barrels

[homebrew]

would it work to order a traditions kit and a barrel with the round bottom rifling? I know they come from different companies but do they fit together when building the kit? Still thinking about what to order.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Why not just use the barrel the kit comes with, or just order a different kit, one that has a barrel with round bottom rifling?

To me, putting a nicer barrel on a Traditions kit is like pouring powdered sugar on a turd and expecting it to taste better if you try to eat it. Just my opinion mind.

 

[necchi]

but do they fit together,,,

Not sure which Traditions kit your looking at,, but the fit of an after-market barrel blank would require the proper breech plug for the rifle stock, proper installed position of the drum as well as underlug(s) for wedges or pins, sight dovetails and a rail if used.
Sure, it can be done, but the barrel with components may cost as much as the Traditions kit itself.

 

[SDSmlf]

A 15/16” straight barrel with radius bottom rifling will run a little over $200. Then you have to purchase and install a breech plug. I would take the cost of the Traditions kit plus the $200+ for a barrel and invest in a better kit.

Curious, which Traditions kit are you looking at?

 

[homebrew]

Not sure which Traditions kit your looking at,, but the fit of an after-market barrel blank would require the proper breech plug for the rifle stock, proper installed position of the drum as well as underlug(s) for wedges or pins, sight dovetails and a rail if used.
Sure, it can be done, but the barrel with components may cost as much as the Traditions kit itself.

Thanks I have a couple I bought at online auctions but I don't have one I consider "mine" if that makes sense.

 

[homebrew]

Thanks I have a couple I bought at online auctions but I don't have one I consider "mine" if that makes sense.

Your right but I was wondering

 

[necchi]

I was wondering

It's kind of a "pay-it-forward" thing.
I wondered the very much the same thing at one time,
Then a past member of an old forum that went by the handle of Rondo shared his experience with me. It made sense.
The neat thing about Rondo(?) Is he kept on learning,, and sharing his lessons, old and new,
That was another "pay-it-forward" from him,

 

[TreeMan]

I have quite a few rifles with expensive barrels and a couple traditions rifles. People will knock the traditions/Spain/Italian Guns around like they are red headed step children. The locks and wood aren’t the best on these cheaper guns but I’ve found that the barrels will hold their own or shoot better than barrels that cost as much as an traditions kit. Put your kit together and use the barrel that came with it. It’s most likely more accurate than you are.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Why not just use the barrel the kit comes with, or just order a different kit, one that has a barrel with round bottom rifling?

To me, putting a nicer barrel on a Traditions kit is like pouring powdered sugar on a turd and expecting it to taste better if you try to eat it. Just my opinion mind.

Gotta disagree. I put a Douglas barrel on my stock factory TC 'hawken' many years ago. It is longer than the provided TC barrel. Plus I fitted Redfield Olympic target sights. This is now an extremely accurate target rifle that has won many matches. At 11 lbs. it has beat genuine heavy bench rest rifles at 100 yards. "powdered sugar"?, maybe. But I consider this conversion an upgrade.

 

[necchi]

I have quite a few rifles with expensive barrels and a couple traditions rifles. People will knock the traditions/Spain/Italian Guns around like they are red headed step children. The locks and wood aren’t the best on these cheaper guns but I’ve found that the barrels will hold their own or shoot better than barrels that cost as much as an traditions kit. Put your kit together and use the barrel that came with it. It’s most likely more accurate than you are.

Truth to that! I have out-shot fancy custom guns with an olde Jukar Kentucky and my son has won several Rendezvous youth events with his Traditions St. Louis Hawken

 

[ohio ramrod]

I put forty five caliber barrels on both of my boys' fifty caliber kits. It can be done, if you are able to machine the breech plugs and fit the under lugs. I am a retired tool and die maker so the machining was no problem for me. It was simply wanting all of the rifles to be the same caliber and fifty caliber kits were readily available, forty five barrels were available as well.

