Old barrel

[Tinker2]

I acquired a old Muzzleloading barrel out of pile of junk at a gun show

As I walked out with it I had a number of people stop me and want to buy this from me, they actually got quite unpleasant with me??

It is just a old rusty barrel, I may cut it up for something. It’s a old rusty barrel. Am I missing something?

It is Loaded.
Octagon barrel 34 3/4 long to the snail type percussion breach plug. Tapered from 1 inch to 7/8. Six groove rifling .50 caliber? Wide lands and narrow grooves. Very long dovetail for a missing rear sight. I could post a picture if it would make any difference.

It’s a old rusty barrel, what am I missing? I don’t want to cut up a piece of history that maybe I should not.



Thanks
Tinker2

 

[JayDee Flohr]

Post pics and please don't cut it up.

 

[Tinker2]

Ok, I took some pictures, this is just a old rusty barrel right?

Barrel

Broken tang.

Snail.

Rear sight dovetail.

Bore.

This is a rusty barrel? It’s for sure pitted. I will try to de-rust it when the weather gets better and look for any marking on it but unless it’s marked Daniel Boone or the likes is it worth doing any thing with? what would you do with it?

When I got it, my thought was maybe to cut it into pistol barrels and bore them out smooth.
I got it because it was a octagon bar with a hole through it.

I don’t have any real plans for it and I am open to your ideas.
I paid $10. for it so it’s not a big deal to me. What would you do with it?

I don’t want to cut up a piece of history that maybe I should not.



Thanks
Tinker2

 

[rafterob]

That sure as hell looks like an old rusty barrel to me. I would have sold it to the first person who offered to double my money on it.

 

[nchawkeye]

Nope, not Daniel's his was a flintlock...I might be mistaken but I believe that is the barrel from Ol' Lucifer, Kit Carson's Hawken gun...

 

[paulvallandigham]

The trick will be removing that nipple from that barrel, and cleaning the flash channel. How badly that channel is corroded will decide if you can make do with the barrel "as is ", or whether it will have to have the breech removed, and replaced. It is an old barrel- notice the shape of the rifling at the muzzle. There doesn't appear to be a muzzle crown.

Can you determine if its made of iron, or steel? When I first saw it, I thought it might be a 40+ year old Thompson barrel. But, I began having my doubts when I saw that rear sight dovetail, and then the muzzle. Determining if the barrel is steel or iron will help you narrow down the date it was made, somewhat.

You are probably going to need to remove the breechplug altogether, so that you can clean and then examine the bore. A 1/4"slice off the muzzle will give you a clean start at that end. But if you have deep pitting in the bore, you may need to have it lined, or rebored to save it. Any work you do to clean it up will increase its value to anyone else who might want to buy it, so attack that rust as soon as you can. :hatsoff:

 

[Tinker2]

I would have sold it to the first person who offered to double my money on it.

Well, I might have done just that but it is still loaded.
I won’t let it go loaded.



Tinker2

 

[Dave K]

Since you don't have a bunch of money in it, I would consider building a gun around it. Send it out to the boys that rerifle barrels for them to pass judgement on it and go from there. I wouldn't do anything to the barrel length until they had their way with it, as it may be just fine once they are done. It appears as if it may be swamped as well. It may make a heck of a nice Hawken barrel when you have it squared away.

 

[Toomuch_36]

Just form your pictures it is rather hard to say for sure. But you say it is a tapered barrel?
Before I do anything drastic I would try to have someone who deals with older guns check it out. From your discription this sounds similar to some "J.S.Hawken" barrels I have seen.

Toomuch
.............
Shoot Flint

 

[Mike Brooks]

Tomato stake.

 

[Tom Compton]

Old hot rodders trick to loosen and remove rust. Soak the iron part to be cleaned in mixture of liquid molasses and water.

