I did a quick search and couldn't turn any up, I suspet they are quite rare.

Aside from availability is that if a barrel set can be found, it would have to be professionally fitted to your receiver.

How close to the muzzle is the bulge in the barrel?

 

The bulge is under the fore-end.

 

The bulge is under the fore-end.

Nasty, I was thinking if it was a 30" bbl gun and the bulge was close to the muzzle, it could have been professionally shortened and choke tubes added.

Not an option here though.

 

You are probably way ahead of me on this, but bear with me for a minute.

The Ithaca 500 was made by SKB, and the current SKB importer has parts. http://www.skbshotguns.com/

Barrels for other SKB O/U's could probably be fitted to the 500. However, I'm with Claydust in suspecting that barrels are rare. Plus, it has been my experience with Beretta O/U's that even if you can find a barrel set, it will probably cost more than the gun is worth.

If this was a very valuable gun, you could send it to Briley and get them to cut the barrels off at the chambers (or separate the tubes from the monoblock, assuming this model has a monoblock) and fit new tubes to it. But again, that would cost more than the gun is worth.

Have you gotten a good gunsmith to look at it and see if it can be repaired? Some minor bulges can. You might call Mike Orlen, who is a gunsmith and a Moderator on the gunsmithing forum.

I wish you the best of luck, but I suspect this gun will turn out to be a dedicated trap singles gun. Better plug that bottom chamber to prevent an accident.

 

I just found out that barrels for some of the Weatherby models should also fit Ithaca and SKB guns, since they were made by SKB and are mechanically the same. Numrich says the parts list for the Ithaca Models 500, 600, 700, and 800 also apply to SKB Models 505-585, 685, 785, and 885, and to Weatherby Orion Grade 1 (505), Grade II (585), Grade III (685) and Athena (885). Not all of the parts are the same for all the above models, but most are. My guess is that where the parts differ, the difference is only in finish, engraving, etc, and they can probably be interchanged.

But, Weatherby barrels are probably just as rare as the others, if not more so.

 

I know a Weatherby rep I can ask. Thanks I did not know that weatherby might interchange.

 

The Ithaca 500 was made by SKB, and the current SKB importer has parts. http://www.skbshotguns.com/

However, it would apprear they don't offer spare barrels;

http://www.skbshotguns.com/FAQ.htm#barrels