A new barrel!

[Archie Otto]

Last night I obtained a brand new green mountain barrel in a trade for a used T/C lock.  32" long .54 caliber, slow twist (1-66"?) twist, straight octagon 1" across flats.  Drilled and tapped for breech plug but none installed.

It is a bit short for a "historically correct long rifle" but will still make a nice flinter or caplock rifle.  So, let's say (hypothetically) I have the skills to build a gun "good enough" to sell for enough money to finance the next muzzleloader project ($800-$1000). 

I have some orphaned T/C parts, caplock, tang, trigger and breech plug.  I could build another gun using the ToW, pecatonica CM3 full length upgrade stock with a but I'm not sure that parts gun would fetch the money I need.  Or I could sell the T/C parts (maybe $100) and use the cash to offset the costs of the project.

Given barrel length and caliber, what style of gun would be the most appealing or marketable?

[flehto]

The bbl  would be suitable for a "Hawken" half stock build , but I wouldn't use the TC parts on it. Buy a Hawken half stock from Pecatonica and use Hawken steel parts including a hooked breech. The wood could be plain as were many originals. and the end result could well  be worth more than a spare "parts gun" .....Fred

[smylee grouch]

You could build a half stock flinter. Plain flint breech, single trigger, pins, single lock bolt. This would be a good starter gun if you have not done any building yet. You could make the single trigger, barrel lugs and sights yourself and gain somemore gunsmithing experience and save a few bucks too.

[galamb]

Twist might be 1:70 (was/is the typical twist rate on the 50/54 cal barrels).
 
And agree, a plains style half-stock or Ohio half-stock would look fine with that barrel - maybe even a nice English half-stock with some checkering at the wrist, hooked breech (deer park rifle).

Depending what the breech plug/tang you have belonged to it may not fit the barrel anyhow. This barrel most probably is tapped for a 3/4-16 plug.

If you are looking to make a little on it, in the range you mention, you would be better selling the T/C parts on "flea-bay" and investing in components that are a little more highly regarded.

[David Rase]

I would build a full stock Leman trade rifle.  The T/C tang is closer to the Leman than a Hawken.  The full stock would mitigate needing an underrib and the associated iron paraphernalia a Hawken requires.  Thinking about it a bit more, to silence any critiques, you could make a generic fullstock plains rifle.  That's what I would do if it were me.
David

[kaintuck]

Hawken......

Short fat barrels.....1/2 stock.....Age the parts and barrel......makes a mighty fine rifle!

[Habu]

I'd suggest selling the TC parts, and for much the same reasons as David suggests, building a generic plains rifle. 

[RAT]

Other than the rate of twist those are close to the dimensions of the Orion barrel in my Leman trade rifle. I believe mine is 32 1/4" long.

[Dphariss]

If its REALLY a GM.... You wanna sell it? Should be a 36" this was the standard short barrel from GM.
If its 32 its been cut or is not a GM.
Dan

[Archie Otto]

All I have to go by is what my pal told me and I have no reason to suspect he is lying.  No matter it is a nice barrel and it will do everything I need.   

[smylee grouch]

I think a GM will have 8 wider cuts, 8 narrow lands. Just one thing to think about.

[Dphariss]

All I have to go by is what my pal told me and I have no reason to suspect he is lying.  No matter it is a nice barrel and it will do everything I need.   

GM should be marked about 3" from the breech with GM logo and caliber.

Dan

[Archie Otto]

Thanks for the enlightenment and schooling, looks like my excitement and lack of information got the best of me. 

The barrel does not have any identifying markings anywhere that I can see.  It has 8 wider lands and 8 thinner grooves that look like square bottom grooves.  I get about 1/2 turn of a tight patched rod over the length of the 32" barrel so it's around 1-60"-something twist.  It is .54 caliber and octagon and 32" long.... beyond that nothing else is certain. 

With that information I can not in good faith or conscious put any brand name on this barrel.  I did call my good old pal last night and we discussed the origins of the barrel.  He has had it since the mid 1990's and I believe he honestly thought it was from GM.  It never entered my mind that he could be wrong.  Like I said I have no reason to believe he is lying.... mistaken or forgetful is another issue entirely. 

At any rate it was still a good trade and I will build a muzzleloader with it. 

 

 

[Dphariss]

Thanks for the enlightenment and schooling, looks like my excitement and lack of information got the best of me.  

The barrel does not have any identifying markings anywhere that I can see.  It has 8 wider lands and 8 thinner grooves that look like square bottom grooves.  I get about 1/2 turn of a tight patched rod over the length of the 32" barrel so it's around 1-60"-something twist.  It is .54 caliber and octagon and 32" long.... beyond that nothing else is certain.  

With that information I can not in good faith or conscious put any brand name on this barrel.  I did call my good old pal last night and we discussed the origins of the barrel.  He has had it since the mid 1990's and I believe he honestly thought it was from GM.  It never entered my mind that he could be wrong.  Like I said I have no reason to believe he is lying.... mistaken or forgetful is another issue entirely.  

At any rate it was still a good trade and I will build a muzzleloader with it.  

  

  

It could have been shortened 4" at the breech, the best way to shorten one, removing all markings.

Dan

[Jerry V Lape]

Might work for a Jaeger rifle.

[Archie Otto]

Dan, it is possible the barrel was shortened from the breech end.  However, your questions brought me back to reality and I thank you for that.  The truth is I can not prove the manufacturer so saying anything other wise would be a misrepresentation.  It's one thing to sling hash and offer speculation during a BS session among friends but totally different when offering a product for sale on the open market.  At the end of the day I need to be able to confidently stand behind what I say and do.

It is what it is and that is all that it is. 

[Archie Otto]

This is an unaltered barrel in regards to drilling and dovetails. 

[omark]

Maybe it was cut off before drilling and dovetailing.    Mark

[Archie Otto]

The barrel has no dovetails cut in it.  It is drilled for a 3/4-16 breech plug.

[omark]

Sorry, I misread. But it could have been rethreaded for the bp after cutting.   Just a thought, Mark

[Archie Otto]

No apologies needed and yes that is true.  I don't know when or by whom this barrel was made or what was done to it since then.  Anyways, because I do not know these things I have decided to "backburner" this barrel and use a Colerain barrel instead. 

[dlbarr]

It might well be an original length of 32". GM made their replacement barrels (maybe still do) in that length for TCs and other production guns. I have two myself, a .40 & a .54. Both 32".