Handi/Huntsman Idea

[dk17hmr]

I got an idea in my head and I wish I had a lathe to try it out.

357 barrel would be about ideal, but would prefer a 30 caliber, maybe a 308 bull barrel would work.

(IDEA) Cut the chamber out and thread it for the 209 breech plug used in the NEF muzzle loaders, then bevel the crown for ease of loading.  Making a small game muzzle loader.

Seems like it would work.  The powder charge wouldn't be alot to start with so I dont think pressure would be a problem.  Could be scoped or with irons.

What do you guys think?

I think it would be fun, if only I had a machine lathe to do this with I would be in the shop working on it.

[Foggy]

Are you going to eliminate the whole 308 chamber? other wise you would have an over sized powder chamber (for want of a better work). That would be unsafe. I can see what I want to say in my head....you breach plug would have to be over sized.  I'll be back

[Scibaer]

sounds like a cool idea. but as Foggy has suggested, the bore is smaller then the chamber, so you have a problem of how to reduce the chamber volume.
 you could machine a breech plug that fit into the chamber and reduced the diameter of the chmaber to the size of the bore. possibly
 you'd need some fine prescision machining and thread cutting. i can see it in my head, its a damn cool idea.. .30 muzzle loader
 you'd only need threads on the end of the plug, thick walls and a hole thru the plug should do it, think brass case with a primer size hole all the way thru it with thick walls and threaded 1/2 inch up or so .. not brass though, steel
my .02 cents

[quickdtoo]

Interesting idea, but finding bullets/sabots that will load easily and shoot well in the shallow rifling may be the real task. 

Tim

[dk17hmr]

Lee makes .30 round ball molds.  I think that would work if you used pure lead.  Or a cast bullet of smaller size with a patch.  I wouldnt have a problem finding bullets because I cast my own.

I would measure how deep the plug goes on my muzzleloader but I have it loaded right now (muzzle loader season), but it might clean up the chamber.  If not what would the down fall be if the neck wasnt cleaned up wouldnt the powder in theory fill that void and then the ball would be set on top of the black powder.

They make 30 caliber to 22 sabots also.

[Foggy]

yeah moderate loads and .008 patch material. I have a program that I can figure proper rate of twist for any cal and projectile lenght. miigh just figure how to make .257 or .243 bullets work .
I've make muzzle loaders out of old center fire barrels before. fired them from a cradle like a cannon  never had one accurate enough for me to invest the time in stocking one.

[quickdtoo]

Lee makes a .308" RB mold, but that wouldn't leave any room for a patch, the bearing surface of a RB is so little, a patch would be necessary to get any reasonable accuracy, RB barrels generally have deep rifling, the shallow .002" rifling typical of most H&R barrels wouldn't likely work well at all. Patches are .005"-.020" thick with .010"-.015" the most commonly used, so if you can get a .300" round ball, you might make it work with very light loads, the shallow rifling lets the ball strip instead of following it. The other issue is the fast 1:10" twist rate, .32cal  RB barrels would normally be 1:46" to 1:48". The 357mag barrel may be a better candidate with it's 1:18¾" twist.

Tim

[Scibaer]

seems to me, that using a caliber that has straight wall cartridges would be the easiest. then the overbore chamber area would not be a problem at all.
not as many option going that route though less machine work would be required
could a .22 muzzle  loader be made to work ?

[Foggy]

Boy we're making this  dog run LOL Love it we can get Veral to make us a LBT mini ball mould in 30 cal  he could talior the lenght  of the prjetile to the twist we have

[rbergum95]

i think the straight walled cartridge idea should work. a .357 would make a good ML usiing standard cast bullets. a .22 would also work. i have a friend that has a .22 cal flinter with round balls but you can get molds for conicals to fit the twist rate.

[Slufoot]

dk17hmr, I've had the same idea in my head for a while also, except I'm wanting to install a Savage breech plug in a 500 S&W barrel. I've already ordered the breech plug from Savage and have been looking at reamers, bits and taps that will do the job. I'll have to make a GO gauge to get the depth set exactly right before I can go back in with the larger bit to tap the threads with. I have given this project alot of thought and have found out the actual land and groove diameter from Tim, Thanks Tim. I'm going to go over this project with another machinist friend of mine before I start on it, he's been turning and milling parts for about 40 years and I really respect his opinion.
I wasn't going to say anything about my project until I completed it and tested it, but since you brought this subject up, I figured what the heck, maybe I'll get some opinions on things I might not have thought of.

GOOD SHOOTING!
Slufoot 

[trotterlg]

I just had your perfect barrel for a 30 cal ML.  I chambered a British 303 stubbed off barrel in 32 H&R Magnum.  I think a breach plug in place of the chambering would make a nice .30 cal ML with a patch.  Larry