 

[William Lincoln]

It would be a mistake to underestimate the quality of
some of those barrels out of Spain. Spain has one
of the few quality barrel manufacturers who makes
progressive rifled barrels. Some of Traditions rifles
will hold their own against rifles costing twice or more.
I'm with TreeMan, build it and try it out. Work on it
to perfect it to your like. If you want something that
suits you better, then gift that rifle to,maybe, a younger
loved one or admirer who could use it to participate
in the sporting Tradition. People will argue about
barrels forever, and it is the key part of a Rifle. That
being said, Spain is famous for a tradition of Guitars
and Rifle Barrels,the better of which are the finest on
Earth.

 

[LME]

It would be a mistake to underestimate the quality of
some of those barrels out of Spain. Spain has one
of the few quality barrel manufacturers who makes
progressive rifled barrels. Some of Traditions rifles
will hold their own against rifles costing twice or more.
I'm with TreeMan, build it and try it out. Work on it
to perfect it to your like. If you want something that
suits you better, then gift that rifle to,maybe, a younger
loved one or admirer who could use it to participate
in the sporting Tradition. People will argue about
barrels forever, and it is the key part of a Rifle. That
being said, Spain is famous for a tradition of Guitars
and Rifle Barrels,the better of which are the finest on
Earth.

I had a spanish B.P.rifle some years back? It was a very accurate rifle.

 

[nit wit]

Why not just use the barrel the kit comes with, or just order a different kit, one that has a barrel with round bottom rifling?

To me, putting a nicer barrel on a Traditions kit is like pouring powdered sugar on a turd and expecting it to taste better if you try to eat it. Just my opinion mind.

Sid: You made me chuckle!
Nit Wit

 

[JCKelly]

Traditions barrels are said to be accurate. From my viewpoint, a very important matter is that they are made from low-sulfur, high-strength steel actually meant for use as a gun barrel.

On the other hand, most American muzzle-loading barrels are made from free-machining screw stock. Meant for ease of machining.. But is not at all suited for withstanding repeated explosions. I ceased using them once I learned what they were.

Before the interesting bodily changes that come with age kept me from shooting I did get a Traditions kit from Midwayusa. My intent was/is to make it into a striped & tacked Indian Leman. Great barrel. Styling required considerable use of a rasp. The lock is not very good, but, if too bad, it is replaceable. It is the barrel that matters to me.

 

[Robby]

If someone gave me a Traditions kit I would keep the barrel and offer the rest to anyone that wanted it. I have used recycled Traditions barrels and they are very consistently accurate. Nothing against the kits as a whole, they just don't fit in with what I do.
Robby

 

[Crow-Feather]

would it work to order a traditions kit and a barrel with the round bottom rifling? I know they come from different companies but do they fit together when building the kit? Still thinking about what to order.

Sorta like putting a Ferrari engine in a ford truck

 

[Erwan]

Ok, the rifles Traditions are made with wood coming from "Chair Wood", everybody knows that and can answer this, but the barrel are really in the line of the lot of the goods from Jukar to Traditions (Jukar, Dikar, Ardesa and Traditions are the same fabrication) : very goods barrels...
I have one of my Pennsylvania rifle with an Ardesa barrel, this barrel is a nice piece, the only chance I have for the rest is that the wood is real walnut and not beech wood and so I have a very good rifle that made a lot of championships...
Take this kit and the barrel and eventually change the stock from "Chair Wood" for another...

 

[longcruise]

Sorta like putting a Ferrari engine in a ford truck

Let's get started

 

[longcruise]

If changing the barrel out is what you want to do then do it.

I wouldn't be too difficult to do. It would be cost prohibitive though. For example, you won't be improving much if at all if you use a Green Mountain barrel. An upgrade from there will put you at about $250. A doable breech plug another $45. An underrib and ramrod pipes $35. A drum $10. Sights $15. All this involves shop work that you may or may not be able to do, eg., dovetails, timing the plug, barrel cut off and crowning, drilling and tapping, metal finishing.

If you can do all this yourself you can probably land at $350 to $400.