Chaszel shotgun inserts
TJ's and Redman Liners
Shotgun inserts
Please note that due to the unprecedented demand in the US, the production cycles have been severely extended.
A personal review of Chaszel liners is below.
Chaszel has an option on their website products page to sign up for an alert when items become available. If it is in stock with them, I can put it on my next order, just let me know what you want.
20 Gauge If no price is shown this indicates it is sold out
insert caliber length Price
9mm 6 96.00
9mm 11 130.00 one left
9mm 18 sold out
357 mag 6 96.00
357 mag 11 sold out
357 mag 18 Sold out
45 colt 6 96.00
45 colt 11 130.00
45 colt 18 180.00
45 ACP 6 96.00
12 Gauge If no price is shown this indicates it is sold out
insert caliber length Price
22 LR 6 125.00
22 LR 11 165.00 two left
22 LR 18 200.00
22 Mag 6 125.00
22 Mag 11 165.00
22 Mag 18 200.00
30-30 18 sold out
7.62 x 39 18 Sold out
45-70 18 sold out more coming
45-70 24 Sold out more coming
9mm 6 100.00
9mm 11 Sold out
9mm 18 190.00
357 mag 6 100.00
357 mag 11 140.00
357 mag 18 190.00
40 S&W 6 1/2 102.00
40 S&W 11 1/2 137.00
45 colt 6 Sold out
45 colt 11 Sold out
45 colt 18 sold out
45 ACP 18 Sold out
45 / 410 18 Sold out
44 mag 11 Coming
44 mag 18 Coming
410 x 3" 18 Coming
*note that inserts must be used in strong shotguns in good working order.
Magnum calibers and rifle calibers in particular should only be used in strong modern firearms like H&R SB2s or Encore.
Not all modern firearms should be considered strong enough. If in doubt as to the suitability do not purchase these inserts.
There are instructions provided with the inserts and on the Chaszel web site suggesting that the inserts be tested remotely if in doubt. See my observations at the bottom of the page regarding accuracy and barrel length.
Liners
Redman liners
17 cal for H2 25" 75.00
22 cal for LR 25" 65.00
22 cal for LR 12" 37.00
22 cal for LR 6" 20.00
22 cal for LR 32" 150.00
Note: the following links to barrel liner installations are included for information only and are not specifically endorsed. There are other methods or variations on the installation that may be more appropriate for your situation. Use of any information indicated in the videos is at your own risk, NINE35 does not accept any liability for the use of the information in the following links.
YouTube video showing a liner install here if you have a lathe.
YouTube video showing a liner install here if you do not have a lathe.
I would recommend that if you are using a piloted drill that it have a speed control and be powerful enough to operate at the lower rpms required (my personal recommendation is that RPM not exceed 300 - 500 RPM and use a good quality cutting oil regardless of whether using a lathe or drill, the hardness of your particular barrel will dictate)
Piloted Liner drills for 22 liners
Short $95 and long liner drills $155 for the Redman liners available
22 LR reamers
Standard coming
Bentz coming
Match $95.00
TJ's Liners
TJ's liners can be custom ordered in almost any length and many calibers and twists particularly for old lever actions, TJ's also makes air rifle barrels. Priced at $11.50 / in. 10" minimum. Del. is 3-6 months depending on availability and order cycle.
My (quick) review of Chaszel barrel inserts.
So the first batch of Chaszel inserts arrived. I like to be able to speak knowledgeably to customers about the products I sell so of course I had to try one out.
First of all it is important to keep in mind that if you choose to use one of these inserts you should do it in a shotgun capable of handling the force generated by the cartridge you choose to fire. Chaszel’s own literature and website caution that your first shot should be done remotely just in case the firearm decides to explode.
I chose a 12 gauge 18” 357 mag. insert to try out. The shotgun I chose was a H&R SB1. Tracker rifled barrel shotgun. I chose it for a couple reasons; this frame was used by H&R for the basis of their 357 and 44 mag rifle so I was confident that it was suitable for the pressure and second it already had a scope mounted so aiming should be a little more consistent.
