I.D help wanted.

[flntlokr]

A friend aquired a very heavy-barrelled .40 smoothbore. The barrel is 28", Octogon to round, about 1 1/8 diameter. Fancy walnut(?) halfstock with finely engraved silver hardware, stamped 'Remington' at the breech end below the Drum. It may be a flint conversion. I suspect that it was/is a custom bench gun, but why smoothbore? Any ideas?

 

[Grenadier1758]

Have you checked to see if the muzzle is coned? I agree. It just doesn't seem right for that barrel to be smoothbored. Does it have set triggers?

Okay, for the usual request. We need pictures (and more information).

 

[flntlokr]

Have you checked to see if the muzzle is coned? I agree. It just doesn't seem right for that barrel to be smoothbored. Does it have set triggers?

Okay, for the usual request. We need pictures (and more information).

Original triggers long gone, but there is a fly in the tumbler so...? I'll try to get some pics, and I'll see if I can get my bore scope down there. The owner is curious as well.

 

[flntlokr]

Have you checked to see if the muzzle is coned? I agree. It just doesn't seem right for that barrel to be smoothbored. Does it have set triggers?

Okay, for the usual request. We need pictures (and more information).

Got a much better look at the gun today. Borescope shows evidence of rifling about 4" down the bore, so possibly coned. The owner is going to clean it up inside, and we will get a much better idea of things then. May have indeed been a slug gun as someone suggested.

 

[flntlokr]

Mystery solved folks! The owner scored an old book about Remington fireaems, and lo and bhold, a perfect match for his rifle is shown. (minus the fancy silverware) It is a Remington match rifle ca. 1850. He will definately be doing some restoration work on it. Anybody know if it is a ball or bullet shooter?

 

[Eterry]

Until it's cleaned thoroughly, it's hard to say if it's smooth or rifled.

That time period was rife with experimentation. There were probably a dozen different styles of rifling back then. Some very shallow for use with conicals.

Until it's been well (but gently) cleaned you don't know what you have.

Remington sold barrels to the trade, usually blanks, and the 'Smith bored it to caliber and rifled it. That maybe the Genesis of the smooth rifle.

Btw, David Crockett had more than one 40-41 caliber rifle. He killed a warehouse of black bear with them.