Octagon length on various NW trade guns

[Tim Ault]

I just got my copy of for trade and treaty  and thumbed through it tonight  . It appears that the octagon section on The various NW trade guns appear shorter than on most other types . Am I correct on this assumption?  If so what were the average length on the octagon ? And we’re they tapered or just straight ?  The barrel I have has a 12” Oct. section and wondered if it would be suitable for that style or should think about about using it for any other type of gun

[Mike Brooks]

9 inches is common

[EC121]

Use it.  99.99% of the folks won't know the difference, and Mike won't tell.

[Daryl]

I just got my copy of for trade and treaty  and thumbed through it tonight  . It appears that the octagon section on The various NW trade guns appear shorter than on most other types . Am I correct on this assumption?  If so what were the average length on the octagon ? And we’re they tapered or just straight ?  The barrel I have has a 12” Oct. section and wondered if it would be suitable for that style or should think about about using it for any other type of gun

Depends on how - ahh, err, hmmmm, picky you are, I guess. I would use it. I have a round bottomed Hawken patent breech on my English rifle, because Track was out of 1 1/8" square breeches and I could not wait to get shooting "her" in 1986.

[rich pierce]

“Northwest trade guns” covers various makers and many decades. Kind of like “Hawken rifles”.  A great maker advised me to never make a generic Hawken rifle. Might be fun to replicate one specific NW trade gun.

[Tim Ault]

“Northwest trade guns” covers various makers and many decades. Kind of like “Hawken rifles”.  A great maker advised me to never make a generic Hawken rifle. Might be fun to replicate one specific NW trade gun.

.
   I was kinda liking the one made by Leman since it has a Pa connection

[smart dog]

Hi Tim,
Most of the commonly available octagon/round barrels are of Spanish form, meaning they have 2/5s octagon and 3/5s round with a wedding band transition.  Trade gun barrels varied more greatly with some having very short octagon sections and gradual transition to round with no wedding bands, some had octagon to sixteen sided shape to round, some had 2 bands of some sort.  It varied.  I don't think you need worry all that much about what barrel you use unless you are really trying to copy an existing original gun.

dave

[Tim Ault]

Thank you all for the information.  Now just have to decide what it is I’m gonna use that barrel on.  I’m torn between a Late 1700’s Pa Fowler or a trade gun be it French or the NW style .

[Clark Badgett]

Thank you all for the information.  Now just have to decide what it is I’m gonna use that barrel on.  I’m torn between a Late 1700’s Pa Fowler or a trade gun be it French or the NW style .

What kind of barrel do you have?

[Tim Ault]

It’s a Zornes barrel I just got from member here . 20ga, 41.5” , 1.09” breach 12” long Oct. section .95” at the band then tapers to .730”