Making it a smoothbore

[longcruise]

I have this little FIE kentucky style pistol that just does not shoot very well at all.  Lucky to get five out of five on a 20 by 20 sheet of paper at 25 yards.  So, had it out tonight cleaning it up a bit, etc. and began to wonder if it might have a loftier purpose as a smoothbore?  It's marked .45 caliber but is actually a bit under a .44.  A thin patch and a .433 ball is a tight fit.  Rifling is not very deep.

So, the question is, how would one go about removing the rifling and reducing it to a smooth bore?  And, before we start talking about chucking it up in the lathe, etc., etc., know that my tools are mostly hand type.  I do have several power hand drills and a small drill press.

Any thoughts on how to go about this?

[Long John]

Why not take a hard look at the load you are using?  What do the shot patches tell you?  Just because the gun won't shoot a .433 ball and a thin patch doesn't mean that it wouldn't shoot a .430 ball and a thicker patch.

Some of the import guns are not well designed and have performance issues when compared to a properly designed fire arm.  but that does not mean that there isn't a load out there that will shot well in the gun.

Best Regards,

JMC

[LynnC]

Your looking at a lot of hand work.  Make a square reamer for your brace.  If there is enough twist so that the reamer does not chatter you can get away without drilling it first.  May need to drill, then ream.  Work from the breech.  Use plenty of cutting oil and of course Elbow Grease.

As suggested, I try load developement.

Alternate suggestion, fresh it out to deepen the grooves.

Naw, try the load route..........Good Luck............Lynn

[Majorjoel]

Without a lathe I would strongly caution you regarding the perils of reaming a barrel with a power hand drill. Ask me how I know about this!! Had a large bit get away from me once and when she broke it bounced around the shop like a ricochet bullet! I am very thankful that all I lost was the shops picture window.

[Roger Fisher]

I'm not a pistol devotee at all; but I would think it is TMW!


Too Much Work!

[longcruise]

All good advice.  As far as loads go, I've played with it a lot and have also used .431 balls.  It's not so much a matter of being frustrated with performance as it is not having much use for it no matter how it may shoot.   A smoothie, OTOH, would make a perfect compliment to my big game equipment for popping blue grouse.

Maybe best left alone though.

[rich pierce]

The drills they used back in the day for boring out barrels were very different from twist drills today.  i think Flintriflesmith's site has info on this.  I believe a sharp-edged square, torpedo-shaped section of steel was twisted then scarf wlded on a long round rod.  Our modern twist drills will not follow the hole and can get off on their own pretty easily.  Only a hand brace etc should be used, just like for drilling the ramrod hole.

[northmn]

I do not know how much experience you have had with pistols and grouse, but two pistols that have stood out as being lousy for grouse are the old TC contender 410 in 10 inch and the smoothbore "pirate" pistols. Grouse have had a disappointing habit of flying off after being hit with them. Seen it with the pirate pistol. Loads are usually quite reduced for a shot load and velocities down because of barrel length. If you compensate with bigger shot then a skimpy pattern. Some of those repo pistols had a cut off rifle barrel and might pattern pretty well anyway.  About like an old straight rifled barrel.  At the ranges you use them with smooth bore it likely would not matter if rifled or not.  Also may need a pretty stiff load for RB. Used to shoot cut off rifle barrels and found about 30-35 grains to be needed to shoot them in a 45.

DP

[FG1]

Make a bed to anchor the barrel solid and a guide for a rod extention silver brazed to drill bit of your choice to drill out rifling. Make a armory reamer like on Bookies website with an extention rod silver brazed to it . Use either your brace to power it or a variable speed drill at low speed and lots of cutting oil and clear chips often . About every 1/2" of work remove and clean and relube both drilling and reaming. I made a pistol barrel from 4140 solid roundstock with use of lathe but a bed and guide centered to bore would accomplish same thing .