Sponsored by the
Museum of Natural
Science, Louisiana State University
Date:
Mon, 27 Jul 1998 17:00:49 +0000
From: Kevin Winker <ffkswAURORA.ALASKA.EDU>
Subject: Auxiliary barrels
Just back
from the field. Hope I'm in time to be of some help. From being unable to get
in touch with Herrick this spring I assume his business has gone under. The
number doesn't work, and information has no listing for MCA Sports. I needed
auxiliary barrels in a hurry, so I went with Robinson's Gun & Tackle: 855
Street Road, Southampton, PA 18966. Tel. 215-357-7381. His prices are similar
to what Bill Herrick's were. At Mark Robbins' request, Robinson makes the .22
auxiliary barrel with a slightly bent tube to bring the shot out into the
middle of the barrel. I haven't used a 12 gauge .22 aux before, but this one
does not do as well as my 20 gauge .22 aux (which left the shot coming out of
the side, which seemed required for rimfire cartridges, as you know). This may
be a consequence of gauge, however. His barrels are superior for unloading; he
makes a groove for prying out the shell from the rear. Robinson was just as
courteous and fast as Herrick was. I used both .410 and .22 aux barrels that he
made on this trip just over and found them to be perfectly suitable, with a
lessening of range in the .22 over my previous gun/aux combination.
One thing
we should all be aware of (and I meant to send this out over avecol), is that
Robinson now seems to be the only easily available commercial source for
auxiliary barrels that we know of. And he is getting a lot of business from the
museum community - it sounds like it is more than he really wants, since it is
a sideline and he doesn't make much on it. If anyone knows of other sources, it
would be a good thing to let everyone know and spread our business out so we
don't overwhelm the one good one left.
Kevin
Winker
University of Alaska Museum 907 Yukon Drive Fairbanks, Alaska
========================
Date:
Tue, 28 Jul 1998 11:00:31 -0700
From: "Braden, Gerald" <gbradenCCR.CO.SAN-BERNARDINO.CA.US>
Reply-To: Bulletin Board for Bird Collections and Curators
<AVECOL-Llistserv.lsu.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list AVECOL-L <AVECOL-Llistserv.lsu.edu>
Subject: aux barrels
Dear
Subscribers,
On the
issue of aux barrels, I have a supplier, Mr. Michael R. House, an engineer, who
operates a small business called TimeRider Technologies out of his home in
southern California. He has made .410 and .22 mag inserts for 12 gauge shotguns
for us here at the San Bernardino County Museum. But, if you're looking for
fast delivery, you're probably out of luck with this supplier. On the plus
side, the quality of the aux barrels he makes is outstanding. The barrels are
milled from solid core stainless steel. The aux barrels are tapered so they
don't get stuck in the 12-gauge barrel. The aux barrels are polished to
increase the muzzle velocity, which also improves the reach and accuracy of the
shot. The .410 and .22 chambers are tapered so the spent shells can be removed
by hand, literally. (He mills a bevel into the .22 mag aux barrel, but I've never
had to use it to pry out the spent shell.) Because the .22 mag aux barrel is
milled from a solid core, there is no bent tube. Thus, the accuracy is much
improved. The .22 mag insert will also shoot .22 caliber mag slugs, although
I'm not sure why one would need this option. Because the aux barrel has no
riffling, the accuracy is of the slug is poor.
I highly
recommend these inserts, even though delivery can take some time. (It took two
months to get one aux barrel.) I suspect that part of the delay was because
Mike doesn't do this for a living. Another reason for the delay is that Mike is
extremely meticulous. He tests each aux barrel at a shooting range to check the
shot pattern at specified target distances. If he doesn't like the pattern he
throws the insert away and starts over.
I talked
with Mike to get his permission to post this email. He suggested that anyone
interested should send him an email (MRHouse@CSUPomona.edu). He also said he
could make aux barrels for nearly any caliber shell for a 12 gauge, but I would
expect a increased delay for aux barrels other than .410 or .22 mag while he
re-tools and tests the insert(s). The aux barrels cost us $75.00 apiece. But, I
don't know if that's a fixed price. I recommend that anyone contacting Mike
should be sure to discuss specifics such as cost, caliber, customization,
delivery time, number of aux barrels, etc.
Gerald
Braden
________________________________________________
We’ve had good luck with aux barrels from Short Lane Arms in
Montana:
They’re pretty reasonably priced and ship really quickly.
Other folks may be interested in them as well.
Matt Carling
Department of Zoology & Physiology
Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center
University of Wyoming