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re-rifling a barrel

stankemp
This may have been brought up before so bear with me.
I have an old Dixie Lancaster co. kit gun that I built in 1977.
I recently gave it the burning rope tiger stripe on the very bland stock and it came out well.The thing will shoot but as an aquaintence once told Turner Kirkland: "did you use your thumbnail for rifling this thing?". It is almost a smooth bore.
I would like some deep rifling in the barrel. It's a .45 and has decent metal thickness for the deeper rifling.
It really isn't worth much but looks and handles nice , so I just want it to shoot better.
Does anyone know of a re-rifling service? I tried and came up with nothing. Note: I would spend some bucks but not the cost of a new rifle.
Stan
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Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • allen griggs
    I will be curious to see the response.
    I have a Tennessee Mountain Rifle that I built from a Dixie kit in 1982.
    It came out beautifully, if I do say so.
    It could just about use a re rifling job.

    By the way I met Turner Kirkland in the '80s. My buddy and I stopped by Dixie Gun Works on a trip to Canada.
    He was a very nice guy. He truly was a giant in muzzleloading in the 20th century.
    I have a photo of me and Mr. Kirkland around somewhere.
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  • odentheviking
    Not sure about re-rifleing a 45 cal.
    I do know there is a man in Penn. by the name of Robert Hoyt. He can take a Civil War rifle/musket and take the barrel out to its full lenth and then put rifleing in it, by sleeveing the barrel. I know he is one of the best at rifleing 69cal and 58 cal., but not sure if he can do 45 cal.
    On the Civil war muskets he charges $200 plus to sleeve and rifle a barrel.
    I would think you might do better by looking around at Dixie Gun Works, Track of the Wolf, or the like. They may have a 45 cal barrel that could be made to fit your musket.
    Let me know if I can be any more,( or any less!), help.
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  • stankemp
    Thanks for the advice and looks.
    I would like to keep the barrel - it has some nice script on it from the factory. I might have enough meat in the barrel for a 50 cal sleeve and rifle but 58 would be risky. Maybe after seeing my barrel, Mr. Hoyt would consider a 50 sleeve. That would be excellent. Price is about right.
    Thanks again,
    Stan
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  • odentheviking
    Bob Hoyt 717-642-6696
    700 fairfield Sta.
    Fairfield, Penn.
    17320

    This is how I reach him. best to call in the morning before he gets too deep into work. I am sure he can tell you which calibers he can work on. he is the best, been doing this for alot of years. Its been a few years since he did a barrel for me so I am not 100% about the price. Good luck, Paul.
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  • Hawk Carse
    If by "rerifle" you mean to deepen the existing rifling grooves and keep the original bore/land diameter, I don't know anybody doing that. I have seen it done on the advanced home shop level. Nothing I would care to undertake, but the friend who did it was fearless and careful and it worked pretty well.

    If you wouldn't mind it being rebored to a slightly larger caliber, Clearwater might handle it. They concentrate on breechloader calibers but if you didn't mind a .475 cap & ball, it ought to work as well.

    http://www.deltagunshop.com/Clearwater/CW_about.html

    If they wouldn't, maybe they know somebody in the muzzleloading business who would.
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  • v35
    DGW put out a booklet "For Beginners Only". It describes how to recut lands, grooves or both.
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