The Chaszel insert has 3 different o-ring grooves of different diameters at the muzzle end so that you can change the position of the o-ring to get a tight fit in the bore of your shotgun.
There is also an o-ring at the chamber area. The o-rings center the insert in the bore but also act as a buffer to prevent scratching of the shotgun bore.
The 18” insert is not a lightweight weighing just over 1 ¼ lbs.
The insert has 2 scallops on the side of the chamber to allow the user to fish out the fired shell casing. Extraction was easy with the limited rounds fired.
How does it shoot?
I placed a large pc. of cardboard and 3 aiming stickers out at 50 yds. I am glad I used the large pc of cardboard because my first shot was about 16” high and almost off the page so to speak.
I moved the aiming stickers down toward the bottom of the cardboard. I made no scope adjustments as I was only interested in the relative accuracy of the insert. I had 3 different brands and 2 different weights of bullet in 357 mag. They were Winchester 110 gr, CCI 158 and S&B 158 gr. I was only interested in doing a quick check of what a barrel insert might perform for me.
Shooting was done from the prone position. Temp was about 0 deg C, there was no real wind to speak of. The scope was set to 4.5 x and probably should have been cleaned. Aiming was done pointing at the center of the white blob at the bottom of the cardboard as the winter twilight was starting to set in. Shots were fired one after the other, 3 shots at one target with one type of ammo then 3 at the next and so on. All the groups landed about 12" to 14" high with the Winchester ammo centered the CCI slightly off center and the S&B off to the right about 5 1/2" but close to the same height.
Whether the drift to the right was a function of the insert heating up or the change in ammunition is unknown. Seeing that the S&B group was the smallest of the 3 shot groups, I am inclined to believe it is a function of the different ammo.
Conclusion
I didn’t know what to expect but aside from being way off the aiming point (which is why there are sights and scopes with adjustments) I was pleasantly surprised with a 3 shot grouping between 1 ½” to 2”. At 50 yds. The impact area between the 3 brands of ammo was relatively close vertically with the exception noted above. Granted I chose the 18” version which may be inherently more accurate but I have seen plenty of handguns with their short barrels turn in some exceptional accuracy. I have to admit that I want to try rotating the liner in the barrel to see if that alters the point of impact. Although your setup may yield different results, if you want some extra fun with your shotgun this is one way to do it. If you have one of the typically inexpensive single shot shotguns hanging around and you want a pistol caliber carbine for plinking or small game hunting this is a relatively inexpensive way to make a dedicated or convertible unit.
Insert length vs accuracy.
I have been asked a # of times about barrel length and accuracy.
So a week last Sunday I did an informal study.
Using Chaszel 357 mag inserts of 6", 11", and 18" and S&B 158 Fmj cartridges.
I tried the 18" at 50 yds, it was not the same one I did the previous review with. The results were at 3.015" for 3 shots, so I switched to 25 yds. I should mention that the 18" 357 magnum insert had been rechambered to 357 maximum (yes I know not an entirely fair comparison). This rechambering is not condoned by Chaszel and may have had an effect on accuracy because of the bullet jump, .....or not.
Here are the results of a single 5 shot group with the S&B cartridges mentioned
18" barrel 1.890"
11" barrel 2.550"
6" barrel 2.040"
So with one go at it, I would say the results are inconclusive. Or we can jump to the conclusion that barrel length makes no difference.....
The 6" had a much larger muzzle flash indicating, as expected, that some of the powder was unburnt. I expect the longer barrels have more speed and therefore more energy, other than that there was not much difference with the cartridge/inserts/chambering tried.
Different cartridges or handloading may change everything. So, more work is required, oh darn, I guess I will have do some more shooting....
Bottom line, buy what you need/want. If you need portability go 6" if you need more energy, go 18". If you are going hunting for a deer size animal a 3" group at 50 yds is probably adequate. Not sure there is always the compromise 11" fairly easy to stow and more power than 6".
Ron