"Breaking the edges on my barrel"

[FRJ]

I am done draw filing my barrel that is going in my Hawken look alike and was reading that it is a good idea to "break" or slightly round the edges of the flats so that the finish doesn't wear off so fast. Any comments pro or con? Also I must have done something wrong as draw filing the barrel was an easy, pleasureable job. Not the hassle that some predicted. Frank

[rich pierce]

All a matter of taste and how you finish the barrel.  Some browning goes quite deep, has texture and wears like, well, iron.  Same for some bluing.  Others will wear some after a lot of use.  Some like the look of wear, but that is another topic.

I have a rule that a gun should not harm anyone by just handling it, so avoid sharp 90 degree edges everywhere (edges of the rear sight especially), but a 45 degree angle on a barrel flat can hardly fall into the "needs to be rounded to be comfortable to carry" category.

[FRJ]

Thank You Rich, that's all I need to know. It will be left with the clean sharp lines from my draw filing. Frank

[B.Habermehl]

I agree with Rich, It is a matter of taste. I have allways lightly broken  the edges of the flats. If you would measure the "breaks" you would find them around .010 or so. Sharp edges weather they come together at 45 drgrees or 90 will wear quickley. So I choose to round them a bit to slow the process, before I finish the metal , be it blue or brown. If you plan to participate in line shoots where the gun is loaded at a bench you really need to break the corners as the bench will definately wear the edges of a octagon barrel. Just my two cents,

[Dphariss]

I am done draw filing my barrel that is going in my Hawken look alike and was reading that it is a good idea to "break" or slightly round the edges of the flats so that the finish doesn't wear off so fast. Any comments pro or con? Also I must have done something wrong as draw filing the barrel was an easy, pleasureable job. Not the hassle that some predicted. Frank

Draw filing is more tiresome when the barrel is 4150
I never round any corners.

Dan

[whitebear]

Would the corners of the barrel be rounded by drawfiling sanding or how?

[B.Habermehl]

Either, Your only dressing off a sharp corner. When I am draw filing a barrel it only amounts to maybe 6-8 strokes of the file per flat. If that.

[Acer Saccharum]

When I am draw filing a barrel it only amounts to maybe 6-8 strokes of the file per flat. If that.

It takes me about 200 strokes per flat. Maybe my file is dull, or the barrel is rough!

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Yeah BJH, where can I get one of those files???

If you are aging the gun then rounding off adds some to the aged look.  Personally I like em sharp and if it wears, it wears..honestly

[Leatherbelly]

Not sure about Hawken rifles but quite a few original longrifles were purposely "rounded" or had the the edges broken.

[Nate McKenzie]

I think a little rounding makes them easier on the hand when carried.

[Jim Kibler]

My personal taste is to break the corner just slightly.  Keep in mind that modern manufacturing techniques likely produce flats which are "flatter" than original techniques.  This accentuates the visual impact of the corner. 

[B.Habermehl]

Tom, If I told you where I got those magic files I'd have to shoot ya . Seriously, I guess I should have been clearer. What I meant was it only takes a couple of file strokes to break the corners of the flats. The flats on modern barrels are too "perfect". I have never seen a antique barrel with "perfect" flats. I don't think on most colonial work that the flats were as "perfect" as we make them today. To be a "perfect"........