Boring a RE Davis Fusil barrel to larger caliber

[75dixie]

I am intrested in the RE davis fusil but what I hear over and over again is how beefy the barrel is, resulting in 8 and 3/4 pounds. I was wondering if any one has one and could provide the thickness at the muzzle and if anyone has had one bored out before?

 

[rich pierce]

I have one of their barrels and it is wonderfully balanced and quite thin at the muzzle. The breech is very substantial on mine and that contributes to some weight and superb balance.

 

[alex efremenko]

That barrel is as close to an original French barrel one can buy short of a custom one.i think the muzzle is already too thin to take down more. If you went to .66' it would be wafer thin.
As Rich stated, it makes a nice handling&pointing fusil.

 

[75dixie]

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

Sounds like the weight issue is not what I thought it was.

I sent a email off to RE to see if they have any in stock, sounds like a great foundation for my fusil.

Thanks again

 

[Mike Brooks]

In my opinion that barrel is a bit heavy. It doesn't taper quick enough from the breech. None of my original euro barrels are that heavy.

 

[rich pierce]

Most barrelmakers use 3 tapers when making a swamped barrel, from the breech to a waist, the waist being flat, then a taper from the waist to the muzzle. I think they use the same principle when making an octagon to round- a single taper to the wedding ring. On some originals this is not a single taper but more a curve.

I'm considering growing a pair, as they say, and working over an octagon to round barrel on a grinding wheel just as they did back in the day, when starting with a forged barrel. Round the bottom 3 flats of the octagon to round section as many of them were, eliminate the wedding band on the bottom 3 flats, etc. The barrel would be easier to inlet and a bit lighter as well.

 

[JOHN ZUREKI]

The barrel thickness on mine, mic's out to about .061 at the muzzle. I don't think you could or would want to bore it out to a larger caliber just to save a little weight.

 

[tg]

Colerain has a 44" barrel for their FDC parts set that in the .66 bore could make a gun about 7 lbs, I think the only precarve thta it fits may be their cows foot FDC, I used the .58 whch made a heavier gun but it does handle quite well for my needs it is amazing how much proper balance can trump extra weight in some guns