Defarbing Barrel

Why is it, whenever someone asks about something, so many have to chime in with why they are against it?

It brings to mind a question of why someone with well over a thousand postings can not have made any positive or helpful answers. They just make detracting remarks about what others have had to say. :hmm: It makes one think that such a person may have absolutely no knowledge about the subject that is worth contributing. Oh well, I guess the best thing is to just ignore the poor soul.

Yet you responded? Heal thy self. :rotf:

 

[Vaino]

I guess we're all opinionated....myself included and you're probably not an exception. Just expressing personal opinions....that's all and in the end they possibly don't change anybody's mind.....Fred

 

[S.Kenton]

I just don't understand why someone would go through all the effort for something insignificant..?

I don't think the original poster was asking for, or cares about your understanding. I think he is looking for help if it can be done, not whether you think it's a good idea or not.

Why is it, whenever someone asks about something, so many have to chime in with why they are against it?

For once I TOTALLY agree with Jack, the OP simply asked for some advice... not opinions on why it needs done or if it needs done... this site would be so much better if everyone here didn't think there opinion matters so much and just stick with answering the questions that are asked.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I just don't understand why someone would go through all the effort for something insignificant..?

I don't think the original poster was asking for, or cares about your understanding. I think he is looking for help if it can be done, not whether you think it's a good idea or not.

Why is it, whenever someone asks about something, so many have to chime in with why they are against it?

For once I TOTALLY agree with Jack, the OP simply asked for some advice... not opinions on why it needs done or if it needs done... this site would be so much better if everyone here didn't think there opinion matters so much and just stick with answering the questions that are asked.

I look at it like this......
If someone was looking for advice on suicide, They would probably get my opinion instead of instructions...
Opinions can be useful....If they make you think...

 

[S.Kenton]

Point taken Clyde, even though it's a little out of context... :v
I spose the reason I responded so emphatically, is that it seems here that we have a new poster, a new member, A person who is asking a simple question....and he is met with a one line, and I dare say, a rude response.....

 

[coloradoclyde]

I go both ways on defarbing.....But considering some of the recalls from major manufacturers, defarbing might not be the best idea.

 

[Black Hand]

I just don't understand why someone would go through all the effort for something insignificant..?

I don't think the original poster was asking for, or cares about your understanding. I think he is looking for help if it can be done, not whether you think it's a good idea or not.

Why is it, whenever someone asks about something, so many have to chime in with why they are against it?

For once I TOTALLY agree with Jack, the OP simply asked for some advice... not opinions on why it needs done or if it needs done... this site would be so much better if everyone here didn't think there opinion matters so much and just stick with answering the questions that are asked.

And the advise given essentially amounts to "WHY BOTHER"...

 

[coloradoclyde]

Did anyone mention that defarbing could potentially lower the value of a gun....That said, I have some I would gladly defarb if there was an easy way.

 

[Claude Mathis]

I just don't understand why someone would go through all the effort for something insignificant..?

I don't think the original poster was asking for, or cares about your understanding. I think he is looking for help if it can be done, not whether you think it's a good idea or not.

Why is it, whenever someone asks about something, so many have to chime in with why they are against it?

For once I TOTALLY agree with Jack, the OP simply asked for some advice... not opinions on why it needs done or if it needs done... this site would be so much better if everyone here didn't think there opinion matters so much and just stick with answering the questions that are asked.

I look at it like this......
If someone was looking for advice on suicide, They would probably get my opinion instead of instructions...
Opinions can be useful....If they make you think...

I agree, if there is an element of danger involved, it's wise to give some advice.

But sometimes, for example - all the person wants is a good brand of black dye for his shoes and what he gets is nasty comments about how someone only likes brown shoes. Not helpful or on topic. :wink:

 

[coloradoclyde]

True!....But often questions posted are extremely vague.....
As to defarbing... One should consider the possible legal implications.....

A modern gun with a serial# removed would be illegal and a muzzleloader with one removed would make it difficult to confirm ownership in the case of stolen goods....
If I were a gunsmith and someone wanted me to defarb a gun, red flags would go up. I would also record it and re-stamp the underside of the barrel.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Anyone know a smith who can remove barrel markings and what it might cost, including browning?

So far BillnPatti suggested "any good gunsmith".

Others? I truly don't know anyone who does it. Some might if asked.

I don't tamper but I can appreciate where seeing "Read Manual Before Use, Use Blackpowder Only" would get me down.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

As for defarbing. The one thing I will not even consider buying, is a defarbed cap and ball revolver. I don't know if it was an FIE, ASM or other piece of junk. A POS revolver can be defarbed and polished up to look new and peddled as a current model, or rusted up and beat and sold as an original. Alteration is the first thing a manufacturer will scream when there is a defect that harms a person. Some barrels are already thin enough and then have a green horn filing off a sixteenth of an inch, It will look stupid and be potentially dangerous.

