DeHass or Rice Barrel

Guys, I am ordering up a TVM Early Virginia in .54 soon and Toni Avance and I were talking about barrels and they can get anything I want. We discussed my needs and we narrowed it down to DeHass and Rice. She said Green Mountain also, but they are having a hard time getting them. Anyways, out of the 2 or 3 I mentioned which one do you reccomend and why? Shout I get Square or Round grooves? I am going with the 42 inch .54 straight barrel. I am still up in the air about either 15/16" ATF or 1" ATF. I like really heavy guns, but not way too nose heavy. Toni A. said 15/16" should be better for nose weight and that with the quality of the barrels they buy, the metal won`t be too thin. Your thoughts please?

Jack

I don't believe there's a person dead, alive or not born yet that can shoot iron sights as good as either of those barrels are capable of shooting. Round rifling, cleaning a breeze, you may need thicker patches than your used to using.

Bill

A friend of mine has shot DeHass for years.Tells me that they shoot as good if not better than most any good barrel out there today. I have no experience with the rice barrels but only hear good words about them also.

You might check with Mark about him haveing some overruns.I know he makes some extras when he is set up on a particular size.

octagon said:

Guys, I am ordering up a TVM Early Virginia in .54 soon and Toni Avance and I were talking about barrels and they can get anything I want. We discussed my needs and we narrowed it down to DeHass and Rice. She said Green Mountain also, but they are having a hard time getting them. Anyways, out of the 2 or 3 I mentioned which one do you reccomend and why? Shout I get Square or Round grooves? I am going with the 42 inch .54 straight barrel. I am still up in the air about either 15/16" ATF or 1" ATF. I like really heavy guns, but not way too nose heavy. Toni A. said 15/16" should be better for nose weight and that with the quality of the barrels they buy, the metal won`t be too thin. Your thoughts please?

Jack

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I would not use a straight barrel for a long barreled rifle. You can get GM from Tip Curtis Frontier shop pretty reliably.
A swamp allows a lighter rifle with enough breech to put in a vent liner with enough threads etc.

Dan

I ordered a ,58 Leman from Toni 2 months ago.My first choice was a Green Mt. but with the unavailablity I went with regular groove Rice,was 75 bucks more but from everything I hear it will do all the GM can do and maybe more...Just seen what Dan wrote above,that barrel in .54 is gonna be ton front heavy to shoot and carry especially with a 1 inch ATF....Ray

First, let me say that TVM handles only the best barrels. I am not familiar with the DeHass barrels but I can say, without equivocation, that Rice barrels are among the best, if not absolutely the best, you can get. Your rifle is intended for shooting patched round balls and, therefore, should have a twist rate of no more than 1:60. The round bottom rifling is what I recommend for the ease of cleaning. It may require a thicker patch but that is no problem. For good balance, handling and asthetics, my personal choice would be a 15/16 swamped barrel. The swamped barrel just balances better and looks much better than a straight barrel. I have both barrels on my rifles and the swamped barrels are simply the hands down winner in my book. :thumbsup:

These are just the honest opinions of an old fart who has been building and shooting muzzleloaders for over 40 years. The opinions are honest but they are free and may be overpriced. You will have to decide. :haha: :hatsoff:

Good stuff fellas!! Does anyone on here actually have a .54 42" 1" ATF barrel on a long rifle? Toni Avance said they have never made one that long with those specs. Like I said, I want a really heavy rifle, but not crazy nose heavy. Would a .54 in 15/16" ATF take out too much metal and also kinda look skinny?

Either of those barrels will be excellent barrels. I have heard the DeHaas barrels might have a long waiting time for delivery. One other thing....the Rice barrels are a bit more money, but they are first rate and come breeched! I agree with Dan, a swamped barrel will make a more balanced rifle. Just my $.02 worth.

Would a .54 in 15/16" ATF take out too much metal and also kinda look skinny?

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It would have plenty of strength. I shoot several of them in 32 inch and have for years without problems.

If anything, the 15/16th barrel might look better, IMO.

