Steel lip in Flintlock Fowler 20 gauge barrel

[Appalachian Harry]

Hello everyone!

I am very into flintlocks and that’s going which is a flintlock Fowler built by Mike Brooks in 20 gauge is my first flintlock ever.

When shooting I felt some resistance swapping the barrel near the breach and probably 3 to 4 inches above. Thinking they were crud rings I did it as many things as you can think of to get rid of it and cut it until I finally got a borescope.

I noticed the steel lip in the barrel and was wondering what it could be and is it something to be concerned of?

 

[Appalachian Harry]

 

[Appalachian Harry]

Also on a side note... found what I assume is rust pits also? Was wondering if y’all can see what I’m seeing and wondering if it is a major problem and how it can be solved?

Also apologies if photos are bad first time using borescope haha

 

[ohio ramrod]

I suggest you make a polishing tool to smooth it out. Take a piece of dowel rod about two inches long, split it about 1/2 down and put a wrap of emrey paper in the slot to make a sanding drum, put a 10/32 all thread( or a cut off 10/32 screw) into the bock and screw it into your ramrod , Then using a drill polish out the area. You can build up the wrap with newspaper shims until it makes a good contact. You will probably have to use several strips to finish the job. Be careful the ramrod does not hit the barrel walls.

 

[Appalachian Harry]

What about that steel lip? Is that normal for a smooth bore?

 

[flntlokr]

Hello everyone!

I am very into flintlocks and that’s going which is a flintlock Fowler built by Mike Brooks in 20 gauge is my first flintlock ever.

When shooting I felt some resistance swapping the barrel near the breach and probably 3 to 4 inches above. Thinking they were crud rings I did it as many things as you can think of to get rid of it and cut it until I finally got a borescope.

I noticed the steel lip in the barrel and was wondering what it could be and is it something to be concerned of?

I don't know what that is, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't belong there.
looks almost like a boring bar stopped short of the end of the barrel. I looks deep enough that polishing it out with emery will take a long, long, time. I would contact the maker and see if he is prepared to stand by his product before anything else.

 

[EC121]

Mike might not remember who the barrel maker was. How old is the gun? How long is the barrel?

 

[Capt. Jas.]

1. Where is the "steel lip" located?
2. Is this a used gun?
3. Is it jug choked?

 

[Appalachian Harry]

Mike told me it is a Hoyt barrel and it’s 48 inch

 

[Appalachian Harry]

1. 3-4 inches from the breech
2. It is a used gun
3. I don’t think so

 

[poker]

Likely by Bob Hoyt. Both him and Brooks have great reputations. Id ask them nicely about the issue.

 

[rich pierce]

I’d use an expandable reamer to clean it up. There’s no better way. You should not monkey around trying to polish it out. Send it to Bobby Hoyt or get someone else to ream it out. This is not a DIY job for the inexperienced person who is a shooter, not a machinist. It’s very possible to screw up a barrel with shade tree mechanic approaches and get loose and tight spots that will make it impossible to get good groups with shot or round ball.

 

[Erzulis boat]

1- Leave it as it is and shoot it. If you are not burning/cutting patches, or noticing any detrimental effects, then the "step" (boring process error) isn't an issue.

2- Send the barrel to the maker and have him bore/ream the "step" out. Because the barrel is custom fitted to include breech plug and underlugs etc. retaining the original barrel is a big deal.... a pretty darn big deal!

 

[Robby]

Things like that rim make me uneasy and I would have to get hold of Mike, Bobby and the previous owner to see if there was anything they could tell me about it. Maybe nothing, maybe not, but aside from finding the history of it, I would deal with it one way or another.
Robby

 

[Norman Brooks]

Looks like the breech plug was short and a spacer was made to fill the gap?