What Would You Do?

[Zonie]

Question for you after I give you the background.

Several years ago I built a "Transitional Pennsylvania" with a Colerain swamped .54 cal RB barrel. Being the lazy person I am (and having had great success with them in the past) I drilled the holes to install Staple type underlugs. All went well until I drilled the holes closest to the muzzle. I had set the drill press stop incorrectly and proceeded to drill right thru the wall into the bore.

To fix the problem, I bought another $200 barrel and finished the gun (and a beaut she is), but I still have the old barrel (with it's deep radius grooves for rifleing).
The question is WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH IT??

My first plan is to cut off about 5 1/2 inches, recrown it and build a gun without the muzzle flare. It would be 1.06 at the breech tapering to .820 and reflaring to .860 at the muzzle and have a barrel length of 32 1/2 inches.
Other options would be:
A. Build a gun for it without cutting it off and hope the staple doesn't blow out when it's fired and accept the torn patches and possible inaccuracy as it is.
B. Build a 1 post fence and explain to the neighbors that at $200 a post the project ran out of money.
C. Take it to a gun show and sell it for $120 after telling the buyer about it's problem (if I can find someone who wants it).
D. Let it continue to be the structural support for the local spiders webs.
E. ?????

 

You could sell it for $250 and say the extra $50 is for the magna-porting

You could tap the holes and locktite plugs in the holes, file them off flush on the outside and get Colerain to freshen up the rifleing where the plugs come through. Make the plugs square on the end not tapered and only run them in as far as the lands. If they will do that at a reasonable price, the barrel should be a good as new. Barring that, I think I would cut it off, re-crown
and build a rifle.

Cody

 

[musketman]

You could cut the barrel into fourths and make four pistols.

I agree with Cody, cut it off, re-crown.

 

Ya could always send it to me freight collect. Then it would be my problem and ya wouldn't have ta deal with them spiders no more either.

Actually, I think you should plug and build another gun. Only seems like common sense. But then like Dad used ta say, "If it's so common, more people would have it."

 

[Zonie]

Thanks for the advice.
I think I'll just cut her off and build her up as a real plain pre Rev War flinter without all the fancy do-dads.

 

[Jack Walker]

My suggestion, if you prefer not to sell it, is to cut that length off and make yourself a canoe gun. This would be historically pc and add to your collection. There are many situations where a canoe gun, being shorter in length would come in handy.

 

[Zonie]

I have thought about a canoe gun and haven't rejected it but little is written about them beyond mentioning that they (and blanket guns) existed.

Now to sound like a nerd, I ran a several different stress analysis on the proposed muzzle of my cut off gun barrel but I had to guess what the internal pressure would be at the muzzle. I guessed it would be about 10,000 PSI or less. At this pressure the grooves are up around the Yield strength of the material (33 KSI) but the outside of the barrel is less than 15 KSI. Any of you want to take a guess of what the max would be? .54 caliber, 33 1/2 inches long. I won't sue you even if your wrong.

 

[Zonie]

Well, being one who can't leave sleeping dogs lie I dug this post up to tell you what I've decided to do with my barrel.
I shall build a 1758 Bastard Gun which has had it's main parts "...brought back from a campaign up North and married to a American Colonies style Stock and a ol' muzzle damaged Barrel I got fur dam near nothin'...".
I've ordered: #3CM Transitional stock from Pecatonica and from TOW I've ordered a French Trade Gun Type C Lock, Sideplate and Thimbles plus a Rupp style Patchbox (which I intend to modify) and a semi-flat wide brass buttplate.

This ought to keep me busy fer awhile.