So I Have This Old 20ga Barrel

[64Springer]

Howdy, Folks.

Came across this really old 20ga. barrel. 29.5 inches long. Appears to be hand forged. No constant flat to flat dimension. The breech plug is somewhat centered. The tang was trashed so I removed it. The drum hole is 9mm.

Looking to have the old breech plug removed. New plug/tang installed. The new drum and drum hole threads I'll rework to a 3/8th thread. I'm certain the bore could double as a drainage pipe. Muzzle wall is only .060 - .080 thick. Shortening the barrel would increase the wall dimension a tad.

What say y'all? Doable? Barrel liner? Throwing good money after bad? Ideas on a reputable shop to do the work?

Thank you.

 

[Sparkitoff]

I love to salvage old stuff like that and put it back into use. One thing that never works out is any sort of cost efficiency. It will probably cost more than it will be worth when completed, but the personal satisfaction has a value too. With what you described, I think a good liner should keep things safe and put it back in service. Maybe go down to 24-gauge or 28-gauge. Does it need a drum? Could you make a flintlock and use a liner? Best of luck with this - interesting idea.

 

[rich pierce]

I’ve cleaned up bores with adjustable reamers and gotten close to perfect uniformity of clean bore end to end. Others use brake cylinder hones.

 

[64Springer]

I love to salvage old stuff like that and put it back into use. One thing that never works out is any sort of cost efficiency. It will probably cost more than it will be worth when completed, but the personal satisfaction has a value too. With what you described, I think a good liner should keep things safe and put it back in service. Maybe go down to 24-gauge or 28-gauge. Does it need a drum? Could you make a flintlock and use a liner? Best of luck with this - interesting idea.

I can't throw old stuff like this away. And you are correct. It will certainly cost more than it's worth.

Some guy sweated his tail off beating this barrel into something usable. No electricity. No lighting. No modern machinery. Just sheer willpower and a hammer and the determination to overcome the task in front of him.

The respect I have for the craftsman that came before us is unmeasurable.

 

[64Springer]

I’ve cleaned up bores with adjustable reamers and gotten close to perfect uniformity of clean bore end to end. Others use brake cylinder hones.

My idea is a .36 PRB.

 

[2 shots]

cutting off the tang made plug removal much more of a chore. could have welded a new one on. some things should just be allowed to rest. [they earned it] good luck, be safe with it ......

 

[64Springer]

cutting off the tang made plug removal much more of a chore. could have welded a new one on. some things should just be allowed to rest. [they earned it] good luck, be safe with it ......

That tang was not what we see today. There was barely anything there. Certainly not enough to grab onto to facilitate unscrewing.

But I like the idea of welding a new tang in place.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Reminds me of a similar barrel I had. I once picked up an unrestorable half stock fowler with a 20 ga. barrel. It kicked around for several years. Then, one year, former member here, Squire Robin, flew across the pond to spend a couple weeks with me and other ml friends for the Arkansas ml deer season. Great visit, and Robin will always be a friend. Well, I showed him that mess and he suggested I use it as a guide to have a similar fowler built. He recommended a London gunsmith who I wrote to and ended up buying a Damascus, mandrel forged 17 1/2 ga. barrel, reportedly about 200 years old new stock. The hardware on the old gun was to be used on the rebuild project. Long story shortened (this isn't my thread), another friend (now past tense) was to do the building but got in trouble with the Feds. Seven Federal gun violation convictions later, and to this day, 20 years later, he still has my parts and will not return. Oh, well. Am I thinking murder? Yes. Will I? No, not my style except in my dreams.

 

[sheriff john]

Used an old English musket barrel to make my first flint smoothbore. It had been converted to percussion, so I ground off the bolster, drilled & tapped a hole, inserted a screw, ground the screw off flush and drilled a flash hole through the screw. Result works ok. Gun looks like what it is ...first attempt by a clutz...but it shoots ..sorta.

There's another, longer barrel around here somewhere. Same deal. Someday.

 

[rich pierce]

My idea is a .36 PRB.

Good to know. In my view only though, once it’s got a liner in it, it’s not even the same barrel and not much more original than a new barrel.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

To me projects like this are only worthwhile if I do the work myself to keep busy. I can't see the worth in paying someone else good money to maybe turn a tomato stake into a decent gun.

 

[Hiddeninsmoke]

It is all about giving something old a new life. It is never about saving money. Once you've given something old a new life, it becomes a personal treasure.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Howdy, Folks.

Came across this really old 20ga. barrel. 29.5 inches long. Appears to be hand forged. No constant flat to flat dimension. The breech plug is somewhat centered. The tang was trashed so I removed it. The drum hole is 9mm.

Looking to have the old breech plug removed. New plug/tang installed. The new drum and drum hole threads I'll rework to a 3/8th thread. I'm certain the bore could double as a drainage pipe. Muzzle wall is only .060 - .080 thick. Shortening the barrel would increase the wall dimension a tad.

What say y'all? Doable? Barrel liner? Throwing good money after bad? Ideas on a reputable shop to do the work?

Thank you.

The outside isn't really that much of an issue so long as there isn't a massive pit that has eroded the metal at the breech, and thus may have thinned that area too far.

I'd submerse the whole thing in a tube of PVC pipe for 24 hours, capped at one end and filled with Evaporust. THEN I'd use an inexpensive endoscope with my cell phone, and check out the inside. At that point you will have a real idea of where this is a situation of simply redoing the breech plug or a complete reline of the barrel. PLUS you will be able to shoot photos of what you find and can show those to whomever might do the work so they have a better idea of the nature of your project, and can then give you a more precise diagnosis and estimate.

LD

 

[64Springer]

It is all about giving something old a new life. It is never about saving money. Once you've given something old a new life, it becomes a personal treasure.

Very well said, Sir.

The firearms I rescue from the grave are never sold.

 

[Bullit]

Looks like a winter/spring project to me. Good luck and be patient.

 

[64Springer]

So I have this piece of angle iron. That could be fashioned into a tang. That could be set in place with epoxy. That could be secured with 8-32 screws. Though they would need threaded holes first. And secured with red loctite. And then the tang would need to be profiled on the bottom. And then tang would need to be profiled on the top. And the tang edge lightly beveled so it drops into the stock easier.

Still need to bend and ding and dent and rust the tang so it looks like the rest of the barrel.

Now comes the really really really hard part. Knocking out a shotgun/.36 caliber PRB half stock. Beyond clueless as to where to begin. Being pointed to any resources or books would certainly be appreciated.

Thank you.