Armi Sport 1862 Musket

[garypl]

A friend asked me to sell his Armi Sport 1862 .58 smoothbore musket. It had a bit of surface rust inside and out but after a good cleaning and scrubbing the bore with scotchbrite and disassembling the lock to clean and lube it, everything seems to be in good shape. I'm not trying to sell it here - just have a question about the barrel.

Looks like there is a seam on the bottom of the barrel at the breech end. Seems to disappear about 5" from the breech. Is this normal? Here are pics of the proof marks, etc. Thanks for any help provided.
Gary

 

[smoothshooter]

A friend asked me to sell his Armi Sport 1862 .58 smoothbore musket. It had a bit of surface rust inside and out but after a good cleaning and scrubbing the bore with scotchbrite and disassembling the lock to clean and lube it, everything seems to be in good shape. I'm not trying to sell it here - just have a question about the barrel.

Looks like there is a seam on the bottom of the barrel at the breech end. Seems to disappear about 5" from the breech. Is this normal? Here are pics of the proof marks, etc. Thanks for any help provided.
Gary

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Interesting question!
I have never heard or read that Armi-Sport used used seamed barrels. Never heard of them making a .58 smoothbore either. Must be for the European market in countries that severely regulate rifled guns, like the UK.
Are you sure it is not a .69?

 

[garypl]

Interesting question!
I have never heard or read that Armi-Sport used used seamed barrels. Never heard of them making a .58 smoothbore either. Must be for the European market in countries that severely regulate rifled guns, like the UK.
Are you sure it is not a .69?

Barrel is stamped .58 cal. I’ll have to ask my buddy where/when he bought it.

 

[hawkeye2]

Armi Sport never used a barrel with a seam. It is a model of 1861 stamped to represent a piece manufactured in 1862. It's easily identified by the bolster. No original 1861s were manufactured as smoothbores and to the best of my knowledge Armi Sport (Chiappa) never made one either. It most likely picked up that "seam" during manufacture.

 

[garypl]

Armi Sport never used a barrel with a seam. It is a model of 1861 stamped to represent a piece manufactured in 1862. It's easily identified by the bolster. No original 1861s were manufactured as smoothbores and to the best of my knowledge Armi Sport (Chiappa) never made one either. It most likely picked up that "seam" during manufacture.

Do you think the seam would compromise the integrity of the barrel? I thought that since it has proof marks it should be safe to shoot.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I believe these were imported, briefly into the USA, during the late 70’s and early 80’s. I remember seeing them advertised, I know I held one at a Rondy, back in the day. Never shot one though…

 

[Indy Durtdigger]

If you guys look closely at that pic there are several lines that line up perfectly from the barrel through the breach plug not just the pronounced one in the center. Looks like machine marks from shaping to me but I'm also not holding the thing in my hands.

Also, if you can blow that pic up. Someone has un-breached it and didn't quite get the breach plug back where it was. Everything is off just a tad one way to include the scalloped witness mark.

 

[hawkeye2]

Do you think the seam would compromise the integrity of the barrel? I thought that since it has proof marks it should be safe to shoot.

There is no seam (see my post #4). Taylor's & Co. imported these and I sold a few. Other than the barrels being too large in outside diameter compared to the originals they have very good rifling and can be quite accurate. What you see is a scratch. Possibly a cutting tool dragged on the barrel at the end of the machining process. The only thing that could render that barrel unsafe is extreme pitting in the bore or if it had been bored to a very large size when (if) it was smooth bored.

 

[Indy Durtdigger]

Cough, horizontal mill with a two-piece cutter, cough.

 

[garypl]

I found some small batteries for my drop in bore light and discovered that it is a rifled barrel. I’ve never handled a musket before and didn’t realize the rifling was so shallow. Bore looks nice and bright.