BUYING A PREOWNED RIFLE

[Dr5x]

This is mostly intended for Folks not on the ML Forum.
I doubt many riflemen would happily sell a deadly Accurate rifle.
Reasons for selling a rifle:
Have a more accurate rifle
Cannot get accuracy out of this rifle
Reasons for no Accuracy:
Ignorance of any idea what is required to produce any good performance
Barrel ruined because of ignorance
Barrel ruined by carelessness
Bulged barrel caused by not seating a patched ball before firing
Fastest way to ruin a barrel?
See line above.
What is a slower way to ruin a barrel?
Not cleaning at the end of any firing and letting corrosion prosper.
What is the usual reason for selling a rifle?
Can't get any accuracy for the above variety of reasons.

And there you are. "Boy, I have gotten a great deal on a Whizzer Bang Bang .50 Super Deer Killer hunting Rifle. made by an unknown gunsmith.

HOW TO PREVENT JOINING THE PARADE OF FOLKS TRY TO ACHIEVE ACCURACY OUT OF THIS GREAT DEAL.
All a rifle is is the barrel. Nothing more. Nothing less
All the rest is just an apparatus to make it fire and to hold itsteady while aiming.
Pretty appearance is nice and frequently inspiring but is most appreciated about wall hangers.
A good unbelted barrel is about al you need. It can handle a surprising amount of pitting from old uncorrected corrosion created by the prior owner. It CANNOT handle a bulged barrel. There is seldom any sign of the bulge on the outside of the barrel so how do we check the inside of the barrel?
Place a couple of patches on the Jag end of the ramrod or thick enough to keep the patched ramrod sliding effortlesslydown the length of the barrel.. Preferably it will slowly slide down the length of the bore with just the weight of your arm.
Observe closely. Does it slide down at the same even speed the entire length OR at one point speeds up fore 2 or more inches and then slows down again?No speedup you might very well have a good barrel. if it does speed up you may have the greater part of a crowbar. It will never shoot accurately. Don't buy that rifle. If the person selling won't allow this test just walk away. He knows what's wrong and doesn't want the buyer to find out. He is a thief. Never buy anything from him.
I have had too many people come to me with a "Great deals" that urn very sour when the hidden bulge is discovered. Wonderful as you are you can't work around this. If you can please let me know how you did it.

 

[dave951]

I ask myself many of the same questions in regards to a rifle, but I've found that some sellers just are getting out of shooting muzzleloaders. Some just aren't thorough in experimenting to get a rifle to shoot really well.

 

[Semisane]

Thinning the herd. EXAMPLE: I have two early production .54 Great Plains flintlocks, both extremely accurate in excellent condition. I don't need TWO .54 GP flintlocks.

 

[Dr5x]

Thinning the herd. EXAMPLE: I have two early production .54 Great Plains flintlocks, both extremely accurate in excellent condition. I don't need TWO .54 GP flintlocks.

Thinning the herd. EXAMPLE: I have two early production .54 Great Plains flintlocks, both extremely accurate in excellent condition. I don't need TWO .54 GP flintlocks.

I DOUBT VERY MUCH THAT YOU WOULD NOT PREVENT ANY BUYER FROM RUNNING A A FEW DRY PATCHES DOWN THE BARREL BEFORE BUYING.
YOUR SALE WOULD BE A real great deal. NOT A CASE OF DUMPING A LOSER.

DUTCH

 

[Dr5x]

I ask myself many of the same questions in regards to a rifle, but I've found that some sellers just are getting out of shooting muzzleloaders. Some just aren't thorough in experimenting to get a rifle to shoot really well.

THEY ALSO MIGHT NOT KNOW WHY TTHEY ARE HAVING SUCH TROUBLE. THE TEST I SUGGEST TELLS ALL AND DOESNOT HARM THE SUBJECT BARREL.

 

[sawyer04]

I do enjoy working on the old rejected weapons. Be surprised how many just need a little care and tinkering. In my public shop days I sold and traded many black powder weapons with the option. don't like it, don't tear it apart, or try some pig headed repair. Bring it back for a free repair or money back. I had two within 40 years that broke springs. I traded, because the customer wanted something different. The ones I valued are still with me, although I valued all as to their capabilities.
Oh, yeah there was some total junk, but still something on them that could be salvaged.

 

[Walkingeagle]

I love my muzzleloaders, as well as all platforms of unmentionables. If I kept all that I have owned over the years it would amount in the hundreds. Some of us like buying, getting the load figured out then selling once bored to finance the next. Its a way cheaper, and healthier hobby than booze, drugs or women! Those will cost big $$ as you get bored!!
Walk

 

[Dr5x]

I do enjoy working on the old rejected weapons. Be surprised how many just need a little care and tinkering. In my public shop days I sold and traded many black powder weapons with the option. don't like it, don't tear it apart, or try some pig headed repair. Bring it back for a free repair or money back. I had two within 40 years that broke springs. I traded, because the customer wanted something different. The ones I valued are still with me, although I valued all as to their capabilities.
Oh, yeah there was some total junk, but still something on them that could be salvaged.

