Honing pitted barrel.

[Gooddaytoya!]

This is my first post. I have a 62 caliber percussion rifle that is not fancy, but it needed some work when I got it, and the gunsmith used red locktite on the beechplug threads. So I couldn't remove the breach plug for routine cleaning. It's really hard to clean down to a dead end. I finally used a friend's oxy-acetylene torch to heat and remove the breach plug. Now I can see etching and pitting inside the barrel, worse at the butt, not so bad at the front. I read up on honing barrels, and it looks plausible that it could reduce the problem. The method is the one where you cast a 1 inch lead plug at the top of the barrel over a push - pull rod that's inserted from the butt end. You next small grooves in the plug and load them with hunting compound and push and pull the plug back and forth through the barrel changing the plug a few times as it loosens up. Supposedly you can get fair results from doing this. My question is have any of you had experience with this? (I tried calling barrel reboring businesses but I think they're swamped.)

 

[Mulebrain]

Welcome

The breech plug should never be removed for routine cleaning. I think what your describing is what we call slugging the bore. I have never done it, but it can be done with good results. I would however send the barrel to Bobby Hoyt, and let him go at it.

 

[52Bore]

You seem to describe- lapping a barrel.
Removing small imperfections is possible, but not pitting…

 

[Tasbay]

How did it shoot with the barrel like it is? If it shot well enough then I`d just leave well alone until it dosn`t group well.

 

[troy2000]

How did it shoot with the barrel like it is? If it shot well enough then I`d just leave well alone until it dosn`t group well.

Good point. I have one old Russian unmentionable with a bore that looks like seven miles of bad gravel road, and somehow it groups as well as the others I own anyway.

 

[necchi]

Is it's rifled or a smooth bore?
We don't see too many 62 cal rifles(?)
Make, Model, Brand? More info will help.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

Many pitted guns and rifles still shoot well if the pitting is near the back end. A .451 CBL I have still hold tight groups out to 300yds with bad pitting in front of the chamber and even a minor ring bulge 2" from the muzzle. If you use a CBL always rod it thru' after each shot as there may be some bits of the last cartridge left in the bore. "Ups" another ring bulge or "Worse" . OLD DOG..

 

[rich pierce]

Lapping will work for superficial rust but will not remove real pitting. Getting 0.001” taken off lands and grooves by lapping is an all day affair.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

I was told years ago that one way to lap a barrel was to use bullets with the canalures filled with Motor value lapping paste. Any one tried it?? O.D.

 

[Notchy Bob]

What is a CBL? That's a new one to me.

I would agree that the original poster is describing lapping the barrel. It is true, though, that some barrels can shoot well, even if they are not mirror bright.

I would question the judgement of the "gunsmith" who used Loctite, whether red or blue, on a breechplug. Anti-seize compound or even some sort of grease would be the way to go. I would agree with @Mulebrain that you don't want to unbreech a muzzleloader for routine cleaning, but there may be occasions when unbreeching is necessary. If tolerances are very tight, this job can be hard enough without Loctite. Some sort of anti-seize product on those threads before the plug goes back in would be the right thing to do. I have never heard of a properly-fitted breechplug spontaneously "backing out" under any circumstance.

Good luck with your project! By all means, let us know how it works out.

Notchy Bob

 

[Gooddaytoya!]

Is it's rifled or a smooth bore?
We don't see too many 62 cal rifles(?)
Make, Model, Brand? More info will help.

Thank you for your replies. It's rifled, with a twist rate of about 1 in 100. Patch and ball are exactly 0.61. I don't know what this rifle replicates but it looks like a plains rifle. I bought it sight unseen from an out-of-state seller because of its large caliber, big mistake, I'll never deal with out of state private people again because you can't go after them if they rip you off. Like I said the rifle had problems. What's really bothering me about the bore is that it's rough enough that I can feel the patched ball pushing past/snagging at the imperfections. It occurred to me that that this might restrain the ball when I fire, causing some kind of dangerous explosive accident. I couldn't shake that idea so I put the rifle away. But I would like to shoot it. After I posted I read a lot of posts about shooting through rough bores, and that gives me hope that I can probably shoot this trifle again. What I'm going to do is hone it his best I can with a cast slug, and settle for it as it turns out. I hope to send it out to be rebored.

 

[SDSmlf]

What's really bothering me about the bore is that it's rough enough that I can feel the patched ball pushing past/snagging at the imperfections. It occurred to me that that this might restrain the ball when I fire, causing some kind of dangerous explosive accident……. …… What I'm going to do is hone it his best I can with a cast slug, and settle for it as it turns out. I hope to send it out to be rebored.

If you can seat the patched ball on the powder, it should be safe to shoot, although if as rough as you say, the patched may get damaged and accuracy could suffer.

If your lapping doesn’t work or help much, you could always have the bore refreshed (removes enough metal to clear out the pits), rebored to a larger caliber or have it reclined (gives you the option of keeping the same caliber).

 

[Rudyard]

What is a CBL? That's a new one to me.

I would agree that the original poster is describing lapping the barrel. It is true, though, that some barrels can shoot well, even if they are not mirror bright.

I would question the judgement of the "gunsmith" who used Loctite, whether red or blue, on a breechplug. Anti-seize compound or even some sort of grease would be the way to go. I would agree with @Mulebrain that you don't want to unbreech a muzzleloader for routine cleaning, but there may be occasions when unbreeching is necessary. If tolerances are very tight, this job can be hard enough without Loctite. Some sort of anti-seize product on those threads before the plug goes back in would be the right thing to do. I have never heard of a properly-fitted breechplug spontaneously "backing out" under any circumstance.

Good luck with your project! By all means, let us know how it works out
CBL Capping breach loader like a WR Monkey tail or Calisher & Terry.
Rudyard

 

[Whitworth]

I'd Scotchbrite it to try and smooth it up a bit, or send it to Mr. Hoyt. My barrel took about 2 months to get done.

 

[Tasbay]

Have a go with scotch Bright or 400 grit emery paper on a ramrod up and down the barrel in one solid swipe 30-60 times just to polish it. Then shoot the hell out of it.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I have had good results lapping bores with lead slugs and lapping compounds. Remember to use a "throw away" rod with a bore protector . Since most pitting is usually in the grooves and the slug is a mirror image of the bore I use a short slug and a hacksaw blade to gut the groves in the slug deeper so I am making contact with the groves in the barrel rather than the lands.You don'y have to remove all of the pitting, just "smoothing " the pitting often will improve the shooting.

 

[Gooddaytoya!]

I have had good results lapping bores with lead slugs and lapping compounds. Remember to use a "throw away" rod with a bore protector . Since most pitting is usually in the grooves and the slug is a mirror image of the bore I use a short slug and a hacksaw blade to gut the groves in the slug deeper so I am making contact with the groves in the barrel rather than the lands.You don'y have to remove all of the pitting, just "smoothing " the pitting often will improve the shooting.

Great idea!

 

[rich pierce]

If the current bore is near .60, and it is an original, there’s a chance the breechplug is not much bigger than the bore. This could limit how far the barrel could be re-bored to a bigger caliber while retaining the original breechplug.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

Bob, Rudyard beat me to it. CBL as he says is a CAPPING BREACH LOADER (allowed by the forum) Mine is an uncommon one from Cooper & Goodman 1861 Made in B'ham UK.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

The CBL shown is also qualified in it's Patent that it may be used as a Muzzle loader if you run out of cartridges. I have shot this one from 100 to 1000yds to good effect as an ML. Have never managed to get the cartridges to shoot well at longer ranges. The rear sight is one of mine in the spirit of the Victorian sight makers.. OLD DOG..