Defective Barrel on Dixie Pa. 50 cal Pedersoli??

[trsdbrown]

I built a Pedersoli Pa. 50 cal flint kit from Dixie few months ago. I have shot about 40 rounds out of it. The gun shot great. I took it out today. Shot 4 times. After the 5th shot I was reloading and I noticed that the last 2/3 of the push down the barrel was extremely easy. I mean I could have pushed it in with a straw. Fired it and the round was way off. 1 foot low and 6 "left. Reloaded same feeling going down the barrel. Fired and this one was a foot high and right. Loaded again and the same things happened. Cleaned it out, and I can't really tell if anything is wrong inside the barrel.

This gun was always very tight loading. When cleaning it the ramrod would twist in my hands from the rifling. It doesn't do that now. Rifling bad??

Shooting 70gr. 2F, .010 or .015 patch. Can't remember the exact patch thickness because I chucked the original packing. But it is the same lot I shot 10 rounds with last week and no problems.

I'm calling Dixie Monday but I wonder; has anyone ever heard of something like this??

TB

 

[Cosmoline]

I take it you didn't switch from one batch of balls to the next.

 

[Wildfire]

Swollen barrel.

Hey There;
Sounds as if you have a swollen barrel . "If" you had a load that did not seat all the way down , that could have caused that problem. Or any other type of barrel obstuction. Some barrels have been know to be too soft and juts up and swell. That may also be the case.
I had one years ago that had the same problem. I found it after I loaned the gun out. Rule #1 .... Don't loan out any BP guns to anyone. Never ever ....

 

[Chawbaccer]

It is very possible that because of the tight loading you may not of gotten the balls fully seated and as a result bulged the chamber. It isn't likely that what you are experiencing happened with out cause.

 

[Wildfire]

I agree.

Hey again.
I agree . there was a cause. Soft barrels are extremely rare. My guess is a ball did not get all the way down and you now have a buldged barrel.

 

[mykeal]

Bottom line: that barrel is no longer safe to shoot, regardless of the cause.

 

[wulf]

If its bulged you should be able to tell on the outside

by using a caliper or micrometer on the barrel flats. If its different at the bottom and top then you have a bulged barrel.

 

[scrat]

stop using it. its very dangerous. you may be getting some huge air gaps between the ball and the powder. the more you shoot the more the barrel is going to expand and the more you get. Stop using it. you will have a time bomb on your hand. Order find get a new barrel or get a new gun and make that one into a wall hanger.

 

[WARDER]

hi you said it was always tight to load ,only a thought but i've seen it happen the ball could be cutting the patch and going through it further down the barrel check this ,a ball and patch should only be a nice sliding fit from muzzel to breach ,by the way are you using grease on your patches you will need lube ,ive been shooting black powder for 30 years a barrel does not bulge two thirds of its length,you will find it something simple try what i say and let me know .

 

[Steve499]

I managed to "ring" the bore on one of my rifles. It had been caused, apparently, by a grease cookie I had mashed down on top of the seated bullet. The cookie stayed on the ramrod and came off about 3 inches in front of the bullet. It created a bulge when I fired it that way, but the bulge was only an inch or so in length, and you could see a ripple on the outside of the barrel at it's location. This rifle is a .451 Volunteer which shoots an extremely long and heavy (550 gr.) slug loaded with no patch, so I discovered the bulge when I ran a patch down the bore to clean it after the shot. The difference in the friction on the patch was very noticeable; tight, tight, tight, LOOSE, tight. I had the barrel drilled out and sleeved.

If you have a bulged barrel you should be able to tell by the tension on your cleaning patches alone. You can also drop a bore light down to the breech and see if there is any variation in the concentricity of the reflection inside the bore. I can't imagine the pressure required to bulge 2/3 of a barrel being generated with a patched round ball on one end and an open flintlock vent on the other. All the bulges I've ever heard of were like mine, just a ring of very short length. If you aren't feeling the same reduction in tension while both loading and cleaning, Warder has probably nailed it.

 

[trsdbrown]

Everyone:
I returned the gun to Dixie and they replaced the barrel at no cost. I have been shooting black powder for 30 years. I am certain that I seated every ball. The new barrel has a uniform tension the entire length when loading. I think I got a defect on the first one. thanks to all who replied.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Glad things worked out for you and kudos to Dixie Gun Works for doing the right thing.