Thoughts on shorter barrels (or…Stop me from my blaspheme!)

[cynthialee]

Just for chuckles how’s this for a short barrel rifle. 44 caliber and six to boot. Loads from the muzzle too, the chambers muzzle. That’s not a detachable stock. By Pietta 1998 variety. View attachment 139374

wow, I feel like I angled for the wrong gun from you



I love it.

 

[springfield art]

I have a Zoli .54 1803 that I dearly love…sorta.

Had a relative on the Corps of Discovery, the time period I am focusing in on to do some living history is 1805-1810 in the mountain west.

Got some great guns that fit the time period. And I have this 1803 in a good piece of wood that is a .54 and has a US made lock.

What’s not to love? Well, two things. First this long barrel is kinda heavy and doesn’t balance well, it doesn’t carry well either…I can live with all that. But the other issue is the bore, or barrel not sure which, is curved to the right. The rifle shoots 2” groups at 50 yards…but even with the front sight as far right as I can get it and the rear sight as far left, it still hits 4” right.

Less than Optimal.

So, in a whiskey inspired moment, it occurred to me that shortening the barrel MIGHT fix the POI issues, and definitely would correct the weight/balance issue. Plus…the originals were known to burst at the muzzle, so it’s a historical remedy, so to speak. Genious!

See the pics below. I’ve marked on the barrel where I would cut, and also right in front of the ramrod pipe.

This leaves me 25” of barrel. Anyone shot a .54 with a 25” barrel? I have a .62 smoothie Caywood Chiefs gun that measures 28” and she shoots better than me…so I think I’m on solid ground.

Opinions? Experience? Burn me at the stake?

View attachment 139173View attachment 139174View attachment 139175

Several years ago, two of these turned up at an auction I used to frequent. They were there on two diff. occasions, not at once. (Replicas). I wasn't crazy about them at the time, and passed 'em up. Now I wish I'd gotten one, and, yes, I would SHORTEN the barrel! (Awaiting lightning strike!)

 

[springfield art]

I would contact Bobby Hoyt about it. He could do a relining job, but correcting a barrel that is bored off center may be beyond even his magical talents.
A phone call will cost you nothing,

Hoyt's magical talents are given by Oden; I wouldn't put anything past him!

 

[Whughett]

wow, I feel like I angled for the wrong gun from you



I love it.

Ha Ha. Fat chance. It’s on its way to Alaska for a little tune up.

 

[morehops52]

Lyman deerstalkers have 24" barrels. My .54 shoots very well.

 

[brazosland]

Update. Rifle is at the gunsmith. He is extremely capable, having been in the muzzleloading sport since the 70’s and making fine guns for nearly as long.

He just groans when I walk in with a gun (but never a box of parts…yet!). Only issue he had was figuring how to get the barrel into the lath with the rib still attached (it’s not screwed on).

I know better than to call and ask…will update when I get it back.

 

[rusticbob]

Update. Rifle is at the gunsmith. He is extremely capable, having been in the muzzleloading sport since the 70’s and making fine guns for nearly as long.

He just groans when I walk in with a gun (but never a box of parts…yet!). Only issue he had was figuring how to get the barrel into the lath with the rib still attached (it’s not screwed on).

I know better than to call and ask…will update when I get it back.

What are you having the gunsmith do?

 

[brazosland]

What are you having the gunsmith do?

Shorten the barrel.

 

[rusticbob]

Good idea, I think you will be happy with a shorter, more maneuverable rifle.

 

[BigSkyRambler]

I took an older .54 Lancaster style rifle and shortened the barrel (can't remember how short). But it made what I thought would be a reasonable frontier modification into a saddle rifle. Handy in the woods, too. Traded it away for something shiny. I am like that.

 

[hanshi]

My shortest is a .45 X 25 1/2 stock capgun but there's also the late Lancaster styled .45 that's 36", short enough for me, handy, light and accurate. But I consider it "medium" not short. It's spent so much time in the deer woods over the years that I KNOW it will easily go anywhere I go.

 

[brazosland]

My shortest is a .45 X 25 1/2 stock capgun but there's also the late Lancaster styled .45 that's 36", short enough for me, handy, light and accurate. But I consider it "medium" not short. It's spent so much time in the deer woods over the years that I KNOW it will easily go anywhere I go.

That’s a great looking rifle. I always wonder how many rifles like that, short and ideal for horseback or canoe, got carried across the plains and were loved by their owners right up until the first time they ran into Mr Silverhaired Bad-attitude…

 

[brazosland]

It’s done!!

Avert your eyes from the horrors of the next post if you are of a weak constitution and you are a man who prefers the company of women to the stout hearts men!

 

[deerstalkert]

come on! don't leave us hanging!
hmm! i do enjoy the company of women though!

 

[brazosland]

A machinist friend with a very capable lathe made short work of this project for me.

Funny story here, he builds extremely accurate modern rifles that routinely put a half dozen shots under a dime. He does not work on muzzleloaders…he and his top shop hand were losing their minds that the barrel was not absolutely concentric, that their cutters might chatter (this steel is soft it won’t matter) and that they couldn’t hold tolerances to a ten thousandth.

To all of which I just shrugged and said “y’all it doesn’t matter here on these guns.” Pretty funny.

The finished product first:

 

[brazosland]

Yes, it needs a front sight. That’s tomorrows job.

It handles like a dream. Balances right in front of the lock.

Barrel is 24” crown to touchhole.

I stripped the stock with Easyoff Oven cleaner. Two applications and then washed it off with a hose in the yard and let it dry. Left all the brass on the stock, lock and barrel were removed, that’s it.

After it dried for two days I added two coats of Varathane stain Expresso, really like this stuff. It’s a stain with no Finish. Then two coats of Danish Oil as a sealer rubbed in.

No sandpaper. I wanted the stock to have a very weathered look with an open grain. Very pleased with how all that turned out.

I removed the front brass band on the stock since the guns made for the Corps of Discovery are assumed to not have had one. On the barrel I removed the fake factory brown finish, lock too (it’s a Davis lock), applied a coat or two of brown and then rubbed it back.

I’m pretty pleased so far!

 

[brazosland]

The work was much easier than anticipated.

We cut through the bottom rib down to the barrel at the spot I wanted it to terminate. This kept the heat from the torch we used from transferring down the rib and loosening the part I wanted to remain.

Propane had no effect on the rib. Switched to a regular torch and we had it off in no time. Then it was just cut and crown.

I’m going to add a silver front sight. The Corps’ rifles had silver at Lewis’s request. May add a sling (loop on the rib, button on the stock) haven’t decided on that yet.

 

[rusticbob]

I love short, handy guns

 

[Snake Pleskin]

I love short, handy gunsView attachment 158990

I like it! Nice job!

 

[Ed Pilkington]

My kinda guy