? on Nipple tapping Please all read and input!!!

[hawkchucker]

OK While in Maine this week I came upon a gentleman selling a Smoothbore rifle. Damaskis barrell, aprox 20 guage, single trigger, Iron furniture, wedge pin half stock.

This smoothbore is beautiful and the cherry? stock is an absolutely georgous burl. It still also has decorative engraving on the barrell, and a gold inlaid band on the rear of the barrell,next to the drum. The drum is basically a square piece, with a little engraving on it. Front sight is only a little "bump that is silver soldered on. Lock is embellished a little, but the gun has not one makers mark, or stamp on it?

The guy wants only 200$ for it, but it has 2 small problems.

It is sans the original rod(no biggie)
And it appears to have had its nipple blown out or possibly siezed in it and broken when someone tried to remove it.

So my question is Can an older gun be tapped for another sized nipple SAFELY? is it worth it? Who wants to do it?

Side bar Can this muzzleloader be safely shot now with the Dimaskis barrell? It has NO rust or pitting. The inside is also smooth as a babys butt!

Thank. I have got to up again this weekend and let him know if I want it.

 

[RMillet]

hawkchucker,

If the gun is in as good a condition as you say it's most definately worth $200. There's no doubt it could be restored. The real question is should it be restored? If the barrel is that good I'm quite sure it's safe to shoot with reasonable loads of blackpowder although I'd want to proof it first anyway. The problem with restoring it is that you may well significantly reduce it's collector value. If that's not a concern I'm sure any reasonably competent builder could either fix the drum or replace it. :m2c:

Dick

 

[bioprof]

My TOTW catalog has oversize nipples that they state can be used to restore antique rifles with rusty nipple threads or blown out nipples, so apparently, it is done sometimes. If I remember correctly, they even have the oversize taps to install them. They are just a fraction of an inch, e.g. 0.005", oversize.