AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: loco219 on January 14, 2011, 04:07:14 PM
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Can anyone tell me when approximately octagon to round barrels went out of "vogue" in longrifles? I understand they were used early on "smooth rifles' , some fowlers, etc. Is there a definitive time period when you just don't see builders using them anymore? I have an option to buy an original gun at a good price, but I am afraid someone has put together a bunch of odd parts to make the gun.
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I'm not sure they ever did go out of style.While they were'nt use in as large of numbers as full octagon they were used right up until today.I have in my collection a late percussion New York rifle cica 1850-60 with an oct-round barrel on it.
Mitch
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It's a lot more work to make an oct/round barrel than a full octagon and a lathe with a long bed. When we get into later rifles with straight oct barrels the steel left the mill as octagon billets that were drilled.
Tom
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Heres my quandry on the gun. It has the lines of a late flint period Lehigh Valley gun. It has the oct. to round barrel. Although not an unadorned "barn" gun, it is simple, no patchbox, no carving. The lock is an 1850 era percussion, a poor conversion. Lock is from a well known hardware store of that era, and so marked. The lockplate on the left side is the common brass lancaster type 2 screw of the late flint period. I think its obvious the gun began life as a simple mans flintlock, a farmers gun, but besides the bad percussion conversion, the gun seems of very good quality. I guess I am wondering whether to buy the piece because I'm not getting a clear picture of what it really is. Make any sense?
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Yes, you have found one that "don't fit the mold". You have to remember that these guns were hand made and often parts were re-used, or parts were replaced etc. If you can post pictures someone will give you an honest opinion of the gun originality...Ed
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It's a lot more work to make an oct/round barrel than a full octagon and a lathe with a long bed. When we get into later rifles with straight oct barrels the steel left the mill as octagon billets that were drilled.
Tom
Tom,
Many of the earlier oct-rd barrels were made without the use of a lathe. The section was made round by forging it 16 sided then filing it first 16, then 32, then 64 sided before hand filing it round. There is historic docementation of this and there is often evidence of this method of production under the barrel inclucing the fact that the so called "wedding band" moulding at the transition doesn't go all the way around the barrel the way it does on new repros.
Difficult file work for sure but we did it that way in the CWF Gunshop.
Gary
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I did an oct/round brass pistol barrel in that exact manner. With good files, it goes along pretty well.
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It's a lot more work to make an oct/round barrel than a full octagon and a lathe with a long bed. When we get into later rifles with straight oct barrels the steel left the mill as octagon billets that were drilled.
Tom
Tom,
Many of the earlier oct-rd barrels were made without the use of a lathe. The section was made round by forging it 16 sided then filing it first 16, then 32, then 64 sided before hand filing it round. There is historic docementation of this and there is often evidence of this method of production under the barrel inclucing the fact that the so called "wedding band" moulding at the transition doesn't go all the way around the barrel the way it does on new repros.
Difficult file work for sure but we did it that way in the CWF Gunshop.
Gary
I've got an old Birmingham barrel here like that.
I just got back from Mr. Hash's shop where we were discussing profiling a barrel and leaving off any lathe ring transitions so they could be filed on and not go all the way around so as to closer replicate that method.
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It just seems like alot of work for a simple gun, but I still like it. I have decided to listen to some sound advice I got a long time ago on this one. Since I am on the fence, I will wait one week. If its still available, I will buy it. Then I will post the pics here and let you all tell me what i've got. If its gone, it was never meant to be !
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If you think it's anything at all, buy it. Twice in my life I passed on old guns, I still kick my a&%$. :'( Go for it!! AL
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I have bought guns and regretted it...But the ones I let slip away I have regretted even more...You can always sale your regretted stuff, even if you lose a few bucks...As long as your family are clothed and fed, I don't see no harm in it..
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Well said msmith. AL