i have a extra 45 cal barrel for my cherokee, the riflings are pretty much gone inside. my question is , is there any thing i can do with this barrel now ? like change cal ? "maybe this is dum" but can i turn it into a smooth bore and shoot shot out of it for squirrel hunting ? thanks
t/c cherokee
- Thread starter boker
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45 Cal.
Wow, how much shooting must it take to actually shoot out a muzzleloader barrel? I know that I've never even gotten close but I don't do near as much shooting as many/most on this board do.
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Two things.
I'd sure take some brake pad or carburetor cleaner and a bore brush to that barrel before giving up on it. I can't tell you how many barrels I've "rescued" simply by an aggressive cleaning. I love to follow in the wake of guys who go "natural" in their components and cleaning to "season" their barrels. When I remove all their seasoning, I've got a real shooter at discount prices.
If in fact the rifling is gone and not filled, I'd sure talk to one of the barrel makers about opening that to a smoothbore. In my experience there's a lot to be said for small charges (1/2-3/4 oz) of shot for small game inside 30 yards. That would be an ideal candidate, whether or not you ever shot a patched round ball through it.
I'd sure take some brake pad or carburetor cleaner and a bore brush to that barrel before giving up on it. I can't tell you how many barrels I've "rescued" simply by an aggressive cleaning. I love to follow in the wake of guys who go "natural" in their components and cleaning to "season" their barrels. When I remove all their seasoning, I've got a real shooter at discount prices.
If in fact the rifling is gone and not filled, I'd sure talk to one of the barrel makers about opening that to a smoothbore. In my experience there's a lot to be said for small charges (1/2-3/4 oz) of shot for small game inside 30 yards. That would be an ideal candidate, whether or not you ever shot a patched round ball through it.
the guy i bought the gun from didnt take good care of it but what really hurt the bore is he ve used a home made steel ram rod . i have cleaned it and tryed to shoot a prb ,with diffrent patches and powder. with no luck . the riflings are gone on the first 2 inches of the barrel
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I vote for opening it to smoothbore! :grin:
It ought to be really light and quick handling, just what you want for small game at close range.
I've been wanting a gun that meets those criteria, so now you have me watching for my own Cherokee.
Thanks! :thumbsup:
It ought to be really light and quick handling, just what you want for small game at close range.
I've been wanting a gun that meets those criteria, so now you have me watching for my own Cherokee.
Thanks! :thumbsup:
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I recently bought a cherokee barrel on E-bay that had been bored smooth. I got it CHEEP($45) as no one else bid on it. It had no sights at all, they had been removed. I put it on a Seneca stock and took it out with my grandson and we had a heck of a time with it shooting cans with homemade shot. It shoots remarkably tight patterns at up to 20 yds. It will probably do better with proper feeding. I was using kraft paper as wadding :grin:
