Barrel "remnant"

[Kevin Houlihan]

I have an 8" section of rifle barrel left over from a project. I've been told that if I use it to make a pistol it won't be very accurate - that I'd be better off even with a smooth bore. The pistol will be used for 25 yd (at the most) target shooting. Any thoughts or input on this one way or another would be appreciated. 
Thanks
Kevin

[JTR]

Put a breech plug in it with a tang long enough to mount a scope on, then mount the barrel to a board and take it to the range and shoot it. That'll tell you whether the barrel is accurate or not. The short radius of open sights on the barrel might hinder actual accuracy.

John

[P.W.Berkuta]

Barrel twist rates are different for rifle & pistoles but who knows it might shoot minute of pie plate at that distance - give it a try - if not make it a smoothbore.

[EC121]

Just for discussion, a 1:66 rifle twist would be about one eighth of a turn at 8 inches.  It would almost be a straight rifled barrel.  Might shoot OK at pistol distances.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

My brother Daryl has a piece of .54 cal rifle barrel on one of his pistols and he shoots it very well indeed.  But he uses what some might consider a rifle load in it...~ 50 gr. of FFFg.  No matter what load you choose to use, the rifle barrel stub will be more accurate than a smooth bored barrel, IMHO.

[Kevin Houlihan]

My brother Daryl has a piece of .54 cal rifle barrel on one of his pistols and he shoots it very well indeed.  But he uses what some might consider a rifle load in it...~ 50 gr. of FFFg.  No matter what load you choose to use, the rifle barrel stub will be more accurate than a smooth bored barrel, IMHO.

  Thanks Taylor... I knew if I waited eventually someone would give me the answer that I wanted to hear  
Seriously, I figured that even with a rifle twist it wouldn't shoot any worse than a smooth bore.  And ...I'm not going to be shooting it at any great distance.
Thanks
Kevin

[WadePatton]

Sometimes theory gets in the way of practice.  Theory is that pistols can't make enough velocity to spin the ball an appropriate RPM for "stabilization" (given a rifle twist rate), hence they normally get a faster twist.

But the proof is in the shooting.  If it won't shoot...rebarrel it-no big deal eh?

I bet it will shoot perfectly fine.

[Kevin Houlihan]

Sometimes theory gets in the way of practice.  Theory is that pistols can't make enough velocity to spin the ball an appropriate RPM for "stabilization" (given a rifle twist rate), hence they normally get a faster twist.

But the proof is in the shooting.  If it won't shoot...rebarrel it-no big deal eh?

I bet it will shoot perfectly fine.

Kind of what I figured. It'll spend most of it's life in a belt at rendezvous anyway.

[Scott Bumpus]

I know of 2 pistols built on rifle stubs and they both shoot fine.  don't know what twist they are. 

[black ed]

Have a pistol made from 8" of my rifle barrel, 62 cal. 50 to 60 Gr ff and she hits where she's pointed. Lost her elk hunting and found her a year later. Still shoots very well.

[shifty]

  I have a 50cal with a 1/48 twist shoots great= 3" group at 50yds with 50grns 2f=of course the barrel is 16" long.

[kaintuck]

I have an 8" section of rifle barrel left over from a project. I've been told that if I use it to make a pistol it won't be very accurate - that I'd be better off even with a smooth bore. The pistol will be used for 25 yd (at the most) target shooting. Any thoughts or input on this one way or another would be appreciated. 
Thanks
Kevin

that's enuff to make 2 derringers!!!!!!!!!!

marc n tomtom

[Dphariss]

I have an 8" section of rifle barrel left over from a project. I've been told that if I use it to make a pistol it won't be very accurate - that I'd be better off even with a smooth bore. The pistol will be used for 25 yd (at the most) target shooting. Any thoughts or input on this one way or another would be appreciated. 
Thanks
Kevin

A 66 twist 50-54 will shoot under 2" at 25 yards (about what most modern pistols will do) and hit a NMLRA buffalo target silhouette to 100. If the shooter is up to it and does load development.
Those that say a rifle twist won't shoot either:
1. Sell fast twist pistol barrels.
2. Won't put in enough powder.
3. Can't shoot a pistol.

Now if you want to shoot TARGETS against the best shots at Friendship and shoot light loads then a rifle twist may not be the best choice. But if you want a pistol for PRACTICAL use there is nothing wrong with a rifle twist pistol.
Most in 50-54 will shoot well with 40-55 gr of FFF.
I have no real experience with smaller bore pistols. But I really doubt that the old timers making a rifled pistol made a special rifling machine for them.

What make and caliber is the barrel? If its a GM and 50-58 caliber I might be interested in if you decide you don't want it.
Dan

[Kevin Houlihan]

What make and caliber is the barrel? If its a GM and 50-58 caliber I might be interested in if you decide you don't want it.
Dan
[/quote]

 It's a section from a used Dixie Mountain rifle in .50 cal.  I'm basically going to use it because it's FREE    For the price of a lock, breech plug and guard my son can have a pistol in the same caliber as his rifle.   
  Thanks to everyone for their input.
Kevin

[Daryl]

Here's mine. I shoot 50 to 55gr. 3F with a .526" ball and .020" ticking patch. The bore is tight at .53 and has a 60" to 66" twist.  Off bags, it will actually hold 2 1/2" at 50 yards with only pin head's sticking up above the barrel's breech flat and a blade front sight.
It barks pretty good & is probably close to what my shot M29 does, power wise.

[T*O*F]

But if you want a pistol for PRACTICAL use there is nothing wrong with a rifle twist pistol.

I was once in a 3 man, 3 gun match.  One carried a rifle, one a smoothbore, and one a pistol.  Targets were shot as they came up and the person in the rotation whose turn it was had to shoot it with whichever gun he was carrying.  No one on my team had a pistol so I cobbled one together just for the match, 10" 45 cal rifle stub with a small Manton flint lock.  I loaded it with 45 grains of 3F.

I cobbled it together in just a few hours using stuff I had laying around.  Brass thimbles and nosecap, silver Tgard barely inlet and still as cast,  rear sight and underlugs filed from keystock, sideplate cut from a piece of a car bracket, galvanized lock screws, etc.  Only used it for that shoot and it's been laying around ever since.  I took the lock off to use on another gun.  It's an ugly thing, but we won the match and it did its job.  It don't have to be pretty like Daryl's gun.