Shotgun Gunsmith Tools

Use professional shotgun gunsmith tools for repairing your guns at home, saving money on shop prices and ensuring the job is completed to your own high standards. Shotguns are popular hunting and defensive weapons whose sizes or "gauges" are measured by "bore," determined by the internal dimensions of the barrel, a method dating back to the days when canons were used in warfare.

  1. Borescopes

    • Trouble-shooting your shotgun by examining the inside makes repairs an easier job if you can see into the barrels with a tool specially designed for the job. A borescope uses a long metal (usually brass) tube, available in a variety of sizes and lengths, equipped with instruments for magnification and illumination that passes down inside the barrels for a really good look at the inside surfaces. Use it to clean up ridges and other issues causing fouling, which affects accuracy in shooting your shotgun. Borescopes range from simple models with eyecups for viewing to advanced versions with flexible cables featuring fiber optic technology to video attachments for viewing internal conditions on monitors and cameras for taking pictures of any problem areas.

    Barrel Cleaning Tools

    • General cleaning of your shotgun is part of required maintenance carried out after hunting or target practice. Activities, such as shooting cheaper and softer lead or unjacketed bullets leave behind deposits, known as "leading," on internal surfaces, meaning frequent barrel cleanings are required to maintain an accurate shot, not to mention a safe gun, since pressure builds up behind heavy deposits, leading to a potential for dangerous accidents. Cleaning systems vary from solutions used to soak a cloth or cloth already impregnated with cleaner that passes through your barrels, dissolving and carrying away the lead, to special brass bore brushes and cleaning paste. Any cleaning products must be removed from your barrels within the time stated on the manufacturer's instructions.

    Chamber Reamers

    • Chamber reamers are used to change the bore of a shotgun to accommodate larger bullets. These tools resemble a drill bit made of hardened metal that are rotated at high speed inside the chambers to increase size and come in two basic varieties: "an all-in-one," general purpose reamer for cutting both the chamber and throat of the gun, which also alters the headspace or a "throater" style, which works without changing the dimensions of the headspace. According to the Fulton Armory, "headspace is the clearance allowed between the base of the cartridge case and the face of the bolt." Varieties include spiral and straight flutes; some models also have a, "pilot," to ensure the reamer works in line with the bore. Reamers are in classified according to their size in thousandths of an inch, available for rent from gun supply specialists and sold at gun supply stores.