? on "A" weights

[SimonKenton]

LC Rice once told me he never recommended that weight even for a .32 caliber. The reason is that they are more likely to get bent in shipping. I suppose you could ship them with a fat dowel in the bore.

Then he said that a tiny warp in the stock can also bend them. I am not sure about that but he also said that "A" weight barrels are NOT for novice builders. THAT made sense. He added that they leave a lot less margin for error inletting and in pinning the barrel to the stock.

Any opinions?

-Ray

 

[Birddog6]

Yes, much easier to bend than the thick ones. If it comes in a tube & the tube is undamaged, the barrel very well could be undamaged. If it comes with a bent tube, simply refuse to accept it as it is damaged & let them file the claim. IMHO, Putting a dowel in the bore would be a total waste of time, the dowel will bend easier than the barrel.

As for bowing one, you can easily bow one on a table with your index finger, so it is important the wood in the forestock be good & straight. If it is warped, you could incur a problem.

Don't inlet it so tight it can't breath & make sure the underlugs have a lil room to move on the retaining pins as well, in case the wood takes a lil humidity.

I have built some with A weight barrels, only ones I had trouble with was one & it was not the weight issue, the bore was not correct in it & the manuf. replaced the barrel.

For a newbie building a rifle, I suggest a "B" weight & a lil more less critical & safer for them, especially when it comes to installing dovetails in barrel. 4 oz more barrel weight is allot better than having a nonrepairable goof doing dovetails. IMHO.
:wink:

:thumbsup:

 

[Vaino]

A few years ago I built a Bucks County using a .36 cal. "A" weight x 42" Getz bbl and that "waist" really was small. Realized when inletting this bbl into a blank that not too much force could be applied either when pushing in or taking it out of the inlet. Soldered all the bbl lugs w/o dovetails. Presenly finishing up another BC but w/ a .50 cal.,"B" weight thats 46" lg and have had no problems....Fred

 

[SimonKenton]

You don't think a "B" is too heavy for a .32 or .36 caliber? I know it makes for a NICE .40 or .45 and some guys have built some very handy .50 calibers with "B" weight barrels. Those must be sweet to carry.

-Ray

 

[Birddog6]

It all depends on the individual & what he prefers, be it too light or too heavy. I know guys that shoot a .32 cal in a straight 15/16 barrel. That is a Heavy barrel ! The dif between a .32 A and a .32 B weight barrel is about .4 to .6 of a #, depending on the caliber & the barrel manufacturer.
Look at the old Tennessee rifles & the barrels they had. Most of them were .32 to .40 & weigh 11-12# !! People talk about the long slim Tenn. rifle ? The rifle may have been slim but the barrel was a HOSS !

 

[Vaino]

A .36 "B" weight x 42" lg would make a slightly muzzle heavy LR depending on the bbl contour. The Rice .50 cal. "B" weight x 46" lg has a minimal "swamp" and the balance point is at the entry pipe and yields what I think is a "lighter" LR.. A .36 cal. w/ a similar minimal swamp would be a nicely balanced LR. Of course, weight and balance are very subjective factors.....Fred

 

[Mike Brooks]

All barrels will bend. I received two trade gun barrels a couple weeks ago that the post office bent. Just straighten them out and go on with life.

 

[Roy]

think they use them as pry bars?? :haha:

I have a nice Rice A weight .40 inlet into a piece of cherry with a Chambers late Ketland lock... I really should finish it out.

Only time that we had any problems with a light barrel it has been when we didn't allow enough room in the slots(barrel lugs) for wood expansion. We have had to bend a few too.

 

[Birddog6]

Actually, every time I receive one I am shocked it is not bent. It is just stuck in a cardboard tube & some newspaper on each end. :shocked2: Every one I get in, I am amazed that it made it here undamaged....... :idunno:

 

[tnlonghunter]

All barrels will bend. I received two trade gun barrels a couple weeks ago that the post office bent. Just straighten them out and go on with life.

How does one go about straightening a bent barrel?

 

[Mike Brooks]

All barrels will bend. I received two trade gun barrels a couple weeks ago that the post office bent. Just straighten them out and go on with life.

How does one go about straightening a bent barrel?

I stick mine in the crotch of a tree and bend till it's straight. I also will whack the breech on the floor if it isn't bent real bad.

 

[Robby]

All barrels will bend. I received two trade gun barrels a couple weeks ago that the post office bent. Just straighten them out and go on with life.

How does one go about straightening a bent barrel?

I stick mine in the crotch of a tree and bend till it's straight. I also will whack the breech on the floor if it isn't bent real bad.

A guy once told me, "Just mail it back to yourself, chances are they'll bend it back straight"! :shocked2: :wink:
Robby

 

[hawk]

A guy once told me, "Just mail it back to yourself, chances are they'll bend it back straight"!
Robby

...sound wisdom :wink:

 

[Birddog6]

Probably just me, but I am not starting off with a bent barrel. :shake: If that sucker comes in bent, it is going right back. $ 250-275 for a bent barrel ? :hmm: no way........ :shake:

It is not that I couldn't straighten it, it is just the fact I am paying $275 for a barrel & I want it as perfect as I can get it from the start.

I feel confident I will screw up something, so no use starting off on the wrong foot with defective parts ! :rotf: :rotf:

 

[Mike Brooks]

Probably just me, but I am not starting off with a bent barrel. :shake: If that sucker comes in bent, it is going right back. $ 250-275 for a bent barrel ? :hmm: no way........ :shake:

It is not that I couldn't straighten it, it is just the fact I am paying $275 for a barrel & I want it as perfect as I can get it from the start.

I feel confident I will screw up something, so no use starting off on the wrong foot with defective parts ! :rotf: :rotf:

Well, I need these barrels so bad I don't mind a minor straightening job, it's pretty easy to do. I called Hoyt as soon as I opened the package to see how he wanted to handle the problem. He said send them back and he'd straighten them and send them back to me. Seemed like a wasted effort to me as they would probably just get bent again in the return shipment! :haha: Making a claim with the post office is usually a waste of time...
Besides, most smoothbores shoot low and need the barrel bent anyway. :haha: