I started jail time on a wolverine PBS-1 yesterday, and while they I took my small collection of AK's down to the shop so we could use a alignment rod to make sure all the barrels were good to go. One rifle the rod made if half way down the barrel before it hit enough resistance to not go any further by it's self. This was a home build done 15yrs ago on a NoDakSpud receiver. I must have slightly bent the barrel when I was pressing it, but I have been shooting it for years and never had any issues. Somehow it puts rounds on target. I did the work at my friends shop, but has moved away and I don't have access the tools needed to replace it. So have  a few questions.

1. What's a good shop to send it off to for a new barrel install.

2. Is it worth it to have them SBR it while they have it torn apart? This is a "khyber pass" type side folder build. I have no idea on the cost or what I would need besides a shorter barrel. Would I need to replace the gas tube/handguard/etc with shorter versions? The only short AK I have is a M92 that I SBR'ed.

3. Just shot it as is and don't run the suppressor? As I said I have been shooting this rife for years. It's never been the most accurate, but I can hit steel with it at 100 yrds. But the alignment rod getting held up kind of sketched me out on this gun. Am I worried about nothing?

1) I'd be remiss to not shamelessly plug myself, but anyone that offers AK services should be able to do it, no problem.

2) Depends on what you want done. If you just want it cut down to an AK-104-esq rifle, then you wouldn't need a new gas tube or anything.

3) In the armory, if a rifle we were checking over failed a barrel straightness gauge, we would take it off the line. However, I'm not sure I'd be as concerned about it for a personal rifle if it's shooting/running well. I would probably install the alignment rod to the point that it gets hung up, install the suppressor, and check to make sure it's not going to cause a baffle strike. If it's clear, I'd probably just run it. The Wolverine is already over-bored quite a bit.

seems pretty weird that if the sights are straight and you hit on target that the barrel could be bent

What does the barrel having a bend in it have to do with running a suppressor?  The barrel could have a knot in it.  The bullets still fly in a straight line after leaving the bore.

If you're in northern AZ, I'm not far away and I'd let you use my tools and give a hand. I'm in Cedar City, UT. If you're in the Phoenix area, Josh at Copperhead USA could do it for you.

the man does have a point

@AEnemaBay

Sent you a message

rod may be encountering resistance because the bore may be tight in that individual barrel. have you looked down the bore to check if any bend is detectable by eye?

someone can correct me, but the purpose of the rod is not checking barrel straightness, it's for confirming suppressor alignment at the muzzle; don't see necessity to pass the alignment rod fully down the entire barrel length to accomplish this (you are not aligning to the chamber)

That was my thought as well. A far more common issue would be the concentricity of the muzzle threads, my WASR's factory threads are a hair off, if I use a muzzle device with a tight opening i'll get sideswipes.