Making unusual barrel shapes

[TobJohn]

Is it a safe and practical consideration to machine barrels for replicas of old and unusual weapons? My interest is for short barrels, like handgonnes and early pistols, where the barrel is not always bored through the entire length, or has a complicated profile.

Is it generally unsafe to try and mill/lathe/drill? If not, is there a good steel to use?

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

No problem. Just make sure your steel will hold up. 12L14 is good for muzzleloaders.

 

[Rifleman1776]

If you are a good machinist using good steel, probably safe. But, a good idea? Mebbe not. Consider why these styles vanished. Experimentation did not always produce a superior performer. I once had a .72 cal. rifle with a deep Nock breech. It worked but had issues. Straight would have been more better.

 

[TobJohn]

If you are a good machinist using good steel, probably safe. But, a good idea? Mebbe not. Consider why these styles vanished. Experimentation did not always produce a superior performer. I once had a .72 cal. rifle with a deep Nock breech. It worked but had issues. Straight would have been more better.

It would be for historically curiosity (ignoring that they were forged and not machined, obviously) and fun, not performance. I am considering it for a future self introduction into making a wheellock, so reliability would be probably be abysmal anyways.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

FYI, that top octagonal one pictured is the Tannenberg hand gonne circa 1360s and a bronze copy in 62-cal can be had for $2000 from The Rifle Shoppe. Mine shoots awesome!

 

[HSmithTX]

I would make them two piece if using steel, if your machining is good you can thread the breech and make whatever is needed for the breech end, once installed it will be extremely difficult to impossible to detect the joint visually. It will also reduce your costs significantly, yes it is two pieces but when you can buy a commercial barrel, cut a couple threads and machine it to what you want it will be cheaper than working deep in a bore. On brass/bronze I can't offer anything, other than good luck!

 

[TobJohn]

FYI, that top octagonal one pictured is the Tannenberg hand gonne circa 1360s and a bronze copy in 62-cal can be had for $2000 from The Rifle Shoppe. Mine shoots awesome!

You are correct. It’s the first google image cut profile I could find. For the bottom gun, the museum says there is an extended breechplug, that the stock slots in. I am not sure if they actually mean it’s all one piece, or there really is a separate plug. I am going to see it in person next month, so maybe I will find some enlightenment.

 

[TobJohn]

I would make them two piece if using steel, if your machining is good you can thread the breech and make whatever is needed for the breech end, once installed it will be extremely difficult to impossible to detect the joint visually. It will also reduce your costs significantly, yes it is two pieces but when you can buy a commercial barrel, cut a couple threads and machine it to what you want it will be cheaper than working deep in a bore. On brass/bronze I can't offer anything, other than good luck!

That’s one thing I was considering. I was thing about getting a very thick octagon barrel and lathing the correct profile. One reason I was thinking fully home made, is the very inconsistent supply of barrels.

 

[HSmithTX]

I would imagine you could get round barrels pretty easily too, just call the makers and ask if they will pull one and sell it to you before it goes to the mill for slabbing. Even if it's quite a bit bigger in diameter it will be easier to get shaped if you don't have to cut the octagon back to round, you need a fairly heavy lathe to do that effectively.

 

[TobJohn]

I would imagine you could get round barrels pretty easily too, just call the makers and ask if they will pull one and sell it to you before it goes to the mill for slabbing. Even if it's quite a bit bigger in diameter it will be easier to get shaped if you don't have to cut the octagon back to round, you need a fairly heavy lathe to do that effectively.

Sounds like a good idea. I will check with the machinist (my father) and see what capabilities his shop has.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Hey ... make it 2-pieces - barrel and breech plug ... and have your Dad make 2 ... 1 for me!

 

[TobJohn]

Hey ... make it 2-pieces - barrel and breech plug ... and have your Dad make 2 ... 1 for me!

Lol can do. You can figure out how to make a left hand version of one of those really early wheellock pistols. We now know they had left hand matchlock guns at the time, so with a sample size of only two pistols, whose to say they DIDNT have left hand ones.

 

[beardedhorse]

TobJohn, Two weekends ago I was able to handle shootable matchlocks, a wheel lock pistol and hand gonne. If your pyrite is good and the gearing sound, the wheel lock should be very good for ignition, not abysmal. Would love to see you make a left hand wheel lock pistol. I think that a separate screw in breech plug would be safer and less of a headache to stock.

 

[TobJohn]

TobJohn, Two weekends ago I was able to handle shootable matchlocks, a wheel lock pistol and hand gonne. If your pyrite is good and the gearing sound, the wheel lock should be very good for ignition, not abysmal. Would love to see you make a left hand wheel lock pistol. I think that a separate screw in breech plug would be safer and less of a headache to stock.

I have some schematics to make a really early one (the thread is in the pre flintlock section), but it turns out the plans have every detail about the original wrong. The real one does not even have a wood stock!

In a couple of months, I am now thinking about trying to build the Royal Armouries one I posted at the top:
Wheellock pistol Early example with exposed lock - Royal Armouries collections

I am meeting my dad in England next month, so I figure it is a good opportunity to see the original (if it is still on display) and discuss the practicality of machining a barrel and plug.

I am right handed, but Flint62Smoothie is lefthanded, so the conversion would all be on him.