Custom Barrell replacement Options

[54ball]

I'm working with a good friend to find the best options for his gun. It's a lower end custom gun with a DOM tapered round tubing barrel.

The maker has a reputation of being sloppy. In all honesty though, it's really a striking gun with beautiful architecture. Unfortunately the round barrel was filed poorly at the lock bolster creating an excessive gap. My friend seals the between the lock bolster and barrel a gap with black RTV sealant.

This is not an easy fix, if it was the maker would have corrected it. Instead he passed it along....

Since the architecture is really good, we have thought about replacing the barrel with a custom tapered octagonal. The round barrel in it now is 46" about 15/16 at the breech tapered to between 7/8-13/16 at the muzzle. It's a .62 caliber. :shocked2: That's another reason we are considering a replacement barrel.

I really feel the best option is a new ...proper barrel. I wonder if the "usual suspects" like Rayl, Hoyt, Burton ect. ect, could make a barrel in octagonal with this profile? And would it be cost effective, if not this really neat gun is just parts.

 

[Pete G]

Measure the existing barrel carefully and see if one of the readily available oct to round barrels might work out.

 

[kaintuck]

OL Charles Burton will make ANYTHING you give the measurements to him........he did a tapered 54cal for me years back~
write everything down dimension wise, cal & twist rate, contact info, mail it with a $100 down pymt....and he'll contact you in about 8 months with final $$
most likely total will be around $250...1ST rate work!!!!


marc n tomtom

 

[matt denison]

Is it possible to inlet the lock deeper to eliminate the gap?

Re file the barrel then solder a shim to the bolster of the lock to take up the space?

 

[54ball]

The lock bolster has made contact both fore and aft with about a a 16th or better gap in the middle between the pan and the barrel. The side of the barrel was not filed correctly.

Going deeper with the lock, the problems start to "snowball" with spring clearance ect. ect..

With such a large bore and small diameter breech, there are concerns there as well.

The gun is built as a circa 1815-20 Southern rifle but with a 46" tapered round smoothbore barrel, it's very slim. It would make a striking rifle in tapered octagon if that is doable.

We would like to put a octagonal barrel on it. My concern is if the new custom made oct. barrel has the same profile as the round barrel, will I have enough to have barrel channel contact with the flats, especially at the breech? Will the new oct bbl. need to be slightly larger? It seems like it would work but I want to make sure beforehand, before any money is spent.

I have thought about adding a brass shim to the lock bolster and filing that in but that still leaves the questionable barrel.
Honestly I feel soldering a brass or steel shim on the bolster is only a slightly better "jerry rig" than the black automotive sealant.

I'm all ears though, any suggestions would be appreciated.
It's always tough to fix others' screw ups.