Has anyone here resurrected a muzzle loading rifle that has been through a fire?

Modern Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Modern Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

heelerau

Well-Known Member
*
Joined
Feb 8, 2018
Messages
224
Reaction score
112
I have an English bore rifle .72 that was burnt in the bushfire that destroyed my home last year. The springs are soft, so is the trigger guard, the barrel has a nice fire blue colour (its Damascus ) but it is not bent or warped. I have a mate who can sort the lock out, and am seeing a custom stock maker later this week who is willing to re stock the old girl. I will have to resolver the under rib, and apart from the lock, and I guess reproof her. Some of my other rifles the barrels got so hot the iron actually burnt so I think they are permanently ruined. The barrel being wrought iron, I should think that should be ok.
Anyone here refurbished a burnt rifle or smoothbore? MY FBG.jpg
 
No but I’m interested in seeing if anyone has done it. I’ll be watching
 
Looks like I will try, I will document the results, including reproofing the barrel. I am hoping as the barrel is wrought iron, it will not have been damaged like a steel one would have with the heat. The only articles I have found have been all modern smokeless pieces, so a different all together scenario.
 
Dropped the parts off to the stock maker, he has a nice piece of English walnut, reckons he generally get 3 or 4 muzzle loaders a year. Seems to think like me, ( does a bit of gunsmithing) that the wrought iron barrel will likely be ok, but will still proof it before I shoulder it !
 
Trigger guard could be heated to non magnetic and quenched in water, that would Harden it. The tumbler and scare will need to be re hardened, might need some Casnit
 
Here she is now restocked, under rib resoldered, now needs the lock to be repaired, and the barrel taken out and reproofed with my usual load of 120 grains of ffg with greased felt wad and .71 ball with a greased patch.
The rifle is no longer of any collector interest, and only to me as a shooter. If the barrel fails I will have another made, hence the proofing will be done with the barrel only strapped to a plank.
 

Attachments

  • FBG.jpg
    FBG.jpg
    110.1 KB · Views: 2
I have an English bore rifle .72 that was burnt in the bushfire that destroyed my home last year. The springs are soft, so is the trigger guard, the barrel has a nice fire blue colour (its Damascus ) but it is not bent or warped. I have a mate who can sort the lock out, and am seeing a custom stock maker later this week who is willing to re stock the old girl. I will have to resolver the under rib, and apart from the lock, and I guess reproof her. Some of my other rifles the barrels got so hot the iron actually burnt so I think they are permanently ruined. The barrel being wrought iron, I should think that should be ok.
Anyone here refurbished a burnt rifle or smoothbore? View attachment 3970
usually after going through a fire the metal has been compromised, and has been softened. you lucked out.
 
I picked her up from the stockmaker last week, still have to get it home to SA. Still chasing a .71 ball mould, will find one eventually, so I can proof her, barrel out of stock. Next job though will be to sort out the lock . The bloke did an excellent job of inletting ver pleased with the result. English walnut with a fine oil finish, colour looks better when in hand, not photo IMG_0923.jpg
 
I picked her up from the stockmaker last week, still have to get it home to SA. Still chasing a .71 ball mould, will find one eventually, so I can proof her, barrel out of stock. Next job though will be to sort out the lock . The bloke did an excellent job of inletting ver pleased with the result. English walnut with a fine oil finish, colour looks better when in hand, not photo View attachment 28132
looks great god a .72 that things a fire stick for sure i found a company that makes a mold for your gun but there outta stock atm Primitive Scissors Mold, .710" round ball, for .72 musket & 12 gauge shotgun, blued steel, with sprue nipper handles - Track of the Wolf
 
Back
Top