rough breech H&R Stalker

[sagestrat]

Hello,
I've been reading this forum for ages, and now I finally have a gun and a question. I tried searching with no luck...I was given a 45 H&R Stalker that had been left loaded for between 4 and 35 years. I FINALLY got the ball pulled and found a solid mass of propellant behind the ball. I made a hole in it with the puller then used progressively bigger brushes to get it out. Water runs clear through it now, but I can't get clean patches and the last 1.25 inches of the breech feel rough. My Jag and patch get stuck to where I need the t handle to get it back out. The rest of the barrel feels pretty smooth. Is it necessary to smooth the breech and if so, suggestions for how?

Thanks.
Ed

 

[nit wit]

The breech plug would have to be removed, then a brake cylinder hone could be used.Drop a bore light and make sure the rifling isn't pitted badly.The breech is just the place where the major burn occurs. Time is money and a gunsmith is more money.
Nit Wit

 

[1frozenhillbilly]

i had the same situation on a used traditions hawken i bought 4 years ago, someone on another forum sugested that i take a round ball screw it on to an extracter and use automotive valve lapping compound, mine wasn't so bad and i haven't got an extractor so i just been shootin it but it might be worth a try it sounds like yours is in really bad shape

 

[sagestrat]

I've been steady scrubbing with a brush and it's getting smoother, the jag doesn't tear patches now and comes out more easily than it did. I can't help wondering if there isn't still powder stickin to the sides. Should the last little bit of the barrel be the same diameter as the rest? It is close.

 

[WH .50]

I am not familiar with the design of an H&R Stalker but the diameter of your barrel where the load "sits" SHOULD be the same as the rest of the barrel unless it has a patent breech design and in that case the diameter of the patent breech would be ALOT smaller than the rest of the barrel so your jag wouldn't go in there anyway. That being said,unburned powder is not hydroscopic,it's the fouling that is. This leads me to believe that,unless the gun was not properly cleaned before the load that stayed in there for years was loaded,that you probably have stubborn,hard,unburned powder caked on the barrel instead of rust pitting. If the gun was not cleaned after shooting,got reloaded,and stayed that way for years,the whole barrel would be ruined,not just the breech. If it were me I would soak the breech end of the barrel in some hot soapy water for a little while and keep working at it with a properly fitted patch & jag. Be careful with a bore size brush in a M/L,they can become stuck in the barrel easily and cause even more problems than you already have.Good luck!!

 

[sagestrat]

Thanks, I just got done cleaning it again. With a bore light, the barrel shines like a new dime. I can still kinda feel a difference in the last inch or so with a brush but I can no longer feel the change when I use a jag and patch. I'm gonna go at it another time or two. I'll try soaking it a little longer next time. Waiting for the mailman with my T.O.W.order then to the range in a few days. I will probably tie it to a tire, though, the first time. Can't wait to make some smoke.

 

[Trot]

Let us know how it shoots. Are you planning on shooting round ball or conical? I have had an H&R Springfield Stalker for years, but never shot it all that much.

 

[WH .50]

Good deal!! Sounds like you're gettin' there. Let us know how she shoots,and BTW,welcome to the addiction!! :grin:

 

[will5a1]

It sounds like you have most of it out, when I had a similar situation on my hand I used J&B bore paste and it cleaned it right out. Good luck with your H&R.

 

[sagestrat]

I just got a box of .440 balls and .018 patches (they've been moose juiced and are drying now). The rear sight seems a little wonky, but I'm keeping an open mind. I work midnights and have three highchairs in my kitchen, so getting out the door with it might end up being the hardest part. I'll let you know.

 

[Trot]

Mine is really tight with .440 balls, though yours may be different. I had to use a super thin patch to make them work, I ended up using .433 balls and a thicker patch.

 

[sagestrat]

I hate to hear that. I was hoping for a looser fit. I gather a thinner patch isn't really the answer? How would I know if the ball is "too tight" I don't want to have to pull another ball or have it hang up somewhere.

 

[Trot]

You'll know if it takes too much force to try to load it. You could get some .010 patches and try them first, if it loads really loosely then try the thicker patches. Again there is a lot of variation in some brands of gun barrels, yours may vary from mine.

 

[Jim Blair]

Ever try a minie type ball in your Stalker?I got a Lee .450 hollow base minie when I bought the one I have with it but haven't had a chance to cast any or shoot the rifle.Thanks for the info on the RB size,there seems to be virtually no information on these rifles anywhere.

 

[Trot]

I had a handfull of .45 minie type bullets that someone gave me, they shot as well as anything I have tried in it. The REAL bullets I tried didn't work well at all.

 

[M. De Land]

I would put some Gunzilla down the bore on a patch and then go after the bore with some JB compound on a tight patch. Be sure and use a muzzle guide/protector. If it is powder and not pitting this should clean it right up.
If it is pitted than I would suggest breech plug removal and hand lapping with a pored lead lap slug. I start with 280 grit then 320 and finish with 400. I make a new lap every 250 round trips and recharge the lap with grit every 50 round trips.
Actually a pitted bore , if it doesn't cut patches, can still give remarkable accuracy.MD

 

[RedFeather]

What is the breech like in your gun? The early models had a breech plug held in place by an O-ring, then supported by the standing face of the receiver when the gun is shut. Some guy got the plug right between the eyes when he had a misfire, opened the gun to recap and it went off, the plug being unsupported. As a result, H&R changed to a screw-in breech. I always wonder which breech one has when I come across them.

 

if you don't have your own. Then you really need to go to a gun shop / smith and or borrow a dial caliper. a good one with thin enough blades to fit the grooves.
Measure bore of diameter to get your true ball diameter. Then the goove to groove diameter to get total diameter. Subtract the two to get patch thickness.
If you have a removable drum (where the nipple screws onto) you can remove it, look inside the chamber and visibly see it's condition. Rust. pitting, or just powder scale.
You could tape some emery paper rough side out to the ram rod and use it to burnish the chamber area.
I've been shooting all types of BP rifles and revolvers since the 70's, had to scrub the noggin a few times to come up with alternative answers to repairs.
Just be careful inserting down the barrel.

 

[Trot]

RedFeather, this isn't the break open H&R, it is a sidelock carbine based on their trapdoor replica.

 

[M. De Land]

If you need and accurate measurement on your barrel interior you will have to slug it and use a mic or caliper for groove diameter.Remember a slug is the inverse of the barrel interior. For the bore diameter a ball or pin gauge is what is used. Calipers used alone do not measure inside diameters with precision and will almost always be off two or three thousands. MD