.54 barrel length

[glrerun]

for a .54 flintlock what is your preferred barrel length and why?

 

[galamb]

Minimally 42".

Why - most originals in the flintlock era were at least 42" long.

I build based on an original or a few originals from the same builder so that generally rules out straight barrels and those under 42".

I don't match my screw heads to an original, but I believe if you are going to have an "early Lancaster" it should look like something that Dickert (insert early Lancaster gunsmith's name here) actually built - and a 32" straight barrel just wasn't part of the assortment.

Reason 2 - the longer barrel will let you shoot more accurately. Longer sight plane and less susceptible to minor twitches/shakes.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Mine is 44" - a very nice L.C. Rice swamped barrel. Seems to be about right to get the front sight out where I can see it, the deer and the rear sight simultaneously.

PS - I hunt tight NY wood-lot cover. That length is fine. My grouse shotgun has a 42" barrel.

 

[Turtle Creek]

How tall are you?
At my height of 5'9" a 42" barrel is about as long as I'd like.
It gives a good balance both visually and weight wise.

 

[William O.]

Well, it depends. My short barreled semi-custom .54 with cherry stock and Lyman Trade Rifle barrel isn't traditional nor resembles much of anything historical but it's wonderfully accurate and easy to shoot, carry in the South Texas brush and fits me like a glove. Now in your case, how traditional/historical are your looking for? Time period and period correctness more important or will this be a target rifle that will also go hunting with you?
Or will you be an experiential archeologist and be wearing period clothing that would go along with your rifle? Straight traditional with a 42 inch or more barrel may be your cup of tea even if you're just target shooting but it might be a bit nose heavy in the woods going after deer or elk.

I would opt for a 44 inch barrel in an early Virginia style with either a 1:48 or 1:56 twist rate. Your tastes and needs, plans, etc., may be different.

 

[glrerun]

I am 5'-3"tall. I hunt various terrain, but mostly wooded, but I am not worried about a longer gun (within reason) getting hung up in the brush.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Mine is 38" and swamped.

LD

 

[Tommy Bruce]

I like either a 38" or 44" swamped C wieght barrel due to the profile & balancing. I also prefer the barrel to be reasonably close to the original of the school of rifle that is being built.

 

[wayne terry]

F&I time period for lancasters,virginia style long rifle about 42in. its going to look very good and shoot even better prob, but for a mountain man era. say 1820s in a half stock or full stock hawkin style a 32 inch would be more PC I prefer the latter I hunt brush country and ST law why carry a long heavy when a short light rifle will do.

 

[nchawkeye]

Depends upon the profile and the stock??? Swamped, straight or tapered???

Lancaster, Tennessee or Hawken???

 

[Twisted_1in66]

F&I time period for lancasters,virginia style long rifle about 42in. its going to look very good and shoot even better prob, but for a mountain man era. say 1820s in a half stock or full stock hawkin style a 32 inch would be more PC I prefer the latter I hunt brush country and ST law why carry a long heavy when a short light rifle will do.

I'd be careful with generalities about "heavy" longrifles and "short, light" Hawkens or Plains style rifles. My 60½" long Early Lancaster Longrifle with its 44½" swamped barrel is just slightly over 7½-lbs. The TC Hawkens and the Lyman Plains rifles are both 2½ to 3½-lbs heavier (between 10 and 11-pounds). Because of the swamped barrel on my rifle, it balances very nicely in my left hand and is not nose heavy at all.

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:

 

[EC121]

From my backyard shooting I have found that 42" is about optimum for me to load from the bag. I'm 5'7" and that length is easy to load without having to lean the rifle to pour the powder. I feel like leaning the rifle to load it just strings the powder down the side of the bore. Also works well with bifocals. I don't have to tilt my head back to get the muzzle in focus. I'm more concerned with convenience than having the proper length for the style.

 

[stinkyfeet]

I have a 36 inch .54 caliber in a straight octagon barrel and it works pretty good, might be a bit short but I like the way it swings and easier to get through the brush. Besides the bucks rarely stay still very long during the rut. I like a gun I can swing quickly. I might opt out to a swamped barrel eventually but nothing shoots better than a "straight" barrel :rotf: pun intended.

 

[Snakebite]

42" or 44" based on the style of long rifle I like.

 

From my backyard shooting I have found that 42" is about optimum for me to load from the bag. I'm 5'7" and that length is easy to load without having to lean the rifle to pour the powder.

Some shooters, no matter how tall they are, lean the barrel after from their face when loading.

I feel like leaning the rifle to load it just strings the powder down the side of the bore.

The patched ball will push down any grains that might stick to your bore.

 

[stantdm]

If your flintlock is a historical type of rifle it will be best to have the barrel at the length those were usually made. Mine is a Northwest trade gun and those came in various lengths with 42" being common and 36" being frequently encountered.

In the end the choice is yours. I like 42" as I am old and have trouble with my eyes but I am, at times, really tempted to have a 30" barrel on a trade rifle just for fun.

 

[longcruise]

You are getting a lot of good advice here regarding historical correctness, but it might be more practical to size the overall rifle length so that when you rest the butt on the ground at your feet the muzzle is no more than chin high.

Historically, our ancestors were, on average shorter than we are. They loaded rifles with long barrels by placing the butt to one side and the rifle at an angle. You could do the same, but it may be frowned upon on some firing lines.

 

[nwtradegun]

if you want to hunt with it 32-36 inches would be the length. for open country 42 would do it. it all depends also on what style of rifle and part of country.

 

[MacRob46]

I am 5'-3"tall. I hunt various terrain, but mostly wooded, but I am not worried about a longer gun (within reason) getting hung up in the brush.

It may not worry you but it could happen. I am 6'2" and my longest barrel, a 43 inch, is pretty close to my face when I load. Were I your height I would consider something a bit shorter, say 38 inches or so. I do have a GRRW Leman with a 33 inch .54 cal. barrel but it is a plains style rifle and you may not want one of those. The 33 inch barrel which is 1 inch across the flats, points very well and the sight radius is more than adequate, even with the very small notch I have in the rear sight.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I am 5'-3"tall. I hunt various terrain, but mostly wooded, but I am not worried about a longer gun (within reason) getting hung up in the brush.

It may not worry you but it could happen. I am 6'2" and my longest barrel, a 43 inch, is pretty close to my face when I load. Were I your height I would consider something a bit shorter, say 38 inches or so. I do have a GRRW Leman with a 33 inch .54 cal. barrel but it is a plains style rifle and you may not want one of those. The 33 inch barrel which is 1 inch across the flats, points very well and the sight radius is more than adequate, even with the very small notch I have in the rear sight.

As politely as I can say this: :bull:
If someone is stupid enough to put his face over the muzzle while loading he probably needs to be removed from the gene pool.
I used and hunted with a 42" barreled long rifle for more than 45 years. No problem at all until I destroyed my shoulders (in non-muzzle loading incidents). Carrying dense woods was not a problem either.
Do yer thang. Just be alert and safe.