Used Calela's 54 caliber

Hi. I an new to this board but have been getting information from it for about 6 months. There is some good information here that has helped me get started in black powder shooting. I got started with a used T/C Hawkins in 45 caliber.

Well today I found a used Cabela’s 54 caliber in a gun shop and they wanted $75 for it. The stock and outside of the barrel is in fair shape. I can help that and make it pretty again. Bluing on the barrel is good. The inside of the barrel is where I question. The tip of the rifling looks like it hasn’t been fired. It has a chrome look to it. Then about an inch in the barrel the rust starts. It looks like it is light rust that may be cleaned off but can’t tell for sure. I can’t tell if it is pitted down into the metal bad. The barrel looks like it has never been cleaned. The man in the gun shop said what can you expect it is a black powder rifle. :youcrazy: From experience what would your opinion be. Could it be cleaned up enough to make a fair shooter?

What makes so special for me is that it is a left handed rifle and I am left handed. :thumbsup: All of my bolt actions are left handed. I love working with used rifles and fixing them up. Opinions would be appreciated. Thanks Nightfisher.

I'd get a 54 jag and run a DAMP patch down the bore. If you don't feel any rough spots and the patch doesn't bring up a lot of loose rust, it's probably OK. Might also want to invest in one of those little LED bore lights that you can drop down the bore. It'll give you some idea of the condition of the rifling.

Dampen the patch with solvent, WD40 or light oil. A dry patch may jam in the bore and be nearly impossible to get out.
Bob

I would say for 75.00 you probably can't go wrong. Go one further and offer him 50.00. Can't hurt. Just TC stocks and lock assembly go for more than that on EBay. For that price you could stick a GM barrel on it and still be sitting good.
Idaho PRB

On a .54 caliber rifle one of the small SOLITARE mini mag flashlights you buy at Wal Mart will slide right down the bore and allow you to really inspect the bore of the rifle good.

If there is not lots of pitting and the barrel shot, It would still be work the money probably.

still a bargain at that price, go for it!

Yup, that's what I was going to say.

Nightfisher
If you have followed the forum I am the guy that bought the Cabela's 54 that was loaded in the shop and looked ruff. I would ask if you could run a jag down the barrel as the others have said. The one I bought has a single trigger and 28 inch barrel. It cleaned up nice and as I have posted shoots great. Left hand rifle will be hard to move. So he might have had it there for some time. My opinion go for it.

I'll agree,go fo it :thumbsup:

I could be wrong but I want to say the Cabelas (Investarms) barrels might be chrome Moly. :hmm:

Nevermind, just checked Cabelas which says its blued carbon steel.

There chrome lined barrels. Just like some sks's.
Taylor in Texas

Texan. You may be right because what I can remember it looked awful shinny in the inside tip of the barrel and the outside crown. May be that it is chrome lined. Can that give any problems getting the rust out?

J-B bore cleaner from Brownells will polish up a barrel real nice like.

If it has a chrome lined barrel, then by definition, it's not rust, as chrome doesn't rust. It's more than likely just gunk.
If the barrel is not chromed and totally ruined , you can always sell off the lefty lock and stock on ebay, and I'd be willing to bet you get your $75 back easy.

I have tried to find the rifle on the Cabela’s sight but can’t find a left hand rifle like it. It is the same as the Sporterized Hawkins Hunter rifle but they don’t show one in left handed. I assume that it has been discontinued.
I do remember that the whole front of the crown was shiny and wasn’t blued. It struck me as odd but didn’t think about it until gmww and Texan made their post. From what I have read on other posts here on Cabela’s there is no need to try to call them to get information. It does look like rust in the barrel though and gunk from where it hasn’t been cleaned after shooting. Thanks Nightfisher.

If it is the Sporterized Hawken then it is a chrome lined bore. Their Traditional Hawken is not chrome lined.

Well I went back to the gun shop yesterday evening to look at the rifle closer. When the clerk passed it to me the first thing that I did was to pull the ramrod out and run it down the barrel like everyone here has suggested to check for being loaded. Guess what? Yep it was loaded. The store clerk looked at it and said no way that he had already pulled the pall and blew the barrel out. When he checked it he found pyrodex pellets in it. He took it put back of the shop and fired it.

I checked the boor and took a brush and cleaned the tip and found rust pitted bad in the first 6 inches of the barrel. Started not to buy it but thought that it may not be so bad after I got it cleaned up. Started working on it last night and let CRC soak on the rust spots and when I cleaned it was pitted bad. Don’t have any idea on how it will shoot. Don’t understand why only the first 6 inches was rusted. Rest of the bore is good.

What kind of problems can rust pitted barrel cause? Is there any possibility that they can still be accurate?

When I was in my milsurp phase, I ran across many rifles with pitted bores. Most of them shot about as well as the rifles with good bores. Then I picked up an Arisaka carbine with a badly pitted bore, and it shot better than those with less rust. Go figure! :hmm:

Best thing to do is just send it to me and call it a lesson learned! :rotf:

Fire it and see what happens. If it's not too bad, pollish up the bore to see if that might help.

Worst case would be to replace the barrel. I was going to steer you to green mountain on there internet special for stainless drop in at $125. I see they are now sold out.

Here is a link Green Mountain drop in Muzzle loader barrels.

Track of the Wolf carries the Green Mountain barrels too.

I believe it will be the same barrel as the T/C. Double check with them first. I ordered a .45 cal from them for my Cabelas Hawkens. The only modifaction was to cut the under rib about 3/8" with a dremil to fit the stock. Took 3 mins.

I suppose you could make it into a short carbine and cut the barrel down and have it re-crowned. :hmm:

Also check ebay for barrels. I've seen some go cheap.

I personally would do what you're doing. Clean the barrel as clean as possible then go out and fire it. A person gave me a rifle they considered junk because they had used it then left it uncleaned in their basment for a couple months. I almost threw it away myself, but sat down and cleaned the barrel over and over, changed out the nipple, new wedge pin and fired it.

70 grains and it shot cloverleafs at 25 yards. I have sence shot the devil out of it, but do not shoot heavy patch ball combinations because there is a hair line crack in the stock which I personally do not want to make larger...

I'd go shoot it. You might be surprised at the deal you got... Good luck. :thumbsup: