Shortening a barrel

[cositrike]

In this day and age to shorten the barrel of an original is not part of the history of the gun it is plain butchery which need not be done especially when there are plenty of repro rubbish on the market
Feltwad

When did it stop being part of the history. 10, 50, 100 years.

 

[Feltwad]

When did it stop being part of the history. 10, 50, 100 years.

A gun that was built 150 years ago which had a 30 .36 ,40 inch barrel should still look the same today ,to start chopping 6 inches plus of the barrel is spoiling its heritage it is pure butchery To quote it stop being part of its heritage 10, 50, 100 years does not come into it which still should be has it was built.These originals are precious lets not forget that we are the custodians of these guns and must account for them to those that come after
Feltwad

 

[bang]

Cut it shorter. Bore it for liner. Rebore larger. Wouldn't any of these be a negative to antique value?. All are modifying to other than original. Seems shortening at least leaves it close to original.
Seems to me that preservation and non use and purchase one as close to it to shoot best way to go.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Question, what proof do we have it has not been shortened, or rebored in the past? Would that work, should it have happened, not be part of the history of the gun? Would any work done today not also become part of the history of the gun? Are we saying then that the moment any gun is completed, any modification or change at any point in the past is pure butchery? If that be the case, I dare say there is likely no gun from 175 years ago that has not been butchered!
Walk

 

[cositrike]

A gun that was built 150 years ago which had a 30 .36 ,40 inch barrel should still look the same today ,to start chopping 6 inches plus of the barrel is spoiling its heritage it is pure butchery To quote it stop being part of its heritage 10, 50, 100 years does not come into it which still should be has it was built.These originals are precious lets not forget that we are the custodians of these guns and must account for them to those that come after
Feltwad

So Brown Besses which were shortened at armouries were butchered and burst barrels shouldn’t be cut and reused . When old rifled barrels were worn, they shouldn’t have been freshed out, and any antique, which has been changed in any way are butchered. BS.

 

[Feltwad]

So Brown Besses which were shortened at armouries were butchered and burst barrels shouldn’t be cut and reused . When old rifled barrels were worn, they shouldn’t have been freshed out, and any antique, which has been changed in any way are butchered. BS.

Things that happened over 100 years ago does not come into it , it is what is done to an original today that matters . You mentioned the Brown Bess musket well in its original barrel length so if anyone does not like the long barrel it is ok to chop of 6 or whatever inches from its length and this does not affect the heritage of the gun and it is not butchery leaves me amazed
Feltwad.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Hi Frank,
Shortening the barrel will almost certainly reduce the gun's value as an antique. A knowledgeable buyer or collector will use that fact to drop the price he or she is willing to pay. Certainly, the owner can do whatever he wants and shortening the barrel as much as the OP suggests will lighten it a lot and it will be part of the gun's history. However, that does not change the fact that as a historical object, the value will be compromised. It would be nice to see the rifle and identify it if possible before it is altered in any way.

dave

I sure am in the minority on this issue. I did say "unless it is something of real value". Many old guns are just that "old guns" that have little monetary value. He does need to have it evaluated before doing anything. And, he said it is heavy. Shortening, boring to a larger caliber or lining to a larger caliber have the possibility of increasing value.

 

[cositrike]

Things that happened over 100 years ago does not come into it , it is what is done to an original today that matters . You mentioned the Brown Bess musket well in its original barrel length so if anyone does not like the long barrel it is ok to chop of 6 or whatever inches from its length and this does not affect the heritage of the gun and it is not butchery leaves me amazed
Feltwad.

So sorry. I thought you said that guns should stay as originally made, but apparently, if over a hundred years ago, it’s ok. You do some amazing restorations, and I appreciate your skill, but an opinion is just that.

 

[Ezeikel]

Why not have another barrel made to the size you want made and keep the original as it is so the gun can be put back to original ?

 

[dave_person]

I sure am in the minority on this issue. I did say "unless it is something of real value". Many old guns are just that "old guns" that have little monetary value. He does need to have it evaluated before doing anything. And, he said it is heavy. Shortening, boring to a larger caliber or lining to a larger caliber have the possibility of increasing value.

