Joe Wood Coning Tool Question

[jbwilliams3]

Hello, Gents.

I have a question for anyone who has used one of Joe Wood's coning tools: Is it necessary to remove the barrel from the stock in order to use the tool? The gent from whom I might be buying one from said that it did, but I want to know why. He didn't really answer my question. I don't care for taking barrels out if I don't have to.

Thanks!

James

 

[Swamp Rat]

You don't have to. A lot easier to mess it up if you don't, but you don't have too. You can hang the gun with the barrel vertical keep things straight. You need to be able to rotate the barrel as you work so you don't take more off one side than the other.

 

[jamieorr]

Coning is an interesting topic. As well as threads on this forum, there has been a lot of discussion over on the ALR forum with both sides well represented. My subjective impression was that most of those who favour coning also like the Woods tool. Regarding the question asked here, it does not require the barrel to be removed.

For fairness, I have to mention there are also some very experienced shooters on that forum who feel that coning is likely to harm accuracy. They tend to favour "crowning" over coning - putting a very short bevel on the muzzle, mostly with emery paper over their thumb.

I wanted to stop my patches tearing. As a one-gun guy, I don't have first had knowledge on coning/crowning, but I picked a couple of experienced contributors who laid out their reasoning very clearly, and am following their advice. Haven't had a chance to test anything yet.

 

[LRB]

I would advise thinking it over very well before doing it. Some love it, some others claim accuracy loss. Consider it well. Once done, there is no changing back without cutting off that part of the barrel.

 

[BrownBear]

Is it necessary to remove the barrel from the stock in order to use the tool? The gent from whom I might be buying one from said that it did, but I want to know why.

I have 4 of his coning tools and have used them many times with complete happiness. Lots of folks form opinions without actually trying coning. To each his own.

As for removing the barrel from the stock, I started out that way, rotating the barrel rather than the tool. In that case it's certainly easier to get consistent pressure compared to leaving it in the stock. I have since been using a tap wrench on the tool with the gun in my gun vise. Works perfectly without removing the barrel.

 

[Coot]

I have used a Joe Woods coning tool on several guns. I particularly like the results on pistols for loading in the field. The instructions that I got were to turn the barrel with one hand & the tool in the opposite direction with the other hand - if this is done, it reduces the chance of unconsciously putting more pressure against one side of the barrel than the other. Coning needs to be concentric with the barrel & the two handed method seems to be effective.

 

[Vaino]

Coning is a muzzle treatment that some don't like but from many responses, works out well for easier loading and w/ no loss in accuracy,

I plan on coning my son's Hawken which previously was mine and am confident that the accuracy will remain the same.

How far to go w/ the coning is an important concern seeing my son loads the PRB from a loading block....so, as the coning proceeds, the PRB will be "fitted" to the cone so as to not lose control and have the patch skewed asre the RB.

The advice from shooters of coned muzzles is that the short starter is no longer needed....just start and ram the PRB home from a loading block using the RR. This to me is a good reason to cone the muzzle.

If a PRB is loaded by itself, just thumb pressure is needed to start the PRB followed w/ the RR.

Either way, a coned muzzle facilitates easier loading......Fred

 

[jbwilliams3]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm very familiar with coning and have had two guns with coned muzzles both of which shot very well. My question was centered on the need to remove the barrel from the stock and the consensus seems to be that removal is best.

 

[MSW]

late to the party, but I'd go ahead and remove the barrel, so that you can turn the whole deal with both hands at the same time and keep everything more or less in a straight line... I coned my barrels before I installed the breech plugs, letting the breech end roll on a bit of folded up cloth.

Good luck with your project!

 

[M. De Land]

I don't think you will see many coned muzzles on the line at Friendship though just as you won't find many swamped barrels.
These guys know what makes top accuracy and are good models to emulate.

 

[BrownBear]

...on the line at Friendship though just as you won't find many swamped barrels....

That's a whole nuther topic. Guys I know who cone are hunters rather than range rats seeking the last 1/10" in group size. They'd much rather figure out how to stalk 10 yards closer than last year, and they spend their practice days in the field with animals rather than on the range with guys who might never draw blood in their whole shooting career.

Kinda like comparing what modern benchrest shooters do for accuracy with the guys traipsing the swamps for moose.

Different set of needs for coning and even swamped barrels. Just like you won't see many modern moose hunters lugging bull barrel single-shots and assembling their rounds one at a time on the bench rest as they shoot.

 

[jbwilliams3]

I don't think you will see many coned muzzles on the line at Friendship though just as you won't find many swamped barrels.
These guys know what makes top accuracy and are good models to emulate.

I know what makes for top accuracy: chunk gun barrels with false muzzles and loading techniques that were developed in the second half of the 19th century. Better yet, put a scope on the barrel, convert to percusion and shoot conicals - or just scrap the muzzle loading and buy a centerfire firearm. :wink: There are different facets of this hobby or even hobbies within the hobby... As for me, my interest in historical weapons leads me to utilize them in the way they were used in the period in which they were new. If I were a chunk gun shooter, I would emulate chunk gun shooters. As it is, I can put a ball consistently in the kill zone of a deer at 100 yards off hand with a rifle with a coned muzzle and that's a standard I appreciate. Anyhow, to each his own.