Rusty barrel

[wch]

A fella wants to sell me a 50 caliber T/C Hawken, but the first 5 inches of the barrel are rusted.
My question is, is it a good idea to ream the barrel out a couple thousandths to avoid the expense of buying a new one?
(This rifle would be used for hunting only.)

[WadePatton]

Depends upon the rust.  Mild to moderate might be lapped out or freshed out successfully.  If it's from substitute powder usage, then the barrel would be good to cut up and beat on things and make tools with.

You may double your "investment" real quick if you have to replace many parts, or pay for work to be done, or count your time.

What does the inside of the lock look like?  Serious rust equals serious neglect.  You might find an un-rusty one for similar money if you look around.

Go low and count on bbl replacement is my simple answer. 

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I wouldn't touch it for any money.  It's got cancer which must be CUT OUT to save the barrel.  It will not get better by itself, and the cure will be costly in either time or $ or both.

[WadePatton]

Taylor swayed me.  He's much wiser than I.

skip my answer and find another gun.

[Militant_Hillbilly]

If it's strictly a hunting gun, then first shot accuracy is what counts more than anything else. I'd want to shoot the gun if I could and see how it grouped before I would buy it.

I had one Hawken that was pitted pretty bad near the muzzle but it still shot great. I also have a Renegade that was rusted bad that I bought for $75 .  It shot basketball sized patterns at 50 yards. Sent it to Bob Hoyt and had it reamed and rifled to .54. It's now a tackdriver that I have about $150 in.

[c3006]

I'm with hillbilly,I have reamed and re rifled two 50 cal Thompson barrels to 54 that are great shooters now. I also shortened one 4" due to a previous owners lack of care and made a carbine that is also one of my current hunting favorites.

[Dphariss]

A fella wants to sell me a 50 caliber T/C Hawken, but the first 5 inches of the barrel are rusted.
My question is, is it a good idea to ream the barrel out a couple thousandths to avoid the expense of buying a new one?
(This rifle would be used for hunting only.)

From the breech or the muzzle?
It would have to be debreeched then bore scoped to really know. Since its likely been shot with aggressively corrosive substitute powder (the common propellant for these things if its percussion)  it could have "crawdad holes" so deep they cannot be cut away without excessively enlarging the bore. Its also possible the breech could easily be the same way. Corroded to the point of being unsafe.
So I would consider it to be unsalvageable until well proven otherwise. In other words unless its free I would look for greener pastures.
To me a used TC barrel  of unknown origins (or even a new one if the dovetails are as deep as some are) is "problematical". Comments on usage deleted for the sake of decorum.

Dan

[WadePatton]

... Since its likely been shot with aggressively corrosive substitute powder (the common propellant for these things if its percussion)  it could have "crawdad holes" ...Comments on usage deleted for the sake of decorum.

Dan

This ^

A bbl that has been rotted by that stuff is good for tent pegs.  Sure, anything can be "fixed" it's just that there's plenty of junk out there, and lots that's not.  How bad do you need a rifle?  What is your skill set?  Will you be "gun cash" poor such that buying a replacement bbl will be out of the question and you'll be lapping a bbl all night November instead of hunting?

Which end?  "first"?  Breech or Muzzle?  Breech is much more complicated with plug and percussion complications.  Muzzle, can be cut off if necessary.  Also if the breech is rusty, it may be an everlovin' bear to unbreech to inspect/repair the damage.  If it's the pyro-rot, ...tent pegs.

+++
Did you ever find any traditionalists in Huntingdon Co?  Did you ever complete the project you were working on?  fill us in.

[rustyguns2]

 I would suggest brushing out some rust to see how bad it is pitted, and is the rifling still decent. I had a friend ask me to help with his
CVA mountain rifle, he had not cleaned it in ten years. We took it to the range , the barrel was so rusted I barely got the patch back out, but I kept at it with a brush then patch,until I could load it fairly easy ......that sucker shot better that I would have ever expected. Your results may vary, but even with out the barrel TC hawken parts command pretty high prices.
 I am the type that likes to tinker, over the years I have picked up guns that everyone else had passed on and made  pretty decent shooters out of.... but I would not pay top dollar for it  250.00 max
                                                                                                                      They don't call me Rustyguns for nothing!!!