As for opinion about defarbing. Even in medicine there is informed consent. Has the poster considered the possible implications of doing it. We simply don't know. Man we talk about the very fine points of precision shooting and folks go all Davy and Daniel about the subject. "Davy didn't do that" Yeah, well Davy did not design his gun, somebody else did. If there is a way to improve on what Davy had why not? But when it comes to defarbing over somehow being a little more historically correct, Why? It ranks right up there with treking while wearing fruit of the looms and taking your cell phone. Of course it is his gun. But make sure he has really thought it out before spending time and resources that could be spent on something more useful. There is quite a learning curve to black powder stuff. Some jump in at various places. The OP may have perfectly good reasons for what he asked, or perhaps he never really thought about it, but assumed it would be far more historically correct.

 

[Billnpatti]

I will fully agree that there are times when defarbing is just not the thing to do and should not be done. Many good examples have been cited on this thread. However, there are times when it would be nice to do it. Take a look at the photos that Eric Krewson posted earlier. I am very much of the opinion that I would not want a bunch of modern stamping on the visible flats of the barrel on the beautiful rifle in the top photo. However, Eric goes on to show an example when it would make no difference if one left the modern stamping on the barrel.

I recently built a rifle using a Pecatonica stock, L&R triggers and an R.E. Davis lock. The barrel was a T/C barrel and I didn't like the look of the modern stamping on the rifle that I built so I filed it off and browned the barrel. The resultant rifle looks a lot better with a brown barrel and without the modern stamping. If I had been simply re-stocking a T/C rifle with a T/C stock it would not have been worth the work to defarb the barrel because I would still have had a T/C rifle. Now, I have a custom rifle that just happens to have been built using a T/C barrel. It's what I wanted....it's my rifle.....You just have to cut us wild men a bit of slack sometimes.

 

[bangfxr]

Some want the look of the weapon without the modern stamping like on my musket to have it fit in with other muskets. I did not remove the serial number as I sometimes do events at federal parks and military bases and the weapons have to be registered by Regulations.

 

[BigSkyRambler]

Wow! Just, wow. Been in the process of moving and have not looked in since the first couple of responses. I must say, I do like a "spirited" discussion on the pros and cons of this or that. With that said, it is just a matter of aesthetics. Neither gun is a high end one. The first is a USA made CVA Mountain Rifle and the other is an older Ardesa "Hawken." Neither have the giant billboard markings seen today and I just thought they might look a little "cleaner" with markings gone. Have had a number of custom MLs over the years, but kind of fell out of it. Now I just want to mess around with MLs again, but on the cheap. Still, I have my quirks - just like everyone else. I think we can all move on and I will endeavor to persevere and give it a shot on my own. I am older with more patience than when I messed up the first try many years ago, which prompted the original query.

 

[Lonegun1894]

Wow! Still, I have my quirks - just like everyone else HERE.

There, I fixed it for ya!

On a serious note, I say do what you want, and I have done exactly the same to a couple of mine. The only consideration I would add, now knowing that one of them is a US-made CVA Mountain Rifle, is that I want to say the US made ones bring more than the Spanish made ones if you should ever decide to sell it. But personally, do whatever makes you happy. I did my own with a file and some sand paper as has been described.

 

[tenngun]

Did anyone mention that defarbing could potentially lower the value of a gun....That said, I have some I would gladly defarb if there was an easy way.

That's a good point. I don't think it would decrease the value in our community but may even add to its value. Out side of our community it may hit a snag.
That said I do stuff to help me enjoy the activity not to enhance its resale value.
The Hawken shop used to sell stuff that could go on a tc hawken and make it look more like the real thing. It didn't fool anyone but the gun looked better, and I'm sure people who bought it thought it money well spent.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Defarbing a CVA could be a nasty surprise for the next owner if he tried to unbreach it....I'm still in favor of re-stamping the underside....

 

[Zonie]

Do give some consideration to messing with the "Made in America" CVA Mountain Rifle.

These are rather rare and always bring a good price.

If the markings are removed it won't be worth a cent more than a regular, made in Spain Mountain Rifle.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

OK something I read years ago came back to me. Under title 18 PA Consolidated statutes section 6117, no person shall remove, obliterate, alter the manufacturer's number integral to the frame or receiver.

This is where everybody jumps and says but under federal law, muzzle loaders are not firearms.

And then I point out, that under PA law, this section applies to any firearm which is defined as: any weapon "designed to or may readily be converted to expel any projectile by the action of an explosive or the frame or receiver of such weapon".

Possession of such a firearm is a presumption that the person in possession is the one that removed the number. It is a class 2 felony.

So defarbing the numbers from a cap and ball revolver could also land you in some hot water. Don't come to a re enactment at Gettysburg with such a weapon.

Yes a dumb law! I did not pass it. The legiscritters did, back in 1972.