what the heck is this thing?

[Grimord]

I made a .22 caliber muzzle loader from an old .22 RF barrel. I use air gun slugs with 5 grains of 4f for dime sized groups at 25 yards. You might want to look at the AVS air gun site to see if they have a projectile that will work for you. I went with the slugs because I could not handle those tiny lead balls and patch very well with my sausage fingers.

 

[Nor'Easter]

I know the reliability of my eyeballs. That's why I rely on my Vernier calipers and micrometers. I have a set of ball gauges as well to reach inside a bore to get past crowns and cones and wear at the muzzle. Once again, I'll make my recommendation to invest in a digital vernier caliper of the $20 variety. It may not be as accurate as the $400 versions, but its good enough for what we need to measure.

I looked up 'ball gauges', had not seen those before. How are they used?

 

[Grenadier1758]

You insert the ball gauge closest to the expected size in the bore and loosen the shaft to expand the ball. Tighten the shaft to lock the ball at the bore diameter and remove it. Measure the diameter of the expanded gauge with a micrometer or vernier calipers. These are best for use in rifled barrels with an odd number of grooves.

You have to do some searching to find the gauges over 1/2".

Pin gauges may have to used for some of the larger bore diameters

 

[doubleset]

Once again, I'll make my recommendation to invest in a digital vernier caliper of the $20 variety. It may not be as accurate as the $400 versions, but its good enough for what we need to measure.

I have three of them so I don't have to go chasing for one in the house when I'm not in the house, or one in the shop when I'm not in the shop, or one on my old reloading bench when I'm working there. They're all Harbor Freight, and I use them almost daily. I have checked them against a couple of Mitutoyo micrometers (that I rarely use), and the HF digital calipers seem quite accurate to thousandths of an inch. One thing I've used one for recently is buying ticking material from Joann's and Walmart for shooting patches.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

guess i'll have to rename it to a whozit?

Well, it's a 200-bore

Why not call it that?

LD

 

[Brokennock]

Well, we already have "rat-rods" we have "squirrel-rifles," why not "rat-rifles"? That little bore would have been great back in the days when one could go shoot rats at the city dump.

 

[Mark Herman]

where and who sells the .283 balls?

I shoot .285 balls out of a Lee mold.

 

[Ed Pilkington]

I agree with Eric Bye! In the days of deep sin and darkness i sat looking for Deer with my 30-30 and grouse with my 00Buck reloads. The size of the pellet was perfect for the cartridge reload, a quiet effective terminator on small game. Really affordable for the low cost of the Hornady Ball and the few grains of Unique powder. Sounds like a winner to me

 

[Mangonboat]

It's such a handsome rifle , I think dubbing it as a 29 caliber will give it the aura of exotic rarity it deserves.

 

[deerstalkert]

I like the .29 caliber! have never had a .29 . don't know anyone that has a .29. guess it's a .29.
Now what school is the stock shape/pattern? it was shaped when i got it with signs of having been cut down from a full length stock! SHUDDER!

 

[deerstalkert]

got the .283 and .300 balls today from TOTW.
i can thumb in the .283's with a .015 patch . was getting dark and i didn't have a target up so i shot at the 50 yard plate. didn't hit it with the .283
loaded it with the .300 and the same patch. had to start it with a short starter. 5 shots at the 50 yard plate. first two hit the snow a foot in front.
3 hits with a spread of 2 inches followed.
really shows promise!
20* so i didn't linger long.