Smooth Rifle ?? Planning Stage

[Pete G.]

OK, so I'm in the late winter/early planning mode and thinking about a Lehigh Vally type build. I've looked at the octagon to round barrels from Colerain and I think that will be the way to go. They are available both smooth and rifled.

  First question is the proper way of cleaning up the round portion, since obviously it can't be draw filed. How is this usually handled ?

  Secondly is more of a philosophical point.
Should I build this as a smooth rifle? Quite a few of the originals were built thus, and the fowler guys seem to get pretty fair accuracy out of a PRB. I am really a rifle sort of guy and am concerned that if I'm not really happy with the way it shoots, that I would probably have a problem selling it also. People looking for a smoothie want a fowler and people looking for a rifle want, well, a rifle.

Any thoughts  pro/con ?

 

[omark]

on question 1, i think using emery cloth in a shoe shine method would give the best results.
question 2, i am not qualified, so will back gracefully out of here.    just be sure to post progress pictures, if you would be so kind.  and good luck.  mark

[northmn]

I am in the process of building a smooth rifle in more or less a Beck design.  Were I worried about sales I think that buying two matching barrels from Colerain, one rifled and one smooth might be a catchy gimick.  Selling is matching the buyer to the seller so who knows?  As far as utility, I like the concept of a smooth rifle in flintlock as I likely will not do much wing shooting with it anyway.  They could likely be shot more accurately with a round ball.  Cleaning the round portion would probably be best done with coarse to fine emory.

DP

[Robby]

Peter, I use a 10" Nicholson Mill Smooth file. Holding it slightly askew, I run it the length of the round part of the barrel. It takes down the high points of the rippling. It is kind of a feel thing, but it is a lot faster, lessens the time and amount of emery usage. Overall it levels out and puts the barrel on the same plane.
Robby

[Bentflint]

I'm with Robby. I use a mill file the same way I draw file flats on oct. barrels. I work 12" or so at a time moving around the barrel till I remove all the machine marks. He's right, it's much faster.

Bruce Everhart

[Michael]

Pete,

I wouldn't be too concerned about the lack accuracy of a smoothbore barrel. With the right powder, patch and ball combo you may be suprised. My main deer hunting rifle is a copy of number 19 in RCA in .50 caliber and I discovered that I can shoot an unpatched ball about .005 under bore size and keep them in a 1.5 inch group at 40 yards. Where I hunt up on the mountain a 50 yard shot is pretty long, lots of undergrowth up there.

Michael