Need replacement barrel- do I have to go custom?

[Dacroost]

Background first. For the last year or so I have been looking for a replacement barrel for a Uberti Santa Fe Hawken. My rifle was purchased back in 85 ( serial number 6900). Well over the years of lending it out to get folks started the barrel has been abused and is pitted.. This gun shoots the .520 round ball and was a tack driver well past 100 yards. It still shoots fair but it has to be cleaned between each shot and the patches are coming out frayed with holes.
I seem to have a dilemma as I cannot find a replacement barrel nor have I found a company that will make me one. Maybe I am not looking in the right places or using the right search words but I feel I have exhausted my ability to find a answer
Any suggestions? Thank you.

 

[hawkeye2]

Send it to Bobby Hoyt and have him reline it, any caliber, any twist. Far cheaper than buying and possibly having to fit a replacement barrel.

Bobby Hoyt
Freischutz Shop
2379 Mt Hope Rd Fairfield
PA 17320
ph# 717-642-6696

 

[Kansas Jake]

Hawkeye gave you the correct answer. Bobby has a great reputation here.

 

[Grimord]

Another possibility is to continue to use the current barrel, but use a wool felt over powder wad in your loading sequence. It should cut down on the shredding of patches, and the necessity of swabbing the bore after every shot. It has worked for me with several older guns that were "cleaning neglected" by the previous owners.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Another possibility is to continue to use the current barrel, but use a wool felt over powder wad in your loading sequence. It should cut down on the shredding of patches, and the necessity of swabbing the bore after every shot. It has worked for me with several older guns that were "cleaning neglected" by the previous owners.

Send it to Bobby Hoyt and have him reline it, any caliber, any twist. Far cheaper than buying and possibly having to fit a replacement barrel.

BOTH are excellent ideas, BUT first, get an inexpensive endoscope from eBay that you can use with your cell phone. Run it down the bore and see where the worst of the pitting is.

I've known two fellows with "older" barrel problems, on loaners. One had a pitted area right where the patched ball would sit on the powder. Seems somebody had used a conical and somehow got a lead "ring" at that same spot and that made cleaning quite tough and resulted in pits. When the lead was finally removed, as the actual owner was a pure patched roundball guy..., the damage had been done. The other fellow had a rifle returned with a ringed barrel, again right were the patched ball was going to sit.

They both added cornmeal or grits on top of the powder as a "filler" to prevent the patched ball from going far enough down that it would come into contact with the damaged area. Now yes it's an added couple of steps in loading, but it did suffice for them both. Besides that was three decades ago, and they had not heard of Mr. Hoyt.

So anyway get a scope, you won't be disappointed and take a good look, then decide what you need to do. The nice bit is that Mr. Hoyt is rather reasonable to say the least..., especailly compared to a barrel replacement...

LD

 

[frankie]

Send it to Bobby Hoyt and have him reline it, any caliber, any twist. Far cheaper than buying and possibly having to fit a replacement barrel.

Bobby Hoyt
Freischutz Shop
2379 Mt Hope Rd Fairfield
PA 17320
ph# 717-642-6696

totally agree