Making a Traditions Kentucky into a smooth bore?

[Hawken1980]

Good evening all,

I have come into a second Traditions Kentucky rifle kit (percussion) I have a completed Flintlock already.

I’m thinking it would make a cool smooth bore for small game and turkey.

How much could the bore be opened up!
Also who would you guys recommend?

 

[Rock Home Isle]

What calibre are we starting at and what are the external barrel dimensions?

If you find someone to do the work, they can take it out quite a bit. Usually though you just go up a calibre or so... .40 out to a .45 or .50 out to a .54 or a .56...

 

[Hawken1980]

What calibre are we starting at and what are the external barrel dimensions?

If you find someone to do the work, they can take it out quite a bit. Usually though you just go up a calibre or so... .40 out to a .45 or .50 out to a .54 or a .56...

It is a 50 caliber I’m assuming it is a 15/16 inch barrel?

 

[Ponderosaman]

My pops, smoothbore .69 Springfield didn’t pattern well past 15 yards for turkey, but we were using #4 and I think a 1 ounce shot charge. In comparison my modern 12 gauge with #6 turkey loads and fixed modified patterned well up to about 30 yards. If I had to guess, that 15 yards is about the best you’d do with the equivalent of a 28-20 gauge for turkey. But if that’s what you are going for, I’d say do it.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

It is a 50 caliber I’m assuming it is a 15/16 inch barrel?

So with a 15/16th barrel...it could be taken out to a .54 calibre, that would be a 28 gauge smoothbore. I love 28 gauges, they're kind of a niche gauge, but they are so much fun to take afield.

They do well with a 3/4 ounce load...65 grains of powder, same volume shot.

 

[Hawken1980]

Any recommendations on a service to due the conversion?

 

[Flintlock]

I don't know if the breech should ever be removed from a CVA or Traditions, would have to check,. Don't know if a barrel can be properly bored without removing the breach plug.

 

[necchi]

I don't know if the breech should ever be removed from a CVA or Traditions, would have to check,. Don't know if a barrel can be properly bored without removing the breach plug.

He's right, most of the Pro's won't touch it because of the way CVA installs the breech and drum, the liability issues are too great for pro's to accept. T/C and Lyman can be done, but the cross-thread Spanish breech is a no-go for a smoothy..

 

[Hawken1980]

So it looks like it’s a no go for smooth ore than. Bummer

 

[Musketeer]

Bummer for sure. Assuming there's nothing wrong with the bore, you can still just shoot it as is, of course, but smoothbores are a lot of fun and such a conversion would have given you some flexibility.

 

[Britsmoothy]

My pops, smoothbore .69 Springfield didn’t pattern well past 15 yards for turkey, but we were using #4 and I think a 1 ounce shot charge. In comparison my modern 12 gauge with #6 turkey loads and fixed modified patterned well up to about 30 yards. If I had to guess, that 15 yards is about the best you’d do with the equivalent of a 28-20 gauge for turkey. But if that’s what you are going for, I’d say do it.

It'll do better than that sir.

 

[Britsmoothy]

So with a 15/16th barrel...it could be taken out to a .54 calibre, that would be a 28 gauge smoothbore. I love 28 gauges, they're kind of a niche gauge, but they are so much fun to take afield.

They do well with a 3/4 ounce load...65 grains of powder, same volume shot.

I put 3/4 oz in my .45 smooth rifle!

 

[Ponderosaman]

It'll do better than that sir.

I stand by my statement that a heavy load in a 28 gauge cylinder "choke" would not be reliable past 15 yards for wild turkey.

 

[Britsmoothy]

This was further than 15yds.

And this one.

.45 bore. 3/4oz or less shot.
For fifteen yard shots I'd use an airgun!

 

[Ponderosaman]

This was further than 15yds.
View attachment 65000
And this one.
View attachment 65001
.45 bore. 3/4oz or less shot.
For fifteen yard shots I'd use an airgun!

Beautiful birds, not wild turkeys. A wild turkey is best killed with a head shot. I want 7 pellets of #6 or larger in the spine or brain of the bird. It’s actually quite a small area. Even small holes in your pattern will maim and not kill a wild turkey. They are tough emmers and will run a quarter mile before having the sense to die.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Beautiful birds, not wild turkeys. A wild turkey is best killed with a head shot. I want 7 pellets of #6 or larger in the spine or brain of the bird. It’s actually quite a small area. Even small holes in your pattern will maim and not kill a wild turkey. They are tough emmers and will run a quarter mile before having the sense to die.

Absolutely. Had pheasants do the same and their heads and necks are smaller than a turkey

 

[nwtradegun]

no one i know will rebore a cva or traditions due to breachplug design

 

[Kev308]

Can someone explain what a cross thread breech is?
thanks
Kevin

 

[User_Dan]

Wrap some sand paper around your cleaning Jag and get to work

 

[bubba.50]

Can someone explain what a cross thread breech is?
thanks
Kevin

The breechplug is threaded in then the hole for the drum is drilled crossways into the breechplug’s chamber area and the drum threaded through locking all the parts together. There’s cutaway pictures of it on here you could probably use search and find them.

And then after the drum is installed, a long drill is used to drill the chamber area which goes through both the plug and the drum.