Maillemaker
06-12-2015, 10:34 PM
Let us suppose we wanted to try and make a reproduction H&P conversion for the benefit of having a reproduction variant of a sighted smoothbore musket for N-SSA competition.
Suppose we started with the Pedersoli Colt Conversion of the M1816:
http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/scheda-prodotto.asp/l_en/idpr_71/rifles-1816-harpers-ferry-colt-conversion-harpers-ferry-colt-conversion.html
Suppose we remove and save the breech plug with tang, and then cut off a portion of the rear of the barrel, to make room for a new screwed-in breech with H&P style snail, as was done originally.
http://i.imgur.com/myd5reC.png
The reproduction barrel would be threaded to accept this new breech, and the original reproduction tang and breech plug would be screwed into that, completing the barrel assembly with the addition of an M1855 rear sight.
It seems that perhaps the existing reproduction lock plate could have material removed near the front of the snail to make it conform to our new H&P reproduction breech.
See original on left, Pedersoli Colt Conversion on right:
http://i.imgur.com/1rSpLtK.png
In such a manner a reproduction H&P conversion might be relatively easily accomplished if a new breech could be fashioned and made available for a competent gunsmith to mate with the existing Pedersoli 1816 Colt Conversion barrel.
Also perhaps a new hammer would be needed.
It seems to me in this day and age of CNC machining with services like Protolabs that such a breech plug could be manufactured relatively easily. Of course acquiring the breech and having it mated to a Pedersoli barrel is probably a $500 or so proposition, making the total cost of acquiring a Pedersoli musket and accomplishing the conversion being a $1500 or so proposition, which may make just finding an original H&P preferable.
What do you think?
Steve
Suppose we started with the Pedersoli Colt Conversion of the M1816:
http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/scheda-prodotto.asp/l_en/idpr_71/rifles-1816-harpers-ferry-colt-conversion-harpers-ferry-colt-conversion.html
Suppose we remove and save the breech plug with tang, and then cut off a portion of the rear of the barrel, to make room for a new screwed-in breech with H&P style snail, as was done originally.
http://i.imgur.com/myd5reC.png
The reproduction barrel would be threaded to accept this new breech, and the original reproduction tang and breech plug would be screwed into that, completing the barrel assembly with the addition of an M1855 rear sight.
It seems that perhaps the existing reproduction lock plate could have material removed near the front of the snail to make it conform to our new H&P reproduction breech.
See original on left, Pedersoli Colt Conversion on right:
http://i.imgur.com/1rSpLtK.png
In such a manner a reproduction H&P conversion might be relatively easily accomplished if a new breech could be fashioned and made available for a competent gunsmith to mate with the existing Pedersoli 1816 Colt Conversion barrel.
Also perhaps a new hammer would be needed.
It seems to me in this day and age of CNC machining with services like Protolabs that such a breech plug could be manufactured relatively easily. Of course acquiring the breech and having it mated to a Pedersoli barrel is probably a $500 or so proposition, making the total cost of acquiring a Pedersoli musket and accomplishing the conversion being a $1500 or so proposition, which may make just finding an original H&P preferable.
What do you think?
Steve