Barrel crowning

[Bullseye54]

I found a '64 barrel that looks to be in great shape... It needs a breech plug and sight leafs....
The muzzel lookd like its been dropped.. Does anyone know how to recrown a barrel and where
to buy the tools to do so?.. Also, when I find a breech plug, How is it installed correctly?
Thanks Joe

[Ron/The Old Reb]

It would be cheaper to let a good gunsmith do it. For one thing you need a lathe.

[jonk]

It depends on how handy you are and what the gun needs. I am getting a breech plug wrench, i've seen them pulled and it isn't a big deal if you have the proper tool; ditto on soldering on sights. A bit trickier if it calls for drilling and tapping but not all the way through a barrel- I'd probably pass on that. Recrowning- if it is just a nick, it can be polished out with a carriage bolt and some lapping compound in a drill at slow speed. Otherwise, a special tool is needed. They aren't hard to use, but do require a lathe and special cutter, pilot, etc. Manson reamers makes a military rifle re-crowning tool that can be used in a drill, but I don't think they have a .58 pilot.

Now if you have a lathe and a little know-how, Manson is a great company to work with and they could probably set you up, or surely one of the others can chime in noting where to get the pilots and such. Look at spending up to $500 for a quality set up though.

I'd agree, given all it needs, just take the barrel to a gunsmith- Bobby Hoyt or Whitacre set up at nationals, and both do fine work of course, lots of other smiths out there too- my team has one who I'm sure would do it for a very nominal fee.

[Bullseye54]

Thanks for the info.. I'm going to post some photos as soon as I figure out how, so I won't make a major screw-up... Before I joined all I knew about civil war arms was my dads Springfield. Maybe I can make one in the correct configuration with the parts I have... Thanks.. Joe

[jonk]

Well if you just have the barrel, the best thing to do anyhow is go over to sutler's row at the nationals. Lock, stock, bands, buttplate, ramrod, various screws, sights, etc... all sorts of options from original parts to repro. Yes, you can mail order, but it is nice to examine the merchandise first hand.

You probably also want to shoot John Holland on the Small arms committee a message to make sure you get the proper dimensions for the gun you're going to build.

If you can't make it to nationals in the fall, some names to look up would be Bobby Hoyt, Whitacre machine shop, S and S firearms, Lodgewood manufacturing, plus Dixie Gun Works; you can surely cobble together the parts you need that way. You say a " 64 barrel". 64 what? Springfield? A good place to start is to measure it and see if it is a full length 61 or 63 rifle barrel, or if it has been cut- in which case yes, a shorter variant would be the way to go. Still worth measuring. Also having the bore measured (I would just slug it while there is no plug) will determine bullet sizing requirements.

[Bullseye54]

The barrel doesn't appear to be cut.. Says 1864, VP and the Eagle and a "B" stamped on the left side. It has the original front sight, the rear base, missing the leafs.. No pitting except about 6 inches down from the muzzel looks like a dark ring. Those are the only stamps I could find on it.. My Dad might have polished some of the finish/rust off because it has some staining but almost no pitting.. I know he polished the barrel on the 1864 2 band Springfield stock with a 61 barrel on it ..
I have some stock sections that I may be able to pcs the stock together .. Just have to find them... I have to post some photos as soon as I figure out how... Joe

[gmkmd]

The Manson Reamers company makes the best crowning tools on the market, and you can use them by hand. Their regular rifle/pistol crowning tools are too small for a musket barrel, but I have used their shotgun crowning tools (which are less expensive than the other) for up to .69 calibers.