Ron's post for an original barrel over in the for sale forum got me to thinking. I am not a restorer of antique rifles so was hoping some of you knowledgeable, experienced restorers will chime in about this. Over the last few years I have collected several original M\L barrels and a few had stocks and furniture with them. These were pretty much of the percussion era, and what I would call "working mans rifles". No real artistic merrit, but a couple with nice patina'd curly maple. Barrels ranged in length from short\36" halfstock designed straight barrels to 43\44" swampers. I used to reuse some of the barrels and made a few nice shooting flintlock rifles out of them. It was fun but an experience I'm quite over with. I know some of the skilled blacksmiths around today like to use old wrought iron barrels to make tomahawk heads out of them. It seems to me that if one had a nice old longrifle worthy of restoration (say the forstock was missing pieces or needed lengthening), that one of these old scroungers I've earlier described would come in handy for such a sacrifice? Seems it would be a better restoration if old wood and metal were used. Somehow making the finished piece more authentic? What do you all think? One of my favorite "relic" rifles has hung above the doorway to my shop for many years. It is an old Ohio-ish fullstock that has most of it's parts with the exception of it's toe plate and an old ill fitting percussion lock. The hand made double set triggers it holds are so nice I plan to someday put them into a contemporary project. But then again, I am torn with the thought of separating parts that have been together for more than a century or two.
