What are the pins in this barrel for?

[Shreckmeister]

On the left flat above before and after the nipple

[WESTbury]

It may be due to lighting but, it looks as though that whole area of the barrel flat above the nipple is somewhat strange looking compared to the opposite barrel flat. I wonder if someone for whatever reason added a plate to the flat and used pins to hold it in place.

That is what is known as a SWAG.

[Tanselman]

Possibly a brass plate, now missing, was pinned on oblique flat to help resist percussion barrel/breech corrosion. Shelby Gallien

[WESTbury]

Tanselman--I like your explanation better than mine. I've seen a few antique flint rifles and fowlers with just such a brass piece fitted around the touch hole.

[Shreckmeister]

That makes sense Shelby. Would it have been at time of build, added later or either one?  I was leaning toward when it was built because the barrel is a little thicker just in that area, like they intended from the beginning to make the rifle last longer

[Eric Kettenburg]

I think the explanation is correct.

This being said - and I can only go by the photos - I don't think the barrel actually looks deliberately thicker at the breech.  Rather than there being a deliberate 'bump' at the breech, I think it looks like a long-acting corrosion 'dip' just forward of where the protective plate would have been.  In other words, the protective plate kept the barrel from corroding just in that area, and immediately forward of it, there was some corrosive spillover which ate away some of the material.  At some point the plate was removed and the barrel likely cleaned up a bit, and now the formerly-protected area stands prouder than the formerly-corroded area.  Following the flat lines back from muzzle end to breech, it sure looks to me like there is a dip in that area just forward of the pins.  Which btw, I would suspect are screws that attached the plate and then heads filed off into a small countersink.

[WESTbury]

  Which btw, I would suspect are screws that attached the plate and then heads filed off into a small countersink.

Yea, screws make sense, as pins would probably blow out from back pressure when the rifle was fired.

[Stan]

Westbury has the right track. I feel the gun was converted to percussion & because the barrel was eroded  & large touch hole, a plate was forged welded to the barrel for extra strength, pins or screws held the plate in place for welding.

[WESTbury]

I think we could settle this quickly. Remove the barrel from the stock and using a band saw, cut the breech end of the barrel off, just in front of the nipple.

Yes I know that would ruin the barrel, but think of the benefits to science! 

Here's the guy to do the deed.


Or, have it X-Rayed.

[Shreckmeister]

I think we could settle this quickly. Remove the barrel from the stock and using a band saw, cut the breech end of the barrel off, just in front of the nipple.

Yes I know that would ruin the barrel, but think of the benefits to science! 

Here's the guy to do the deed.


Or, have it X-Rayed.

   Was this suggestion influenced by bourbon🤪

[WESTbury]

Unfortunately not. Boredom was the major influence. It's been raining off and on down here in Florida and there is nothing on the boob tube except Covid 19. I don't remember how we got through Covid 1 through 18 without doing all this craziness. Covid 20 ought to be a doozie!

[Clint]

Stan,
You  wouldn't need pins or things to prep a forge weld, you only need to heat the pieces and hammer them up. To forge weld on a finished barrel, however will not work. Come to my shop and I'll show you how to weld wrought iron.

[flinchrocket]

They are probably rivets similar to the rivets to hold a rib in place on a barrel,but in this case held a brass plate.