I am trying it on a 57 Ford Police Interceptor block that won't turn over. Said to take 3-4 weeks depending on how much it is cut with water. Liquid molasses in 1 gallon can is about $10 but not bad if only need one gallon or less. I would use 4" PVC to make container for soaking a barrel. I am using a 55 gallon drum, 5 gal of molasses and enough H2O to cover the block.

Have an old original barrel around here that I will try next.

Here is a link to see pics of success.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=408074

 

[Tinker2]

This may help identify what the barrel is from? Are under ribs dovetailed on? I can’t tell by looking that it had a under rib and I can’t tell any signs of where the stock rubbed on it or ended. It is still loaded.
I have not done any thing. when I do, the first thing will be to unload it.

Dovetails
Front 7/8 inch long, 5 and 1/2 inches from muzzle.

Middle 1/2 inch long, 15 and 1/2 inches from muzzle, 19 and 1/2 from back of breach plug.

Rear 7/8 inch long, 28 and 1/4 inches from muzzle, 6 and 1/2 inches from the back of the breach plug.

I do appreciate all the help thanks.
Tinker2

 

[Tinker2]

Can you determine if its made of iron, or steel? When I first saw it, I thought it might be a 40+ year old Thompson barrel. But, I began having my doubts when I saw that rear sight dovetail, and then the muzzle. Determining if the barrel is steel or iron will help you narrow down the date it was made, somewhat.

Paul
I have no clue how to tell if it is steel or iron?




Thanks
Tinker2

 

[Tinker2]

Tomato stake.

Mike

You and I are in agreement but I am more then willing to buy some of your “Tomato stakes” if you have some more like this.





Tinker2

 

[Ketchakah]

Just curious...
If this is just a piece of junk that you are going to cut up... Why did you buy it? what was your idea for a project?

It looks WAY beyond salvage to me.

 

[Tinker2]

Just curious...
If this is just a piece of junk that you are going to cut up... Why did you buy it?

Mike
1. I was at a gunshow.
2. I had money in my pocket.
3. It was only $10.
4. I got it because it is a octagon bar with a hole through it.
5. As my name implies, I like to tinker.
6. I make things, I can make what ever my imagination desires.
7. Well, I can have it made.
8. I like to restore things, or have them restored.
9. It came with two old rolling block rifles and a old rolling block pistol.
10. I can’t help myself.

“what was your idea for a project?”

Maybe a couple of old looking shootable pistols? It is real vague as far as any actual ideas that were forming I my head. I am always open to options and ideas. :idunno:

“It looks WAY beyond salvage to me.”

Oh no, well maybe depending on what your ideas of what salvage is ?
I guess that depends on what I salvage it into?



Tinker2

 

[bkovire]

if you are open for ideas, one cannon, two pistols, or one nice rifle, that just my .02 btw how do you know it is loaded, see powder come out of nip, or was told that, i am thinking it was dry balled, seen a few in the pawn shops that were dry balled, some folks just don't know what they are doing.

 

[Tinker2]

if you are open for ideas, one cannon, two pistols, or one nice rifle

Bkovire
I am always open to ideas. This barrel is quite ruff inside and outside.

“how do you know it is loaded?”

I put a rod in the barrel and it is about 1 and 3/4 of a inch short from the nipple. You are right, I don’t know what is in it. but whatever is in it, it has been there a long time. I had to clean out a lot of hard built up rust to get the bore size rod down it.

I don’t know if you can tell the rifling twist by just looking down the bore with a light, and it is too ruff to do much else yet, but it look like a fast twist rate. I am just guessing, but it looks like maybe 1 in 30 ?
Six groove rifling .50 caliber? Wide lands and narrow grooves.

“some folks just don't know what they are doing”

Yes, and sometimes that me. :idunno:


Tinker2

 

Get what ever is in the breech out of it. Then make a pole lamp out of it with an ole lock that doesn't work well and make it the light switch.

 

[Tinker2]

make a pole lamp out of it with an ole lock that doesn't work well and make it the light switch.

Woodhick
Well...... I have bought lamps and turned them back into working guns.




Thanks
Tinker2