Love them there antiques

[JCKelly]

This barrel was said to have been used to fire a blank salute at Friendship a few decades back. It is about 0.26 caliber, 6 groove and 15/16" across flats. The breech threads are for a 1/2" dia plug. I counted 11 threads over the 1/2" long threaded breech.
Look at the breech end, where you will see a little greenish patch, about 5/16" long, going through the barrel.
This was some manner of seam in the original barrel, which had been brazed shut. Now brass does not rust, but it sure can turn into a green mush with enough years and with sulphur to boot.
The shooter was not harmed. No report on condition of his clothing.



I enjoyed shooting original guns with hand forged barrels, back when I was young & Immortal. 

[T*O*F]

It's supposed to be that way.  It's one of those new fangled break-open actions.

[Joe S.]

And we still get folks posting "should I shoot this old fossil"

[Clark Badgett]

I bet you could bend everything back and slap some JB weld on it and put it back in service. 

[Bob Roller]

I bet you could bend everything back and slap some JB weld on it and put it back in service. 

Super glue and worm drive stainless steel hose clamps will restore it to "new".

Bob Roller

[Smoketown]

Super glue and worm drive stainless steel hose clamps will restore it to "new".

Bob Roller

I prefer the term 'Jubilee Clip' ... I just sounds so much more elegant ... 

The inletting may be a bit of a bugger.

Cheers,
Smoketown

[hanshi]

A good rawhide wrap will fix it right up. 

[Hungry Horse]

That rawhide comment reminded me of a "collection" a friend inherited from an uncle, that spent a lot of time in South America back in the fifties. The "collection" consisted of seven or eight cheap imported shotguns, commonly called monkey guns, that had been used by the natives for many, many years before he got them. All were about 28 gauge, all but one was single barreled, and all had numerous field repairs. Radiator clamps, Spam can material, baling wire, and rawhide, all had found its way onto these cheap little guns. The one that made my hair stand up, had blown the nipple out of the barrel. The owner had glued it back in with a wad of chicle, and wrapped it with a piece of untamed monkey hide with a hole just big enough for the top of the nipple to  peak through and accept the percussion cap. They all had a cross carved into them somewhere, and I always pondered which saint was the saint of gun repairs.

  Hungry Horse

[Eddie Southgate]

You can fix anything with Duct tape and bailing wire .

 Eddie

[Joe S.]

That rawhide comment reminded me of a "collection" a friend inherited from an uncle, that spent a lot of time in South America back in the fifties. The "collection" consisted of seven or eight cheap imported shotguns, commonly called monkey guns, that had been used by the natives for many, many years before he got them. All were about 28 gauge, all but one was single barreled, and all had numerous field repairs. Radiator clamps, Spam can material, baling wire, and rawhide, all had found its way onto these cheap little guns. The one that made my hair stand up, had blown the nipple out of the barrel. The owner had glued it back in with a wad of chicle, and wrapped it with a piece of untamed monkey hide with a hole just big enough for the top of the nipple to  peak through and accept the percussion cap. They all had a cross carved into them somewhere, and I always pondered which saint was the saint of gun repairs.

  Hungry Horse

If I'm shootin those things I'd have more than one cross carved into it.Better have more than one saint having your back also

[ron w]

That rawhide comment reminded me of a "collection" a friend inherited from an uncle, that spent a lot of time in South America back in the fifties. The "collection" consisted of seven or eight cheap imported shotguns, commonly called monkey guns, that had been used by the natives for many, many years before he got them. All were about 28 gauge, all but one was single barreled, and all had numerous field repairs. Radiator clamps, Spam can material, baling wire, and rawhide, all had found its way onto these cheap little guns. The one that made my hair stand up, had blown the nipple out of the barrel. The owner had glued it back in with a wad of chicle, and wrapped it with a piece of untamed monkey hide with a hole just big enough for the top of the nipple to  peak through and accept the percussion cap. They all had a cross carved into them somewhere, and I always pondered which saint was the saint of gun repairs.

  Hungry Horse

        Jedd Clampit was a poor hillbilly of a man.

[oldtravler61]

   Always said  Mr. G protects the ignorant.  Even covered my butt a time or two!  Mike

[Three balls]

You can fix anything with Duct tape and bailing wire .

 Eddie

If you can't, you have an electrical problem!

[Elnathan]

A couple years ago while at my brother's house I had a chance to look through a book he had borrowed from a friend called Guerrilla Gunsmithing, by this fellow who goes by the name of Ragnar. All modern guns I think and I don't remember any of the techniques involved (I probably had a couple nieces crawling over me at the time), but from what little I remember it was basically a compendium of techniques for keeping ancient guns in service the author had gleaned from his time in various third-world $#*!-holes.

Hose clamps and rawhide sound about right.


Why didn't the barrel-maker just cut that back end off, I wonder?