Boring an Air rifle to smoothbore?

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Uwharrieairgunner

Uwharrieairgunner

Member
Apr 15, 2023
21
7
Albemarle, NC, USA
I have a Benjamin Trail .177 that's currently broken somehow (trigger won't release so it's fully cocked, but that's in another thread.) Once I repair that, I'm considering boring the barrel to a smooth .25 so that I have an airgun that I can shoot shot with. This gun was heavily used at a children's camp before it was give to me, so I don't feel qualms about experimenting with it. It's already missing the noise muffler piece (not sure what it's actually called) that my Benjamin Trail .22 has.
Have any of y'all ever converted an air rifle into an air smoothbore?
 
Uwharrieairgunner said:
I have a Benjamin Trail .177 that's currently broken somehow (trigger won't release so it's fully cocked, but that's in another thread.) Once I repair that, I'm considering boring the barrel to a smooth .25 so that I have an airgun that I can shoot shot with. This gun was heavily used at a children's camp before it was give to me, so I don't feel qualms about experimenting with it. It's already missing the noise muffler piece (not sure what it's actually called) that my Benjamin Trail .22 has.
Have any of y'all ever converted an air rifle into an air smoothbore?
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The Benjamin Trail is a great gun for it's price range, it's powerful and extremely accurate, boring it out to a smooth bore would be ruining a good all around air rifle, Until you find what the trouble is with the gun I wouldn't entertain any radical mods, sometimes when an air rifle isn't working as it should it's a simple fix for someone who is familiar with them.
Somewhere to start is with the trigger screw, if it's been tinkered with it could affect the coCking function, too loose and it won't fire, too loose and it may not set the trigger.
try to find someone who can check it out and find the problem, the gun is worth fixing.
 
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Looked at from a strictly mechanical stand point, Surface finish of a smooth bore barrel is that from being REAMED and not drilled.
To do the full length of an AG barrel would require a specialty reamer, forced lubricant / watersol to clear chips as you went down bore.

I honestly don't see this as practical what so ever ... Even as a home machinist with a lathe etc I would not attempt it.
 
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Track down a Farco.
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The fit of a smoothbore is highly critical owing to the fact that regular rifling can get away with a slightly greater margin for error, with the rifling biting into the projectile to a lesser, or greater extent.
Smooth bores also work better with ball shot rounds as the tumbling aspect of no spin being imparted, has less effect on balls than pellets.
Further, slug rounds would be completely out the question, being even more reliant on rifling for stabilising..
Forget it..
 
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