New member with a Barrel question

[TomWaits]

Howdy,
I am a new member of the forum. Have spent some time reading through quite a few of the post and am really enjoying several different subject areas. Mainly here and the Fur Trade era. I am confident that I can get some good info after what I have seen so far.
Here is my delema. I have a 54 cal barrel that is pitted from severe lack of care while on loan to family. Nuff said about that. Bore scope revealed pitting on lands and groves from breeh to muzzel.
Lead lapping may help but gunsmith did't think there was any hope. I guess the good side is that I can't hurt it by trying to fix it. Other option is to have it rebored to 56 cal,or so. At one time, it was a real shooter. The barrel is bedded in and the hook breech souldered solid. The barrel is an old Green River from when they were in Rosevelt Ut,so the steel is probabley worth re-working.?
Any info or suggestions on the re-bore or lapping are appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Tom

 

[M. De Land]

Lapping will not remove pitting but will certainly smooth up the bore. Very often pitted bores will shoot round patched balls just as good as they ever did if the patches don't tear.
The down side is they usually foul worse than non-pitted bores do. MD

 

[LRB]

get it re-bored. Ed Rayl if he will do it.

 

[jamesthomas]

Depending on how bad it is you could see if you could get it rebored to a .56 smoothbore. That's is if they could break loose the soldered on breech plug.

 

[frogwalking]

I think he said the "hooked breech shouldered solid" not soldered solid.

 

[Keb]

I think he means the standing breech is soldered to the barrel making it one piece. Makes sense to me.

 

[TomWaits]

First of all, Thanks for all the responces.
Looks like my best option is to find someone whot can rework the barrel. Will try to make a couple contacts tomorrow and check that out. I love the old gun but it is only worth so much.
Yes, I ment soldered the tang to the breech plug. It is solid core plumbers solder so will not be a problem to reverse. No solder in the actual plug to barrel joint. (I tried to think of how I could make the soulder/solder thing look like I really ment soulder but I came upwith nothing.) I ment soldered the breech
The old gun is a Hawken replica that was my first attempt so it has sentamental value more then anything. Its not exact but its close. The barrel, set trigger and lock are the only parts that I didnt make myself. Used scraps of angle iron, pipe and sheet metal to make all other parts, mostly with hacksaw and files. No, it aint all that purty but, before the "incedent", it would shoot agroups in a ragged hole at 50 yards. Hope I can save it.
Thanks agn,
Tom

 

[fleener]

Tom

I would clean it up and shoot it as is and just see how it shoots. If it don't shoot good, then rebore it.

Fleener

 

[TomWaits]

Just want to say thanks agn, the barrel is in the mail on its way to Ed Rayl in WV. With a little luck, I may have it back in operation by BP season here in WI.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm112/ac5jh/f91a47d2-88e2-4276-8c0c-6ac27b171210.jpg
This is a link to a pic of the rifle in photobucket. Trying to figger out how to post pictures.

Thanks agn for the advice
Tom

 

[kaintuck]

get it re-bored. Ed Rayl if he will do it.

ditto..........