Boring out a barrel.

[SCATTERSHOT]

Hi, all. I have a .45 caliber T/C White Mountain carbine. I have no use for a .45, but I was thinking that it sure would make a light handy foraging gun. I was thinking of having it bored out to .58 smoothbore. The barrel is 15/16 at the breech, and is half round/ half octagon. Any thoughts? Recommendations for a 'smith to do the work?

Thanks

 

[adbranaman]

I have a 50 flint Traditions that I've been thinking about doing the same. I've been wondering what size I can take it to before I lose it's integrety.Also I wonder if a local machine shop could do the job or wither I need a pro. :front:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Not that familiar with TC's, but correctly drilled, reamed and polished, it should work out fine.

 

[pennsyltucky]

i went thru this. its way better to find a replacement barrel.


my thread...

 

[big bore 75]

hey Tanstaafl, I also want to do this reboreing thingI have a 15/16' barrel that was a 50 now that it is junk, rusted out, from previous owner (T/C) eeerrr, what did you do at home ? and how did you do it? let me know how by pm , thanks . bb75

 

[musketman]

Hi, all. I have a .45 caliber T/C White Mountain carbine. I have no use for a .45, but I was thinking that it sure would make a light handy foraging gun. I was thinking of having it bored out to .58 smoothbore. The barrel is 15/16 at the breech, and is half round/ half octagon. Any thoughts? Recommendations for a 'smith to do the work?

Thanks

Boring out too large will cause weak spots along the barrel where the wedge key and the rear sight are drilled, caution must be taken when removing large amounts of metal in these areas...

I would hope that 1 inch across the flats of the barrel would be minimum for a .58 caliber smoothbore, anything less would be "Iffy" at best...

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

Thanks for the info. Forgot about the wedge lug cut beneath the barrel.

 

[musketman]

Thanks for the info. Forgot about the wedge lug cut beneath the barrel.

Just don't want to hear about anyone getting hurt...

Now you could easly go .550 thereabouts smoothbore (they make the gun in a .50 caliber using that barrel), that would be a 28 guage... :hmm:

 

[roundball]

Thanks for the info. Forgot about the wedge lug cut beneath the barrel.

Just don't want to hear about anyone getting hurt...

Now you could easly go .550 thereabouts smoothbore (they make the gun in a .50 caliber using that barrel), that would be a 28 guage... :hmm:

My guess is that .54cal is the largest to safely go...I just bought a Green Mountain .54cal Flint Smoothbore as a drop-in barrel for a TC Hawken and it's a 15/16" barrel.

GM's .58/.62cals are 1" barrels.

TC's .56cal smoothbore is a 1" barrel.

 

[big bore 75]

I only want to bore mine out to .54 any way everything else is .54 so I think a .54 in smooth barrel would be fun withtree rats and bunnies. bb75

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I have only done smoothbore pistol barrels at home, they were made from solid round stock.

I chucked them up, drilled, then reamed with adjustable reamers by hand to get desired diameters. Followed up by polishing with coarse to fine grades of abrasive cloth tight fitted to bore on a split end wood rod, final finish was done same with 3-M green pads, Bores came out smooth as glass, one pistol was .36, other was .54.

Took more than a few bunnies with both, thinking about making up another in .62 to go with the fusil.

 

[thomas]

I did the same with a older A. Zoli 1803 HF rifle in .58 cal, it made a nice 24 ga. half stock flintlock smoothbore. :thumbsup:

Thomas