Round ball barrels

[Naphtali]

I am having a heck of a time sourcing round ball barrels with bore diameters larger than .62-caliber. It appears round ball barrels are cut rifled; I rule out broached rifling. I seek barrels between .69- and .72-caliber.

Are button rifled barrels available in twist rates satisfactory for shooting round balls? If they are, how do such barrels compare with cut rifled barrels of the same bore diameter in terms of: accuracy potential with patched RBs; velocity potential - that is, maintaining accuracy with heavy powder charges; durability of rifling from patch wear; other?

[Ryan McNabb]

Have you talked to Getz?  I don't know what their max is, but I bet they can do most of what can be done.

I remember a few years back The Rifle Shoppe had a parts set available for a reproduction of a wall rifle that George Washington apparently had something to do with.  I want to say the barrel was sourced from a shop in Georgia and was (trying to remember here...) 100 caliber?  I may be wrong about that.  You could contact The Rifle Shoppe and ask them. 

[Daryl]

I spoke with Rice about the possibility of making Forsyth-type rifled barrels. They seemed interested. This was a year ago last July.  You could try them.
Forsyth-type barrels are of large calibre, with shallow, very slow twists.  The slow twist allows very shallow (for around ball gun) to be made. They 'could' be button'd, but probably are cut rifling. I'd think a large calibre button would be too costly.  buttons usualy are about done at .004", however some have been made that way to .005" with reasonable results. Deeper is not really possible and leave a good inner surface without tight and loose spots - wonky in appearance to the eye and can be felt. It's been tried in smaller bores, with poor results.  I know, I've had a couple.

Ed Rayle will make large calibre barrels of your choice in size and rifling twist - cut rifled.  His 16 bore barrel is actually .670" or .675" to allow a .662" ball, a common size made by Lyman.  .675" is actually a tight (by .002") 15 bore.

I should add that a rifling twist in a large bore would answer if around 80" to 90" rate of twist. Any more would take more powder for best accuracy, than a person might like to use.  My own .69 (14 bore) has a 66" twist, but is not happy unless it's fet a LOT of powder.  It's accuracy just gets better the more I dump into it, right to 200gr. 2F.  I do not use more than 165gr. due to recoil and obtaining descent velocity at that level for my use.  A 100" twist 14 bore might need more powder than a person would like shooting.  Dan P. has a 16 bore Rayle with, I think, around 75" or 80" of twist IIRC and it shoots well with a little 140gr. Swiss charge.  That's about equivalent to 160gr. of GOEX.
These calibres are not everyone, but make the very best hunting rifles there are - for any game.  12 bore is a big big, as velocity suffers.  I've a friend with a .75 (11 bore) and even he feels it's a bit too big due to trajectory with useable loads.
A 15 bore ball weighs 466gr. - for a 14 bore rifle.  I shoot a .684" ball in mine- at 480gr.
A 16 bore ball for the Rayle barrel at .662" weighs 436gr. I peersonally think this would be the ultimate size for any North American big game hunting & would do for all but perhaps Rhino, cape Buffalo and Elephant in African game.
The 14 bore, shooting a 15 bore ball was one of the more popular Indian calibres for all game including tiger, buffalo and elephant. The 16 was figured to be the minimum calibre for those animals.  This, according to Forsyth himself.

Pac-Nor makes 20 bore and/or 12 bore rifled barrels but uses too fast a twist for a muzzleloading round ball barrel.

[Roger B]

Check with The Gunworks.  They carry Oregon barrels up to around 4 bore.  I once had an Orion .72 that was 1 in 72".  I could shoot up to around 160gr of Goex Fg in it, but in FFg it was just too mean on the backside for me.  It had a broad flat buttplate too.  I would get a headache after around three of four shots with FFg.
Roger B.