1" or smaller..............

[bob1961]

what's a good size to go down to from a 1" barrel for a .54....say 7/8" or stay with a 15/16"..............bob

 

[RMillet]

My opinion is, if you intend to hunt with the rifle you probably want the smallest size across the flats as possible. That being said I don't think anyone makes a .54 in a smaller size than 15/16".

Dick

 

well bob after our chat this morning i did some calling . seems you can get smaller then 15/16 but only in a carbine barrel or by special order , by that I mean special made from a barrel maker , I would say cost is kinda high to say the least .
I would go with either 15/16 or 1 inch , if weight is a factor go with a swamped barrel over a strait

 

[rich pierce]

If you get an octagon to round barrel oftentimes these are lighter than swamped octagon barrels. I'd want at least an inch at the breech.

 

what's a good size to go down to from a 1" barrel for a .54....say 7/8" or stay with a 15/16"..............bob

Bob
Here are some interesting numbers FWIW

barrel, .50 caliber, American Heritage, 44" swamped, "C" profile, 1-56", 4.75 lb, flared tang plug, by Colerain

barrel, .54 caliber, American Heritage, 44" swamped, "C" profile, 1-56", 4.44 lb, flared tang plug, by Colerain

barrel, .50 caliber, Edward Marshall, 37" swamped, "D" profile, 1-56", 5.6 lb, flared tang plug, by Colerain

barrel, .54 caliber, Edward Marshall, 37" swamped, "D" profile, 1-56", 5.2 lb, flared tang plug, by Colerain

barrel, .58 caliber, Edward Marshall, 37" swamped, "D" profile, 1-66", 5.0 lb, flared tang plug, by Colerain

barrel, .62 caliber, Edward Marshall, 37" swamped, "D" profile, 1-66", 4.5 lb, flared tang plug, by Colerain


As you probably have figured it out the larger the cal the lighter the barrel. This is due to the larger the bore the more metal was drilled out to make the larger[url] caliber.In[/url] either style barrel and also in the Golden Age as well....
Check out TOW for specs on barrels.

Woody

 

[bob1961]

weight isn't a factor i'll carry all day long if i have to....just want it to look proportional and not to big or small with the rest of the gun....just covering all options before final draft.................bob

 

[tg]

Many original guns had rather large breeches by todays standards 1 1/8 or larger in the .50 to .54 cal range and they look pretty good.

 

[flaming canvas]

Many original Hawkens had 1 1/8 straight barrels, around 35 inch length. Weight was 13 or 14 pounds. Proportion was kind of variable.

 

Given the steels used in most muzzleloaders, 1 in. at the breech is minimal.