The 42" 1"ATF in .54 will weigh 6.94#, the 15/16th ATF in .54 will weigh 5.75#. So, that is about 1.2# difference. Not much, but it will all be out front!

You could also take a look at Green Mountain swamped barrels. They do not seem to be in as short supply at the straights.

I'll second what Dan said. Go with a swamped barrel. The balance will be much better than a straight octagon barrel. You couldn't go wrong with a Rice "c" wieght in .54 cal.

I have not seen nor heard of DeHass, but Rice is local to my Club and have seen numerous Rice Barrels. By far the best barrels I have encountered.

Trust me, you really don't want a 42" straight barrel in .54 A 42" swamped barrel will have soooo much better balance and feel than a straight barrel, and that includes the 15/16".

What is the reason that you want a heavy rifle? Recoil from a .54 PRB won't be bad at all. If recoil is the issue, be sure to choose a stock design will little drop and wide buttplate like an early Lancaster. I overlooked the part about "early Va rifle". It should have a similar drop and width to an early Lancaster, but you might want to ask them if this is true of their patterns.

Billnpatti said "Your rifle is intended for shooting patched round balls and, therefore, should have a twist rate of no more than 1:60."
The standard twist for a Rice in .54 is 1-66. I did not see a twist rate for .58, but 1-66 / 1-72 should be fine. I would lean toward the 1-72 for the .58, if given a choice.
RB accuracy is not completely confined to the rate of twist, but also to the amount of powder used. A fast twist barrel can be very accurate using a RB with light charges, but may not meet the power requirement for certain tasks.

I am not recoil shy at all actually. I just like big heavy guns, always have. My brother has a US Springfield 50/70 and I love the weight!! I think it is about 9-10 pounds? The only thing that worries me is the rifle being too nose heavy, I can handle the weight.

Octagon, glad you are getting a nice .54 flinter. As I do not know you nor your physical capabilities, I will not presume to tell you what will satisfy you.

I will tell you that many here would not like either of my .40 caliber rifles with 7/8" X 42" straight barrels. Too bad. I have been shooting them for over 25 years and they still come to the eye and hang for me. If the ol' right eye could only perform as it did 25 years ago!

Tho at 62 I am not as strong, fast or slim as I was, I still shoot and hunt with my rifles that are "too heavy" and "too muzzle heavy".

So, if possible, get to somewhere that you can heft several different barrel configurations and make up your own mind what suits you. A large shoot or rendevouz, Dixon's, even a trip down South to TVM tho it is as cold there as In PA right now.

Sight picture, Trigger control, follow through. TC

My three flintlocks each wear swamped Rice barrels. My most recent is a 54 calibre South Carolina with a 46" Rice barrel and a 14" LOP. It fits me like a glove. All three gunnes shoot better than I will ever be able to. All have their muzzles coned for ease of loading without a short starter. I don't know how you could want a better barrel than a Rice.
Tom Black
Cantucky

I really don't think you can purchase a barrel that is of significantly better quality than the Rice bbl..

Seams to be a recurring theme :hatsoff:

I have a .54 Cal. Va. Rifle 15/16s 43" Straight Wall Getz. I use it only for cross stick shoots. It is over 11 lbs. It is just too damn clumsey for off hand shooting. I shoot swamped Rice radius cut barrels for off hand they are outstanding. :thumbsup:

redwing said:

I have a .54 Cal. Va. Rifle 15/16s 43" Straight Wall Getz. I use it only for cross stick shoots. It is over 11 lbs. It is just too damn clumsey for off hand shooting. I shoot swamped Rice radius cut barrels for off hand they are outstanding. :thumbsup:

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I am guessing you would think the same rifle which I am getting with a straight walled .54 with a 1" ATF barrel would be ridiculously heavy and hard to take hunting? Does the 15/16" ATF barrel have enough meat for the sight dovetails and doesn`t make the gun weak at those points? I don`t think it would be an issue with a 1" ATF barrel. I will be using full power loads, probably 90-100 gr. Goex FFG and only roundballs.Does your VA have square or round cut rifling and why? I am leaning towards round cut.