12L14 barrel comes apart

[Norman Brooks]

View attachment 106417

From Muzzle Blasts, a few decades back. I am told that Douglas would no longer sell barrels to "Pa" Keeler after he published this in Muzzle Blasts. Pa Keeler then made his own of 1018 tubing from Michigan. I made rifles of three Keeler barrels, about 48" long.

I was one of the expert witnesses for the badly damaged plaintiff in the ~1985 trial that was coincident with Douglas ceasing to promote their 12L14 barrels.

Thank you for posting the Muzzle Blast article. I read it years ago but could not remember where...

 

[waksupi]

Oldwood may have read the rebuttle in Buckskin Report . But It ran in Muzzle Blasts I wrote for Baird an article on Pinfires

You may be right I did get Muzzle Blasts but not many B skin Report might been in both . Re Kiplings the' Young British Soldier I believe the Line is.

"When arf of your bullets fly wide in the ditch",Don't call your Martini a 'cross eyed old gripe ' ,She' as human as you are , You treat as sich An Shele fight for the Young British Soldier ! "
I think theirs a line '

"When shakeing thier bustles like Ladies so fine " The guns of the enemy wheel into line .'" Shoot low at the limbers an don't mind the shine cos noise never startled a Soldier " cant find my copy but sounds about right .I bought lots of Orion Brls . I found Jerry Cunningham a very remarkable Gentleman and good to deal with . He even made me some what he described as "bloody brutal Baker barrels " Being I suppose out of the common line .
Regards Rudyard
(The Original says' gripe'Not 'gripe' BTW) some how gripe becomes some PC ? gripe.' Its gripe' as in female dog B i t c h .

Jerry Cunningham always built good barrels. I think one of his modern cut barrels holds, or did until recently, a world record of a group of around 1 3/16" at 1000 yards. The target is on John King's wall, as he built the rifle for the shooter.

I remember when they were doing the destructive testing at the shop. Results were, unless the projectile is separated from the charge, they couldn't burst a barrel. That included trying to blow up a paper towel tube.

 

[megasupermagnum]

I'm trying to read this whole thread, but it just seems odd. I can't believe that many people are arguing this. 12L14 is a poor material for making a muzzleloader barrel. You can argue it until you are blue in the face, but it is true. The best barrel makers do not use it.

This is coming from a guy building a rifle with a 12L14 Rice barrel. If Green Mountain sold swamped barrels. I never would have bought it. I kind of regret not buying a better barrel now. You can argue all you want "just don't make mistakes" all you want. A good quality steel barrel will not bulge or burst from a short started ball. A 12L14 will.