Rifled to Smoothbore Pistol Advice Needed

[Fez]

I have two identical 45 caliber flintlock pistols. I would like to have one turned into a smoothbore. Anyone have advice on what to have it bored too?

Thanks,
Fez

 

[Newly O’Brian]

Ream it w a reamer.

Power cut w lathe and coolant to get a smooth finish.

 

[SDSmlf]

I have two identical 45 caliber flintlock pistols. I would like to have one turned into a smoothbore. Anyone have advice on what to have it bored too?

Thanks,
Fez

You are limited by the outside diameter or measurement across the flats of the barrel. Plus you may want to bore it to caliber that lead balls are easy to find. Or if you cast your own, any caliber you want, you will just have to order a custom mold.

 

[Smokerr]

I would buy a new smoothbore. You get a known item that you know will shoot to X capability.

And keep the fine rifled ones for what they are for.

 

[Fez]

I would buy a new smoothbore. You get a known item that you know will shoot to X capability.

And keep the fine rifled ones for what they are for.

That is actually not a bad idea.

 

[Notchy Bob]

A modification like that will likely reduce the resale value of your pistol, as a lot of buyers prefer to purchase guns that are unmolested. However, if the pistol to be modified is a "keeper," that may not matter. This is assuming your pistols are reproductions. I would not modify an original in that way.

As @SDSmlf said, you are limited by the outside diameter of your barrel, in that the barrel walls need to be thick enough to handle whatever bore you end up with. However, you also need to consider the depth of any dovetail cuts or screw-holes, and the bore should be no larger than the minor diameter of the threaded shank on your breechplug.

If you choose to go ahead with the project, it would be wise to consider a standard gauge or caliber so you can get balls and wads to fit. Of course, you can get custom moulds made for virtually any size round ball. You can wad your shot loads with hornet nest or paper napkins, but punched wads that fit the bore will likely give your shot loads better velocity and energy.

I have considered getting my Lyman Plains Pistol reamed to 28 gauge (.55 caliber) smoothbore. Mine is a .50, but Lyman made the same gun (rifled) in .54 so it ought to handle a 28 gauge bore. However, I have not had it done yet, and at this point will probably leave it as it is.

There were lots of smoothbored pistols back in the day... military, sporting, and duelling pistols. I think the N-SSA even has a smoothbore pistol category for competition. All of the caveats listed above were practical considerations, and were not intended to discourage you.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

 

[Fez]

Hey Notchy Bob,

I was not discouraged in anyway. I appreciate all the advice and insight, that is why I come here. You guys have much more experience than I do and you look at things in a way that I might not see.

Take care,
Fez

 

[SDSmlf]

I have two identical 45 caliber flintlock pistols. I would like to have one turned into a smoothbore.

I’ll ask a basic question. What is wrong or different with the one’s rifling that makes you want remove that rifling? Or are you just looking to have a smoothbore flintlock pistol dedicated to any future dueling activities?

Personally, I would find it difficult to break up a pair of identical flintlock rifled pistols by removing the rifling in one, but that is just my simple opinion. Guess you have your reasons.