets see if it fits the ol topper...nope would not close and lock...that brings me to the conclusion it is a casting receiver an hangs up on a burr

i sent my sb2 nef with  a black synthetic butt stock an they sent it back with a wood forearm fit to it with the 20ga ...i said that looks silly...they said the would send a new black synthetic forearm i also bought a thumb thre synthetic... wow i a get the wrong one its a trapper forearm...so i called back and cleared that up new one on the way... 

 the  old topper 88 gun i found out was MFG 1980 and that would explain the casting burr and maybe why the new 20 ga rifled slug barrel would not fit......just below the barrel hinge pin is a burr... that's the part you attach the barrels too... i do not know the correct term for it...would have to the part # up but back to the solution main problem with full choke bore... i just want to open the choke so i can shoot all ammo... foster slugs buck shot etc.


so i watched a video on bore reaming a choke on midway usa... to  open cylinder with out looking to shorten any barrel length..

question ....if i did decide to cut  back  the barrel how far is the full choke in the end of the topper 88 barrel anyone know how far they ream... see some black markers points exist about an inch  apart looks like someone else had the same idea..i"m just a country boy on a budget...hand reaming is not in my budget but would be best.... would i have to cut it back just a few inches to remove the full choke

whats the length of a full choke at the last few inches of the barrel anyone know?

the gun weighs about 5-6 # an what is the best bore choke dia. for slug accuracy say 1 oz lead

i saw one cut back to 20 inches an shot a 1 oz lead foster slug fine..how ever i would like to get a greater distance than just 10 yards...i do not want another barrel or gun 12 and 20 ga are enough how ever i thought i would take the old nef hand rifle stock an put it on the old topper to tame  some recoil..... this is a great sight someone suggest a fit an finish site is the one avalible

thanks  its been a great help

[mechanic]

Your old Topper does indeed have an investment cast frame, but that has little if anything to do with the barrel fit.  It's kind of hit or miss swapping barrels around, and thats why H&R won't sell the barrels without sending in the frame...they require final fitting.  You can, if you're mechanical do this yourself, the info is in the FAQ's on the centerfire rifle forum, but bear in mind, you should not fit high pressure barrels to that old receiver at all...
 
IMO if you cut the barrel back about 4" you will have removed most if not all the choke.  Factory slug barrels that are unrifled are usually cylinder bore anyway to the best of my knowledge.  You will not lose much if any velocity by shortening the barrel, and it will make it quicker on the aim than a longer barrel.
 
Just check the end of the barrel with a square and file it true.
 
I've cut several shotguns over the years, and with most I used a tubing and pipe cutter.  This cuts them very square, but leaves a little crimp at the very end, which must be cleaned up with the reamer on the pipe cutter, just as you would do with pipe.
 
As I'm sure you know, don't cut the barrel less than 18"..as a matter of fact leave some extra, as this would violate the law.
 
Hope this helps,
 
Ben

[Sprint]

The Topper model 88 with a serial number prefix of AU was not an investment cast frame. They were shell castings made of ductile iron in H&R's own foundry.
 
Sprint
 
 
 

[mechanic]

Investment cast is comparable to the lost wax method used for hundreds of years...shell casting is just an improvement of that method that makes a product with smaller granules and less porosity.  Both are still cast metal...or basically iron, so the psi rating is still well below steel.
 
Ben

[Sprint]

Investment cast is comparable to the lost wax method used for hundreds of years...shell casting is just an improvement of that method that makes a product with smaller granules and less porosity.  Both are still cast metal...or basically iron, so the psi rating is still well below steel.
 
Ben

Google it.....
 
Sprint
 

[bikerbeans]

rick,
 
I don't know exactly how long the choke on your barrel is but it probably isn't very long, maybe a couple of inches at most.  If you have access to a set of calipers you can measure the ID at the muzzle, hacksaw off a 1/2 inch or so (a quick process), deburr you cut and measure again.  With your 12 ga the bore ID before the choke should be around .72 to .73 inch and your full choke is less than .70" so you should be able to tell when you get the choke removed.  FWIW, I have cut off several fixed choke shotgun barrels and have always removed all the choke section but I have never cut off less than about 5.5".  Anything longer than 18" should be legal but most slug barrels are in the 22 to 24 inch range.  Good luck and be careful as once you have chopped your first barrel it can become addictive.
 
BB