Bore question

[sheba]

Looking at buying this what’s your opinion of the bore will it clean up of or not.I don t have the gun in hand to see for myself

 

[longcruise]

It's hard to tell what the problem areas actually are. They might just be storage dust or crud but could also be corrosion. You could ask the seller to wipe the bore and take another photo.

 

[HSmithTX]

Agree hard to say from the pic, but the last one I bought I wish the bore looked that good and it shoots great. Doesn't cut patches either. It is a complete pain to load and shoot dirty like nearly impossible to load the 4th or 5th with the ramrod, but wipe it between shots and it loads easy enough and flat stacks balls. Not having the bullet touch the bore makes for a way more forgiving rifle as far as bore condition goes.

 

[necchi]

I have seen much worse shoot just fine.
Your question is tough to answer.
If it's a $300 gun, jump on it.
If it's 2K, run away.

 

[sheba]

This is the gun in question and I can get it for $600

 

[R Ellis]

What brand is it .Unless it is something special it seem high to me

 

[sheba]

Custom made English sporter

 

[TDM]

From the photos the bore looks fine. As said, could be a little dust, could be a little corrosion. I don’t see anything that won’t clean up. $600 seems high to me for the gun. But then, that might be where the market is now.

 

[dave951]

I've seen far worse bores shoot very well.

 

[oldwood]

Examine the bore closely. Debris can usually be cleaned up with a little steel wool. What concerns me is , the barrel looks bent , unless the light source isn't placed directly in the center of the bore to examine it. A diagnosis of image #2 , is that the barrel is bent. The image shows the hole in the end of the bore isn't in the center of the reflected concentric rings . Another indication of a bent barrel , is if the sights are pushed far to the end of the dovetail limitations. If this rifle has a bent barrel , it's only worth the value of the existing parts , less the price of a new barrel , and less the cost of the labor to repair it. Careful on this one.

 

[sheba]

Thanks I never thought that.I figured the light bore light was way smaller than the bore so it was just over too far on one side.This is a hard one because I can t hold the rifle in my own hands to look at it and am only going by pictures

 

[Relic shooter]

Looks like a very shootable bore to me, just needs a good cleaning.

 

[Nameless Hunter]

Ask the seller if he can provide pictures with a bore camera that takes "side view" pictures. That should tell you if it's dust or actual corrosion. You can get good side view bore cameras for $50 on Amazon.

 

[TFoley]

Do you mean English-style?

 

[Relic shooter]

I've been shooting original ML firearms for several decades, bores with strong rifling & light to medium corrosion just yelled save me
Many of these firearms that have had pitted bores with strong rifling would shoot just as tight tight groups as a mint bore after a good cleaning & bore conditioning with the right kind of abrasives to smooth the surfaces.
Other forum members have acknowledged the same with their originals.

 

[Relic shooter]

I've been shooting original ML firearms for several decades, bores with strong rifling & light to medium corrosion just yelled save me
Many of these firearms that have had pitted bores with strong rifling would shoot just as tight tight groups as a mint bore after a good cleaning & bore conditioning with the right kind of abrasives to smooth the surfaces.
Other forum members have acknowledged the same with their originals.

EDIT & CORRECTION !
Due to this being a forum with members who are new to our sport I wish to make this statement..
As a former competitive shooter, collector & retailer & antique arms gunsmith I have the background to determine if an antique firearm is safe to fire.
Some antique firearms we see posted by members who purchased them at pawn shops have been hand forged by backwoods gunsmiths are best left as they are & hung on the wall to be admired for what they are.

I do not recommend firing any original antique firearm unless you are 'qualified' to determine it's overall condition & safety.
It's only safe to fire if it's breech, barrel & all ignition components & especially the nipples are closely examined & determined to be safe by an experienced antique arms seller who is qualified to determine it's condition & safety.
With original flintlock rifles & pistols , often the touchholes have eroded & are grossly oversize & will need to be properly re-lined to hold the powder charge in place & be safe to fire.
Over the years I've owned & examined hundreds of percussion firearms where the base-hole of the nipples have corroded away to the extent that if fired the charge would very likely implant the hammer back into the shooter's forehead.
Unless the firearm is in mint condition & is going to a collector who will display & not allow it to be fired I always replace the nipples on any original with new quality nipples & rethread the holes if necessary.
May the ML sport & our shootable originals with history to pass on last forever !
Relic shooter