Tell Me About Your "Horrible" Barrel

[matt denison]

[i]From what I've seen over the years, there aren't a lot of really lousy barrels out there, but there ARE a lot of marksmen in need of more practice more often. [/i]

Amen to that. I was recently asked to replace a barrel on a fellows Hawken rifle. He said that it "just wouldn't shoot anymore". Not seeing anything glaringly wrong with it I took it out and shot it. I just arbitarily used 50 gr. of Goex, a .490 balls w/ .015" patches 'cause they were handy. I put five shots in 1 1/2 inches (three in one hole) at 50 yards. Nothing wrong with that barrel, it was the shooter that "Just won't shoot". So now you have to wonder how many "poor" barrels have taken the blame for poor marksmanship.

 

[azmntman]

As posted before i once bought me n my pop each a .54 and a .58 cabelas hawkin. all four guns were found to have a different "best load". .54 bought together as were the .58 so you can bet they all came from the same lot ff

 

[Rifleman1776]

We've have seen over the years here, that you can take 2 barrels from the same company and they can have 2 different sweet spots for accuracy, say one likes 80 grns. of 3fff, a .018 patch with a .490 RB. and the other one wants 70 grns. of 3fff, a .015 patch with a O.P. wad with the.490 ball. I think sometimes it comes down to people not trying enough different loads, and give up by saying they have a bad barrel. I think there are very few if any bad barrels that come right out of the wrapping paper.

Learned that day one almost 45 years ago. And that is what makes this ml avocation so frustratingly fun. And keeps forums like this going, and going and........ :wink:

 

[cjbrown_2000]

My first flintlock was a T/C Hawken .50 cal. The barrel was bent. I spent many frustrating months trying to get it to shoot where I was aiming. Sent barrel back to T/C. They mailed me a new one. All is good now.

 

[Orthod]

[i]From what I've seen over the years, there aren't a lot of really lousy barrels out there, but there ARE a lot of marksmen in need of more practice more often. [/i]

Amen to that. I was recently asked to replace a barrel on a fellows Hawken rifle. He said that it "just wouldn't shoot anymore". Not seeing anything glaringly wrong with it I took it out and shot it. I just arbitarily used 50 gr. of Goex, a .490 balls w/ .015" patches 'cause they were handy. I put five shots in 1 1/2 inches (three in one hole) at 50 yards. Nothing wrong with that barrel, it was the shooter that "Just won't shoot". So now you have to wonder how many "poor" barrels have taken the blame for poor marksmanship.

When I first received by custom Flintlock, 42 inch barrel, I could not hit anything with it. So I benched it. After three shots at 50 yards. I only hit the paper once, first shot. Bad barrel. After some real close examination of the paper when I got home there was one hole, but I could see ragged edges where three balls went though.
As it turns out the 42 inch barrel exaggerates a neurological issue (I did not know I had). I'm a better shot with a shorter barrel.