Reproofing for steel

I enjoyed Richard Faulks’s article (SG, November ’21) about how best to approach the use of steel shot in older guns. However, one comment stopped me in my tracks. He wrote about the possibility of opening up the choke on a couple of older guns and stated: ‘Do I have the half choke eased and then reproof the gun?’ Surely opening up a choke does not require that the gun be reproofed? If the chamber is lengthened from 65mm to 70mm then the gun must be reproved but I understand that just opening up a choke does not. Perhaps Richard can explain how he came to his conclusion, especially as he appears to have discussed his options with gunsmith Matt Simpson.

Conrad Norris, via email

I believe that the recent article by Richard Faulks on whether your current gun barrels are fit to take steel shot (SG, November ’21) contains a significant error. The advice that ‘it’s an easy job to widen the choke, but then the gun will by law have to be reproofed’ is wrong. There is no requirement to reproof a gun just because the choke has been opened out. If the choke widening is performed to allow the gun to be used with high-performance steel then reproofing is required, but it is the high-performance steel usage and not the choke widening that requires reproofing.

I have read the article several times and can see that this may not have been the intended message, but several customers have already contacted me, concerned as to whether their guns need reproofing due to having had the chokes widened.

I suggest that a clarification of this advice is issued as soon as possible, as there is already a great deal of confusion and concern over the proof situation regarding steel shot and older guns.

BK Webster, gunsmith

Matt Simpson’s response:

Dear Conrad and Brian, thanks for your letters regarding reproofing after choke adjustment. We asked The Birmingham Proof House for confirmation on the rules regarding this, and they have said it’s a tricky question. The article states that: ‘Arms previously proven and bearing apparently valid proof marks are deemed out of proof if any pressure bearing component of the small arm has been materially weakened in substance or strength.’ But then says: ‘There are defined internal bore size enlargement increments allowed for shotgun barrels, these can be found in the relevant Rules of Proof.’ They say that reproofing isn’t required if a gun has its fixed chokes eased, though reproofing is necessary if multichokes are fitted as this is considered a ‘conversion’. A bit of a grey area, but you’re correct that no reproof is needed with eased fixed chokes, as long as they’re within their defined ‘internal bore size enlargement increments’.