I got a free Russian SKS that was found in the hills after a forest fire.

It went through the fire, and fire extinguishing, and sat for an unknown time (I wasn't told how long after the fire it had been found).

Wood was gone, springs all softened, and it was a rusted lump.

The bolt would move some but no function at all.

It took a few hours to beat it apart, I then sandblasted it, installed a spring kit, and fired it.

It functioned so I bought an ATI stock to put it into, then I discovered the bent barrel.

Being so far in I decided to straighten it.

I put it in a hydraulic press and little by little it came back, as perfect as I can tell eye-balling down the bore from both ends.

As I worked the press I made marks on the ram with a sharpie so I could track how far I was pressing it each time so I could ramp up the pressing without over-doing it.

Once finished I suspected it might re-bend when heated so I put it in an oven to 400 (what I could find as a relatively normal barrel temp in rapid fire shooting) still straight.

The last step is to find a place I can have it hardness tested to make sure the metal is still good and didn't reach a critical softening temperature.

This should have been done before even starting on a possible dead-end project but I never thought of it until today after researching barrel temperatures.

If there's anything else I should test that I may be overlooking please chime in, but I wrote this mostly because I couldn't find much useful info on DIY straightening other than many people saying it won't work.

Wow cool story behind the rifle. Would love to see some pics!

Indeed

Have you checked it with a lathe and a runout gauge or just your eyeball?

I'm much more proficient with hands on stuff, some guidance to posting without a place to host pictures will net some 'gorgeous' SKS glamor shots.

Just eye ball, but I have a good eye for that kinda stuff.

It was obviously bent to me, tho others didn't notice even when I pointed it out.

Putting it in a lathe would be difficult without removing the barrel, probably impossible given its condition, and still wouldn't be perfectly accurate as the outside of a barrel doesn't always match its inside.

From the breach end it was bent up and right, shots matched what I was seeing.

Next chance I get I'll put some rounds through it again and see where it lands them.

Accidental double post delete/edit

Get yourself a rod about 8 inches long a drop it down the barrel.  It shouldn't get stuck if the barrel is straight.

I'd worry about the locking lugs softening if it was in a fire.

It would have to be a tight fitting rod, not sure where I'd find one.

Regardless, straight to the eye is straight enough for an SKS for my purposes.

Damn good call!
Doesn't have lugs, more of a shelf the bolt drops into, but both sides are in good shape after having been fired many times so it appears the parts didn't loose their hardness.

 
And the barrel, and the chamber, and the receiver...

I haven't been able to get it Rockwell tested yet, but home tests and examining wear indicate that the metal is probably fine.  It took a far bit of pressure to bend the barrel back and it had decent springiness so its likely to not have suffered.  I have a friend who can likely do the testing and found a group of tests indicating what it should be, around 22 Rockwell C scale.

Elmer Keith wrote about his experiences as an armorer at the Ogden U. depot during WW2 and described just how bbl's for Garands were straightened.............essentially very similar to what you've done as well as 'eyeballing' the result.   He mentioned using a stretched wire held in a bow like arrangement to hold the wire tight and visually determine bbl relative straightness.

For what it's worth, I would get that receiver checked and re treated if you can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44GtT7yxJEw

Check it out starting at 1:10.

A while ago I took a tour of the Savage Rifle Factory, and hung around a little in the bbl dept.

I was fascinated by a guy checking every bbl for straightness, and straightening the bent ones.



Basically, he put the bbl in a fixture at eye level and looked thru the bbl. If it was not true, and they never are,

he moved it in the fixture until the bend was over the piston, and cranked a wheel, which pushed the piston

against the bbl.

Just the right amount to straighten it.

Actually, a little too much, then rotate the bbl 180 deg. and a gentle push back.



me - 'how do you know how much to push it?'



him - "practice, - doing 700 per shift, it gets easier. "



So then he let me try one - it was pretty easy, and 'eyeball accurate' is pretty good.



After my bbl was 'perfect' to me, he touched it up, just a little, and made it 'more perfect.'

And I could see the difference, after he pointed it out.



The Savage tour is amazing. Do it if you ever get the chance.

They make them for the AR/M16 I ordered one in Iraq for the small arms repair guy. They just drop right down the barrel. If there is a bend it it stops.  Pretty loose fit really, we had more than a few guns run over or slammed in hatches that mad having this tool worthwhile.

I bet you could find a drill blank the correct size, but if you got a good eye...it's a SKS

Thank you all for the input.
I've lined up a Rockwell test through a friend at a heat treating facility with a pretty knowledgeable metal guy but it'll probably be a week or so before we can get to it.

I'm glad to see some confirmation that the eyeball inspection is pretty well accepted; I have found that I have a pretty precise eye for stuff like this compared to most people.
Maybe not as good as the 700 barrels a day guy, but decent.
I was a little bit surprised at how easy it was to find the sweet spot to press on, guessing there was memory left in it helping out.

Never thought of drill blank, I actually have a big selection of super long drill bits and may have a good fitting one to test with.
I doubt I'd make any more adjustments, but I am curious to see if there's any bend left I can't see.

Eyeball test works gerat (if your eyes work).  It should not cast a line (or curve) as you peer down the bore.  It helps too if you have a straight vertical line you can hold the bore against.  

If you check out Ned Roberts' The Muzzle Loading Cap Lock Rifle, he has very good (and relevant) instructions on how to o it.  He even describes how to make a wood rifling machine.

In for pics OP I need to see the Phoenix of the sks world

Awesome story behind the rifle and your updates on its progress are interesting.
Like others, I'd love to see pics. I'll be checking in on this thread!

Thanks for sharing.

I appreciate the interest in my crusty rust bucket.
Is there a way to upload photos straight off my computer without having a hosting place for them?
I may be able to shoot a video of it and Youtube it.


I hope I took pics before sand blasting it, don't remember if I did; it was amazingly F'd up.

 
Nope got to host them

Drop me an IM or an email, if you shoot them to me in an email i'll host them for you and post them here.

Subscribed.  Can't wait to see this project done