If the barrel is OK It can still have a future. The barrel is the rifle. Al the rest is just trimming plus a way to fire and aim that barrel.
A gunsmith friend in Los Angeles caught antrax when refurbishing a rifle found tucked in a semi collapsed old barn. So a little sanitation the old survivors isn't a baad idea.
Dutch Schoultz

 

[yonderin]

Thinning the herd. EXAMPLE: I have two early production .54 Great Plains flintlocks, both extremely accurate in excellent condition. I don't need TWO .54 GP flintlocks.

Maybe in some people's minds you don't NEED two. But you obviously have them for some reason, even if only because it gives you pleasure.

 

[Col. Batguano]

There are a plethora of reasons for selling other than to simply get rid of it. All are valid and legitimate, but most, at their core, come down to the basic assumption of wanting the money more than the rifle.

Iom wondering how much a bulged barrel really affects accuracy especially with a RB. I'm assuming a bulge just forward of the powder area, and there are many more inches of barrel between that and the muzzle. A RB doesn't have the opportunity to get tipped off axis the way a pointed bullet does. Intuitively it would seem it could get re-swaged back in to shape and proceed on its' merry way without any detrimental effects.

Charles Burton at FCI deliberately makes the muzzles of his barrels .001-.002" tighter than the bottom half, and many report stellar accuracy with his barrels. That's effectively a "bulged barrel" as per the original premise.

 

[rich pierce]

In my experience, mass-produced, low to moderately priced muzzleloading guns are more likely to have bad bores than custom muzzleloaders.
There are many exceptions. Several guys in my club have been shooting black powder and winning using production guns for 40 years.

But a good many production guns get lent out, neglected, and end up in the pawn shop or on some auction site or forum. And no way to really check it out. Given the more affordable price of production guns when new, I’d discourage buying such a gun used when you can’t see the bore or how everything is working.

 

[erhunter]

Why does Dr5x always "SHOUT" at people in his answers? I thought this was a peaceful sight where people can learn from each other humanely. Maybe his computer is stuck on CAPS!

 

[EZFEED]

I'm dumping things now....mostly unfired firearms....because I'm buying an 1876 gatling gun. That's not on your list lol!!!!

 

[SDSmlf]

Why does Dr5x always "SHOUT" at people in his answers? I thought this was a peaceful sight where people can learn from each other humanely. Maybe his computer is stuck on CAPS!

Sorry you are offended. Dutch is NOT SHOUTING. He is 91 years old and essentially legally blind. Imagine some days are worse than others. Dutch types that way so he can see and read what he typed.

 

[azmntman]

erhnter said: Why does Dr5x always "SHOUT" at people in his answers? I thought this was a peaceful sight where people can learn from each other humanely. Maybe his computer is stuck on CAPS!

He is not yelling my friend. Dutch has older eyes than we do and types in large font to see what he typed (and some type responses back in same large font so he can more easily read these).

 

[Bledfor Days]

I thought he was yelling at me, so I was paying attention. Lol.

 

[erhunter]

Thanks for all of your replies! Maybe the Lord will let me see the world through Dr5x's eyes, if I am so fortunate. My apologies to Dr5x.

 

[Sun City]

At 80 I have six.....four too many! ALL are shooters! I never bought crappy rifles!

 

[tenngun]

I love my guns, but only have so much time to shoot. And I enjoy living history, from once being a By-God-Mountain-Man I’ve become more eastern an local.
I can still put together an early nineteenth century outfit but not MM. I got rid of Full stock and half stock sorta-Hawkens and Leman trade rifle a canoe gun and NWG and a few more ( couple of Zouaves, navy arms Kentucky, Morey Allen and Thurber, a brace of pistols and I think a few more over the years that just didn’t fit me any more) just to replace them with something that I found more acceptable. They were all well cared for, shooters and rust free when I got rid of them.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I've bought a bunch of used guns over the years. Some needed a little work and some have slightly less than perfect barrels, but most shoot much better than I can see or hold. I only have one that turned out to be a really bad buy. Keep in mind, I bought most of them at bargain prices and none are high end guns. The dog of the bunch is a Euroarms Roger & Spencer revolver. It has a nice brown patina(rust) and the inside of the barrel even has a bit of visible rifling in a couple of places where there happens to be no pits. It will still shoot, but I would probably be better off with a smoothbore.