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Author Topic: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs  (Read 1517 times)

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Offline Stan in SC

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Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« on: May 22, 2012, 11:15:01 PM »
My favorite gun shop recently purchased three .45 caliber Huntsman rifles all without breech plugs.The guy who sold them to the shop said he no longer had the plugs and that they had been taken out to allow him to shoot .45 Long Colt shells in the guns which he had been doing.
Just for giggles I tried and a .45 Long colt chambered in one of the rifles.My contention to the shop is that to shoot .45 LC in these guns is dangerous since they were designed as muzzle loaders.Am I correct on this?
Where are plugs available from if I wanted to buy one of these and use it as it was intended?
Thanks for any help.


Stan in SC


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Offline quickdtoo

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2012, 05:26:52 AM »
Numrich has push-in breech plugs, they're listed toward the bottom of the list.

Tim

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=2328
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Offline Stan in SC

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2012, 06:01:02 AM »
Thank you,Tim.


Stan in SC
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Offline Sprint

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2012, 01:21:48 AM »
Stan in SC,
 
Do these 45 cal. Huntsman barrels have some form of chamber insert other than the standard ML type?
 
If not, a 45 Colt cartridge would "swim" in the opening.
 
Sprint
 
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Offline Stan in SC

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2012, 02:31:57 AM »
The .45 long Colt shell fits perfectly.I might have to go back and look at them again.


Stan in SC
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Offline PHATINJUN

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #5 on: May 24, 2012, 07:24:41 AM »
I would check the chambers very well as was stated...in a factory ML configuration the .45Colt shell would be very loose . "The .45 long Colt shell fits perfectly" This being said sounds like some one may of made a chamber adapter of sorts or even plugged it and had new chamber cut . I certainly would not use any hot loads  but light loads should be fine .Bullet selection and powder may be tricky with the 1-56 twist. I am shooting a very hot load with conical bullet out of one of mine in ML configuration and it is pretty accurate. Kurt
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Offline Stan in SC

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2012, 03:19:56 PM »
I examined the rifles very good today and it appears that there is a chamber adapter in all of them.
The .45 Long Colt is a perfect fit in all three.I am of the opinion that a cowboy load in .45 long colt(light load) might be fun to shoot.


Stan in SC
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Offline Jason F

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #7 on: May 24, 2012, 03:22:55 PM »
Are you sure you didnt buy them from bikerbeans ;D
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Offline Jason F

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #8 on: May 24, 2012, 03:24:10 PM »
Can you post some pictures of chamber
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Offline Stan in SC

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #9 on: May 24, 2012, 03:30:41 PM »
Regretfully I do not have the computer expertise to post pictures.
Does bikerbeans have some of the same type of rifles?

Stan in SC
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Offline quickdtoo

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #10 on: May 24, 2012, 04:17:13 PM »
Stan, if you can take pics and email em to me, I'll post em, PM sent.

Tim
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Offline Stan in SC

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #11 on: May 25, 2012, 03:30:52 PM »
I have made arrangements to obtain one of the rifles on a trial basis.I'll pick it up Monday and take pictures as soon as I can and send the pictures to Tim who graciously agreed to post them.
Thanks Tim and Kurt for your pm's and posts.We will figure this out.
The saga continues....


Stan in SC
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Offline stimpylu32

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #12 on: May 25, 2012, 04:13:19 PM »
Quote from: Stan in SC on May 24, 2012, 03:30:41 PM
Regretfully I do not have the computer expertise to post pictures.
Does bikerbeans have some of the same type of rifles?

Stan in SC

Stan
 
Yes and no , he has one that is in the process of being converted to a 50/70 , its on a 50 cal ML barrel , the last hitch to be worked out is the ejector , as of now he just uses a ML ram rod to push out the spent case's .
 
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Offline topper88

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #13 on: May 26, 2012, 06:48:52 AM »
I have been thinking on these barrels.  I speculate they were for shooting round balls preloaded with black powder in .45 Colt cases.  I doubt the 1:56 rifling could stabilize a conical colt bullet.  If you made a 'case' by milling a stainless steel bolt to the dimensions of a .45 colt case that had a nipple for a #11 cap in back and a flash channel you could also use it like a muzzle loader after inserting it.  Maybe you could slip out the existing insert and slip in a stock breech plug to do the same thing.  Hard to tell how conversion was done with out pictures.  Best of both worlds, breech loader and muzzle loader in one gun.
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Offline quickdtoo

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #14 on: May 26, 2012, 08:49:10 AM »
A 200gr bullet should stabilize at 1350fps or faster in the 1:56" twist,  the 200gr Speer HPGD is .563" long, appears to work using a modern stability calculator.

Tim


http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi
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Offline Stan in SC

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Re: Huntsman rifles without breech plugs
« Reply #15 on: May 30, 2012, 09:04:04 AM »
I took the Huntsman I borrowed from the shop to the range today along with three .45 Colt cowboy loads.I shoulda taken more boolits.The first shot taken was remote fired with a string.No apparent damage upon after-firing inspection.The rifle was still in one piece.Emboldened by success I fired the next two rounds at a clay pigeon target placed on the 100 yard berm.Recoil was VERY mild probably due to using cowboy loads.Both shots were dead on for elevation but to the left of the clay.If I had taken more loads I would have adjusted the sights and would have been dead on at 100 yards.
All three empty shells had to be pushed out with the ramrod due to no ejector or extractor but they came out easily.All three empties showed no signs of stress,splitting or excessive swelling.The firing pin,designed to hit upon a percussion cap,is twice the diameter of a regular Handi Rifle but fired the metallic cartridges with no problem.
A new thought occured to me on the way home.If these hold a .45 Colt,I'll bet they will fire a 2-1/2" .410 round.Hmmmmm.
Regretfully my camera is on loan so I am unable to take pictures as I said I would.If for some reason I have the one rifle still available to me next week I will try to get pictures.
It was fun and I enjoyed the newness of it.Am I going to buy one of these at $89.95? No.They cannot hold a candle to my favorite 45/70 handi.
Anyone interested perhaps in contacting the shop please pm me and I'll give you the necessary information.I just hesitate to do so in open forum.
Stan in SC
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