Broken rifle barrels seem to be a very common thing in Bolt Action. I contemplated a few ways of repair but here is how I did it. It is a pretty simple idea especially for anyone with modeling experience. Maybe that’s why there didn’t seem to be anything out there for a tutorial or how to. For anyone wondering though; here is a proven and relatively simple method.
I have experienced this a few times already in my relatively short time with the game. They have all been the M1 carbines with the really thin barrels. I even had one of my metal forward observer models even came out of the package with the barrel broke off.
On the plastic models I considered many things from clipping off at the hands or part of the rifle. The rifles definitely can’t be removed from the hands. Maybe clipping off the arms completely for a fresh start. My main problem with that is I don’t have very many carbines to spare. On the metal models most of those aren’t options either.
So, how did I do it? I went the route of replacing the barrels with some small steel wire I have normally for pinning models. The wire I used is even slightly big for the barrels but it was what I have already on hand and hardly noticeable comparing them.
How to do it: Using a pin vice and an appropriately sized drill simple drill into the rifle were the barrel attaches. Depending on how it broke, you may need to use a hobby knife to create a good flat spot to start drilling. You don’t need to go very deep because all it holds is the little barrel and you don’t want to damage the rifle more.
Prepare your wire by filing a fairly flat end. It is easier when it is one big piece now rather than small or attached to the model. Depending on your cutters you may not need to do that. I also suggest cutting your wire the right sized before attaching it to the model. It could be more accurate to trim it after it is attached but I fear that doing so could damage the model more. It is easy enough to get the rod close enough before hand too. After you have it the right length just glue it in the hole you just made.
Lastly add the super small amount of green stuff to make the sight detail and, in the carbines case, whatever the heck the thing is on the bottom of the barrel. This is the most fiddly step and requires the most skill. If you are confident working with green stuff it isn’t too bad though.
When I was doing this model I actually wore some paint off while I was handling it. I had just painted it recently and haven’t finished the base so it hadn’t been hard coated yet. Had it been hard coated this probably wouldn’t be a problem. Just a little extra paint touch up to do.
Viola! Simple as that.
My rod being a little bigger is only really noticeable when you are looking closely at the one model. Here’s a group of them fairly close up. Can you tell which ones I have repaired?
Here’s the models that I have fixed that were pictured above.
In my opinion, after this fix the barrel is much hardier than the original. You likely shouldn’t have the problem again like you might with possible other methods. Hope some of you found this helpful. I’m sure this won’t be the last time I have to make this fix myself.