Getz barrel question

[Larry Pletcher]

I shot my Mark Silver rifle for the first time last weekend. The barrel is a .50 built by Getz. I'm curious about dimensions.  (Maybe Don will see this.) How deep is the rifling on a Getz barrel?  This gun was built in the late '90s.  I'm thinking a .490 ball and .015 patch.  I'm using .022 patch in another gun, but that seems too tight for this barrel.

Regards,
Pletch

[rdillon]

I use .485"s.  the .490's are too tight for me too.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I recently finished a longrifle (the A. Verner) with a 48" Getz .50 cal barrel.  The corners of this barrel have a slight radius, so it is not a square groove barrel.  I use 85 grains of FFg GOEX, a .495" pure lead ball, and a .018" - .020" ticking patch lubed with spit.  I short start the ball on the polished factory crown, and seat it with a rod tapered from 7/16" - 5/16".  the small end does the pushing.  It loads easily through 80 rounds without cleaning.

[Don Getz]

I don't understand the problem.   We are still using the same reamer which should finish the bore at .500.   If it is much
smaller than that, the rifling head, which holds the cutter, would not go thru the barrel.   When we mike the reamer, it
comes out to .500, and I can't believe it could make a hole smaller than that.   A .490 ball and .015 thick patch should load
fairly easy.   I have a 50 cal. chunk gun which Ron Borron built for me.  I normally shoot a .495 ball in it with .020 teflon
patching, I will admit I do start it with a hammer............Don

[Acer Saccharum]

Crown, and polish of that crown, can make all the difference in how a gun loads. Once the ball/patch is started down the bore, does it go smoothly, or is it still a struggle?

Tom

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

...and the quality of the lead also will make an enormous difference.  Anything harder than PURE LEAD will be more difficult to load.  You have to be able to EASILY mark the ball with your fingernail, and they should not ring if you drop them onto concrete, as wheel weight balls will do.  Cast a few out of wheel weight allow just for a comparison.

[Larry Pletcher]

I don't understand the problem.   We are still using the same reamer which should finish the bore at .500.   If it is much
smaller than that, the rifling head, which holds the cutter, would not go thru the barrel.   When we mike the reamer, it
comes out to .500, and I can't believe it could make a hole smaller than that.   A .490 ball and .015 thick patch should load
fairly easy.   I have a 50 cal. chunk gun which Ron Borron built for me.  I normally shoot a .495 ball in it with .020 teflon
patching, I will admit I do start it with a hammer............Don

Hi Don,
No problem at all.  I didn't mean to sound like it.  this is the first .50 that I've shot in a a while.  I even had to turn a .54 jag down to have the right tools.  I grabbed the patching I had been using for  different gun.  After shooting it I thought that .022 was a little tight.  i'll take it out with some .015 my next time.  My guess is that a .490 and .015 will be just fine.  I want to load without a short starter in woods walks.  If this was a chunk gun  i'd do the tighter load too.  For woods walks, I want to take the work out of it.  I'm guessing that with .010 deep rifling, this combination will be OK.  It might shoot tighter with a thicker patch, but then I'd be working again. I'll look at my patches, but I bet I'll be OK.

Regards,
Pletch

[Larry Pletcher]

Good Morning,
Thought I'd reply once more to make sure you knew I was NOT unhappy with Don's barrel.  I should have simply taken a couple of different patch thicknesses on the first trip to the range.  The barrel is fine. As you saw I don't load as tight as some of you.  I have a shoulder that likes an easier loading ball.

Regards,
Pletch