Nostalgia. Todays barrels shoot as well. Probably Douglass barrels hold a lot of records at Friendship. I know guys who think Rice barrels are as good as anything ever made in any quantity.
You told him what you wanted and he sent you what he thought you needed.When you ordered a barrel from Large, he might make something close. A .50 ordered might be a .48 delivered or it might really be a .50. Just depended on how he felt the day he made it. Still accurate barrel for its time, but not necessarily what was ordered.
Being an average shot, I've never found a barrel I could out shoot so I go by price or style.
Old thread, but things live forever on the internet so I wanted to correct this. Bob Roller who was friends with Bill Large, made gun locks in the early days, almost partnered with him to make both, etc., told me Bill used 1144 steel for his barrels until he got a bad shipment, then changed. According to what Bob wrote a few years ago, "The leaded steel gave no trouble and he used it until the end of his career. I don't remember the number of this leaded material."Bill made his barrels from 12L14 steel. ...
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