Hi Frank,
Yes, it would be nice to see the rifle. It may be nothing special and already altered over time. However, if it is a valuable gun then my point stands and it would be good to see what it is. None of us have any idea at the moment what the gun represents. I understand the point of letting it "live" as an active gun but without knowing what it is makes any yea or nay kind of premature.

dave

dave

 

[user 34300]

There is not guarantee that cutting the barrel will make it shoot good enough to suit you. Sending the barrel to Bobby Hoyt and having him rebore and rerifle will certainly do the trick. He could also inspect he breech plug. He may even be able to duplicate the style of rifling originally used. That would preserve the original configuration while making the repair invisible. Mr. Hoyt works fast and way to cheap.

I am strongly in the do not cut it off camp. I believe each of us is a temporary caretakers of the antiques we own. These items will outlive us all if properly preserved. To modify or destroy the artifact is stealing it from future generation.

 

[user 34300]

Another thought....If it is a well preserved, fully functional, unmodified, quality rifle, it is a rare thing. More reason to leave it alone. We used to sporterize military rifles and thought nothing of it. Now the as issue examples have significant value and the sporters are considered undesirable.

 

[Grimord]

As promised, here are a few pictures of the gun. I am not a good photographer, so I hope this will do.

 

[ppg1949]

That rifle is a most beautiful piece. I'd have to think about a second barrel or inquire if it can be rebored.

 

[excess650]

I will try to upload some pictures of this rifle. Their are no markings on the gun itself. The lock is stamped "Warrantied", and the underside barrel flat is stamped "Pennebakr". It is my understanding that Pennebaker made barrels for gunsmiths to put together. Stay tuned for the pictures. It may be a few days as I am going to camp for a few days of deer hunting.

I know of that name as a barrel maker in the Reading Pa area.

"Freshening" the rifling and boring smooth were both commonly done in years gone by. Likewise, parts were recycled from old guns to re-stocks or new builds.

I don't recognize the rifle, but someone else might. Even though the (original) halfstocks are later than I prefer, I wouldn't shorten one. Rebore/re-rifling seems less obtrusive than relining if you must shoot it.

 

[tenngun]

Read through, agree with most every post. Would rather not see an old gun altered, but old guns were altered all the time. History is ongoing, and the guns were made to be used. But it’s a shame to.....
what,omg ...
what ever you do with your gun to make it what you want is what’s best.

 

[Zonie]

The American gun Makers shows this information about

"
PENNABECKER, James & Jesse — Clay Township, Lancaster Co., Pa.
Erected a rifle-barrel factory on the site of an old grist and saw
mill which had been erected on Middle Creek in 1755. Rebuilt
into a grist mill in 1861 by Jesse Pennabecker."

For anyone who doesn't already have it, here's a link to that book. It is well worth saving as it is about the best listing of gunmakers I've ever seen.

https://archive.org/stream/gunmaker00satt/gunmaker00satt_djvu.txt

 

[kansas_volunteer]

The overall length of a gun is one of the least important factors in getting through the brush. The human body is the hardest thing to get through the thick stuff. A thin flexible body is easier to move through the brush than a fat inflexible one. Getting the body "shortened" is more important than getting a barrel shortened.

 

[Billy-by-gosh]

For anyone who doesn't already have it, here's a link to that book. It is well worth saving as it is about the best listing of gunmakers I've ever seen.

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Owner/My%20Documents/BP%20GUN%20STUFF/Full%20text%20of%20_American%20gun%20makers%20including%20Supplement%20of%20AMerican%20gun%20makers_.html

The link provided above seems to be for a locally stored file on a Windows computer, drive C, etc. If you please, could it be possible to more readily access this material elsewhere?

 

[Zonie]

My apologies. I have changed the link to the web address. Hopefully, it will work for everyone.

I have several books that list a number of gun makers back in the day but none of them are as complete as this book.

For those who don't want to scroll up a few notches on the screen, here is the right (I hope) web address

https://archive.org/stream/gunmaker00satt/gunmaker00satt_djvu.txt

The information is huge so it takes a few seconds to load, even with a fast cable provider.