Sanding out rifling for .50 smoothbore

[Treestalker]

Gentlemen, how difficult would it be to sand out an old .50 cal rifle barrel and polish it to a smooth bore? It seems a slit ramrod and different grits of sand paper spun evenly from breech to muzzle would achieve a 'poor man's' ML version of a .410? I don't think I'd shoot balls out of it, just shot for small game mostly. Thanks, George.

 

[Vaino]

How quickly uou can eliminate the rifling depends on the rifling depth. Could take quite awhile. Wouldn't predict how such a bbl would shoot shot....let alone a PRB.

You could send it to a bbl maker and have him do it the right way.....Fred

 

[kaintuck]

OH, THATS SUPER EASY......just put in a vise and use different grits sandpaper on a cleaning rod..push in and out while twisting..won't take no time and it'll be smooth...!

tomtom

 

[BrownBear]

Twas me, I'd be cautious with one aspect of your project based on firsthand experience with a modern gun.

Had a local who advertised himself as a "gunsmith" ream out the choke on of an old Ithaca from F to IC. Got the gun back and he'd reamed it alright. But left it rough as a sewer pipe for about 6". Wouldn't pattern for poot, even with loads sporting those modern plastic thingies.

Took it to a REAL gunsmith who shook his head sadly and polished it to a mirror gleam. Didn't even charge me for his work, he was so embarrassed that anyone doing such shoddy work would claim to be in his profession.

With the high polish, it patterned like it was supposed to.

My word of advice is "Break out the elbow grease!" :grin:

 

[jerrywh]

What did you eat?? :youcrazy: :youcrazy:

 

[kaintuck]

op:

tomtom

 

[Treestalker]

Grits!

 

[BrownBear]

Grits gitzer done every time! :grin:

Keep us posted on what you come up with. I have a 50 cal TC barrel (sewer pipe) sitting on the bench waiting for decisions. I figger if all goes wrong on a sanding job, I can send it off to Bobby Hoyt anyway, just like I was planning to do in the first place.

I think you'll be surprised just how easy it is to move barrel steel with sandpaper. Did it once long ago on a 45 revolver for shot loads in snake country, and it was surprisingly quick. The shot loads worked well, BTW.

One small insight from that 50 year-old project that I assume will apply today. Go lots finer on the grit than you think you'll need, in order to avoid chasing long deep scratches in the later stages of polishing. Ask me how I know!!! :redface:

 

[rich pierce]

Should be drilled out with a square bit then reamed

 

[coloradoclyde]

You'll spend more money on sandpaper than a machinist will charge....

Grab a DA and try sanding a hole in sheet metal.....it will take you a month of Sundays... Sandpaper doesn't remove much metal.:youcrazy:

 

[Obi-Wan Cannoli]

What did you eat??

Grits!

Not a surprising conclusion given a certain poll that is currently addressing the matter. :hmm:


It sounds like you could in time sand the bore of your barrel smooth, but then would still have to send it to Bob Hoyt to turn it into a smooth bore barrel.... :wink:

 

[Treestalker]

Gentlemen thanks for the replies. It seems the consensus is to have someone like Bobby Hoyt do the work. Since the barrel is used and has dovetails I believe I'll save some coin and contact Mr. Hoyt and perhaps he can make a true 28 or 24 guage out of it. It is an older Green Mountain 36" that has been turned octagon/round and looks like a fowler barrel and I think would make a nice flintlock halfstock. Just right for smaller Arkansas critters.. George.

 

[M. De Land]

If you really want to do it yourself you can make a piloted drill that will track the old bore and guide the bit through pretty straight but then it needs to be reamed to make it uniform and after that honed to make it smooth.
I've used them to drill out .22 rimfire barrels for relining.Usually you come in from both ends and meet in the middle for reline jobs but for a a smooth bore I would only go in one direction to make it more uniform.

 

[ddoyle]

http://toadhallrifleshop.com/bits-reamers/

Do some reading at toadhall. His methods come from W.F Vickery circa 1940.

I do it but with the benefit of a slow turning lathe.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Ehhh... With the time involved I'd send it out and have it professionally done on a lathe. I had a friend of mine who's a gunsmith rebore a .40 to a .45 smoothie. I'm sure it can be done, but why not just send it to someone who can do it right?

Heck, depending on how much wet/dry paper you'd use it could be cheaper! I'm rather confident in my abilities, but not sure I'd do it on anything of value... However whatever you decide keep us posted I guess.

 

[TNGhost]

A coarse cylinder hone with diamond grit. (not grits, them's for eatin')

 

[BrownBear]

I can't make myself believe the inside of a bore is any harder than the outside. Sure don't hear guys talking about going through reams of sandpaper to dress the flats on the outside of a barrel. Barrel steel in muzzleloader barrels (and outside them) is soooooft. And the rifling on TC barrels is so shallow, you're not talking about moving a whole lot of steel, either.

What I see here is a lot of swagging and no one who's actually tried it.

A majority like that is good enough reason for me to try it someday! :rotf:

 

[rich pierce]

Brown Bear, how many thousandths of an inch do you suppose folks who use sandpaper to remove when they finish the outside of their gun barrels (who does this instead of draw filing-anyone?).

Draw filing I've done always removes less than 0.002".

 

[davec2]

Brown Bear,

I agree with Rich and, if that TC barrel is button rifled, the inside is a hell of a lot harder than the outside. Button rifling work hardens the bore and puts it into compression. This makes the barrel stronger and the surface harder. Trying to sand out the rifling, in my book, makes about as much sense as playing pick-up-sticks with your fanny cheeks.

 

[M. De Land]

Barrel flats are not put on or removed from a barrel with sand paper.
They're milled or filed on and lathe turned or draw fled off, the sand paper is only the last part of the process to remove the tool marks.