• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Changing from 32 to 36 caliber

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Artie Peltier

40 Cal.
Joined
May 15, 2014
Messages
455
Reaction score
85
Location
Rhode Island
i have a Traditions 32 Caliber percussion Crockett rifle. Have been looking for a similar 36 caliber rifle with little success. I have the opportunity to pick up another Crockett 32 for a trade from a friend. Question. Can I have the bore of the traded gun changed to 36 caliber with rifling? Don’t know if it can be done due to the fact there isn’t a lot of steel on the overall size of the barrel. Also approximate cost and who could I contact to do it. Thanks again Art
 
I think there are several barrel makes that would try it. You may be able to get a barrel from a supplier for cheaper but you would have to fit it. You don’t need supper thick for low charges a .36 would use if maxed out and most of your best shots would be in the 25 grain range. Look at a colt pistol cylinder.
 
Just for talking purposes, back when Green Mountain was making straight barrels for muzzleloaders, they offered calibers ranging from .32 to .45 in the 13/16" octagon barrels. 13/16" is .812 inches in size.

Based on this the only reasons I can think of that a Crockett barrel couldn't be rebored to a .36 caliber is if someone drilled holes in it for mounting a telescopic sight and drilled the holes too deep.

Then, now that I think about it, the Crockett is a Spanish gun and they might have used the CVA style of breeching where the hole for the drum is drilled into the side of the breech plug threads. I've heard that most of the people who rebore and rifle barrels won't work on guns with that type of breeching.
 
not sure, but you might want to contact Bobby Hoyt. He does great work, with prices that are more than fair.
 
I think the 32's sell at a premium relative to the 36's. A lot of people like the appeal of the micro calibers. You might try to find someone with a 36 and see if you can make a trade, and take money in (or break even) rather than shell out ~$100 to have it upbored.

Or, if you are going to go the re-boring route, consider the other "non-standard" calibers of 34 and 38 too. The 38 is an easy one because 36 cal revolver balls (.375" dia) are readily available. For the 34 you can use OO Buck balls (.330" dia), also readily available. In the end it will still be a Traditions gun though. OK to good for shooting, but not terribly historically accurate architecture to them, but it's not a $3000 entry point either, like a well done custom built gun is.
 
Back
Top