Modern fowler from a .50 caliber rifle?

[goon]

I have been thinking recently that it would be cool to take a 50 caliber muzzleloader and have the barrel bored out to a .54 smoothbore. This would turn it into about a 28 gauge flintlock shotgun. I am thinking that I could use a gun like this on small game during the regular small game season and then on deer during both PA muzzleloading seasons with a patched round ball.

How feasible is this conversion? I am thinking that the Lyman Deerstalker might be a good candidate for this since they already make both a 50 and a 54 caliber in this gun. Could the barrel from the 50 handle the stress of being fired after being bored out? I know that BP doesn't really create pressure like smokeless, but there is the small matter of keeping that controlled explosion from getting uncontrolled.
Does anyone know of a good smith who knows anything about something like this?

 

[GrayBear]

You'll Need A Good Gunsmith!

I had a .45 caplock pistol rebored as a .50 caliber to match my rifle so I wouldn't have to cast two sizes of ball. I figured on a smoothbore but there was rifling left. I lucked out because the .50 shoots better than the .45 did.

If there is even shallow rifling left in the bore it will not pattern well as a shotgun and I have some personal experience with shotshell use in rat-killer pistols.

Good luck with your project.

GrayBear

 

[redneck]

I think all the Lyman barrels are milled from the same kind of blank. So the .50 is the same as a .54 just not bored out so much. Pressure wise I'd say your fine.
The questions that are coming up in my head are
1. What are you doing in terms of a choke for shotgun use? Will it shoot tight enough for what your wanting to do with no choke?
2. How well will a patch and ball shoot out of a smoothbore? I know its done, just don't know if its up to snuff for deer hunting. Probably depends on the gun. To be really accurate you want slow twist rifled barrel for a patch and ball.

 

[Backwoods]

With a straight cylinder bore barrel, your effective shotgun range will be short. Just guessing, maybe 25 yds. My 12 ga cyl bore shotgun is (IMO) a 30 yd max weapon

As far as shooting patched round balls, I've seen second hand reports of quite reasonable accuracy out to 50 yds. Apparently after that range things start to degrade noticably.

These ranges are only guesses that can only be proved or disproved by actually shooting the rebored barrel. YMMV

Don in Ohio

 

[4v50 Gary]

Might it be better to buy a new barrel? There are tradegun barrels that start as an octagon and then become round? With the proper breechplug installed (I presume a hooked breach), that barrel could be fitted to your stock.

 

[goon]

Getting an extra barrel for the gun might be a better idea. As far as the short range goes, I am not really too worried about that. I am thinking that the gun would mostly be used just as a shooter but might also see some time hunting squirrels and possibly deer if I could get good enough with it.
Another option that I have considered is just getting a trade gun or fowler kit. I don't really have the $$$ to pull something like this off yet though. It is just sort of one of those "plans" that I get.
I was just wondering what you guys thought of it.