Buying used/1st post

[Fizzlepop]

Good evening,

I'm in the process of trading from a No.11 inline to a percussion sidelock. This will require the purchase of a previously owned sidelock. I've looked at a couple, and I feel like I'm not able to make a good judgement of the condition. The nipple area on some of the guns I've looked at seems like something other than a nipple wrench was used, and the barrels did not appear to be in the greatest condition, but could have been dried oil.

I'd like some advise on how best to ascertain the condition of the barrel and rifling prior to purchasing.

I'd also like to get an idea of just how corrosive BP and Pyrodex really are? Some of the new BP subs make some pretty tall claims. I've personally never had trouble with pyrodex, but I've never left the gun more than overnight after at least swabbing the barrel when in dry conditions.

Best regards,

Brian

 

[mooman76]

Pyrodex is as bad or worse than any of them. Not knocking it because I use it too sometimes so as long as you are cleaning it good, you are good. Hare to really explain how to tell you how good used is. They make small bore lights you can drop down the barrel. I kind of figure a guideline for me is if they didn't take care of the outside, the inside is probably bad too. I'm not talking the usual dings and stuff from use. I'm talking neglect.

 

[necchi]

The inside of the barrel should be clean and bright like any rifle.
No Rust, No Scale.
If someone is trying to tell you that because it's a side lock or flint lock rifle the barrels should be dirty your being fed a line,,!

Your right, some of the sub's are making wild claims!

BP and all the subs are water soluble, trouble is folks don't take the time to fully rinse the residue from and dry the barrels. It's really a simple process that can take as little as 5 minutes. But a fired rifle left dirty as little as overnight can turn into a rusty mess.
BP and the Sub's residue is hygroscopic and readily picks up moisture from the air.

Don't hesitate, it's a grand pastime and very addictive, the learning curve is short but there a period of learning the do's an don'ts. :wink:

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Welcome :hatsoff: Good advice to follow from the above posters.

 

[bubba.50]

if you don't feel confident to judge condition yerself find someone local who knows what to look for to go with you to check guns and/or to teach you what to look for. if ya deal with a gun shop make sure it's one where they know muzzleloaders(many don't) & takes pride in customer satisfaction. if ya use online services such as ebay or gunbroker to find a gun make sure the seller offers a money back inspection period & check their feedback. welcome aboard & luck to ya, bubba.

 

[Fizzlepop]

I looked at three today. The one I decided (.54 TC renegade) was the cleanest but still had some funny bumpiness on the lands/grooves of the rifling. It looked similar to what my "modern" gun looks like if the oil in the barrel dries. A clean patch came out a bit dirty, and seemed to clean it up some.

Either way, they were a touch high on the price and would not haggle, or give me a good trade on the shotgun and inline I brought in. Heck they didn't even want the inline at all, there is not any demand for one of the "old inlines" LOL!

Probably for the better. But my other options around are going to be a couple pawn shops...

Brian

 

[Pigman]

Where are you located?

There may be a member or club near you where you can get some hands on help?

Foster From Flint

 

[George T.]

I would suggest to take a cleaning rod and an assortment od patches. A small flashlight that will fit in the bore will help as well. If they will not let you check the barrel out pass on it!

Geo. T.

 

[cynthialee]

Run a patch on a tight jag down the barrel. You are looking for what we call rings in the barrel. If there are any places in the barrel where it gets suddenly easy then past that area it tightens up again that is a 'ring'. This is from someone shooting a short started projectile in the gun. You do not want this gun.
Minor pitting is ok if you get a decent price. Many a gun with minor pitting shoot better than the guy shooting them. Anything beyond minor pitting you do not want. Also you can have this barrel 'freshed' in many cases.
Stay away from the gun that has the buggered up nipple. The guy who owned it before the Pawn Shop obviously didn't know how to care for it and is likely trash down in the breach/plug also.
Get a bore light and visually inspect things.

 

[William O.]

Good advice from everyone and the only thing I can add is that fouling from any kind of powder is corrosive but cleans up with water just fine.

I swab with an alcohol dampened cleaning patch between shots while at the range and found this practice to be very effective.

 

[ghostdncr]

I'd recommend paying particular attention to Cynthialee's post. Sage advice, there.

Many rough bores can be salvaged with a little know-how. Between Windex, Scotch-Brite, and a lead lap, most any tube can be made to shoot. Whatever it takes to get you away from the **-lines is money well spent. They are the Devil's work. :barf:

 

[Billnpatti]

Examine the outside of the rifle for signs of neglect. If the outside looks as if it wasn't taken care of, the inside is probably worse than the outside. Carefully feel the action of the lock but do not drop the hammer on the nipple if it is a caplock. If it is a flintlock, it is okay to dry fire it so long as there is a flint in the jaws of the ****. If there is no flint, do not dry fire it because you can do damage to the lock. If the lock feels smooth as you **** it and carefully let the hammer down, it is likely okay. No guarantee without seeing the inside of the lock, though. If the seller will remove the lock for you to examine, so much the better. Ask if you can run a patch down the bore. If they won't let you do that, pass on it because there is probably a darned good reason why they don't want you to run that patch down the bore because of what you will find. If they let you run a patch down the bore, it is not unusual to find some light brown stains on a clean patch but if you come out with a bunch of rust, I'd look elsewhere for a rifle. Also notice how the patch feels as it goes down the bore. Does it feel smooth or do you feel rough spots. Rough spots can mean either rust or a dirty barrel. Feel for loose spots. Loose spots may mean a bulge in the barrel from firing the rifle without seating the ball on the powder. If there is a bulge, pass it up. if it passes all of these tests, it is time to discuss price. If you have a rifle already picked out, post the information of what it is, brand, style, etc. and give the members of this forum a chance to give you some advice on what a good price is for that gun.

 

[nit wit]

Sometimes when you pull a rusty patch out you can buy the gun for less. I've cleaned alot of bores with steel wool on a jag. Pyrodex will eat the steel too!
Nit Wit

 

[Shifty]

The very first thing I do is run the bare ram rod down the bore to see if the gun is loaded,you will be suprised at how many used ML,s in shops are still loaded,next I carry a litte key chain flash light sold at Lowes B S ( cost less than $3.00)it has a little push button on the side I just keep masking tape wrapped around the light then put it over the button to turn it on then drop it down the bore with it facin outwards it lets you see the bore nicely.If the bore is no good I just hand it back to them,but the bore does not have to be perfect to shoot really good,I have new barrels and new liners in barrels and I can make some of these slightly damaged barrels shoot as good or better .

 

[ike]

Post a description of what you want in the want to buy section of this forum. See who responds. Also watch the classifieds section to see who wants to sell a rifle.