I have a Romano 1st model maynard serial number #1XX. I slugged it yesterday and it slugged .521. Of course it is no easy task to get a good reading on a slug from a 3 groove barrel but it consistently mic'd 0.520-0.521 at the largest area. I was in a hurry and didn't have time to repeat it to confirm but I was surprised it was so large.
I have been shooting a 0.514 bullet (lee gang) with good results from it.
What has been your experience?
Early on Larry got his barrel blanks from Hoyt. Hoyt's groove diameter varies all over the place. I request .515 groove diameter on my blanks and out of close to 100 barrels later perhaps 4 or 5 were .515 groove. Most are in the .516-.517 range. I send any back over .518 diameter as they are hard to sell at that size. If you shoot soft lead it will ubturate to the barrel size upon firing and generally shoot OK. With a harder lead you should shoot about .001 over the groove size.Originally Posted by SimonRucker
I have a Romano 1st model maynard serial number #1XX. I slugged it yesterday and it slugged .521
I have been shooting a 0.514 bullet (lee gang) with good results from it.
What has been your experience?
Larry make his own barrels now and supposedly controls the dimensions close than Hoyt.
Hello, Simon:
I PM'd you yesterday with some thoughts.
Your frame number is way past the point that Larry began making his own barrels.
Is the number on the bottom of the barrel the same as on the frame?
Larry's Maynards have been made for many years and some have been through three owners, extensively modified, other non-Romano parts (including non-Romano barrels) installed, etc. Some "Romano" barrels have Hoyt LINERS now.
The key to determining if your tube is a Hoyt is its twist rate.
Hoyt used 56" and Romano uses 42".
My bore is .500" land and .514"-.515" groove. Twist is 42".
Larry will be able to help. A call and text to him will resolve things.
Respectfully,
Kevin Tinny
Thanks guys for the insight. It was purchased directly from Romano, all numbers match and the only thing I have done to it is some trigger work.
I think that perhaps I misspoke in my original post. No complaints here about the rifle, I was just posting purely for information to see if it would be conceivable that the barrel diameter would be that large or if I erred in my measurement. I plan on re-slugging the barrel over the weekend to see what happens.
No worries either way, the rifle is a shooter. I have a variety of moulds that will drop them anywhere from .514 to .522 so I am not too concerned. Always looking for that magic elixir
Thank you for the information!
If you want something worth while that will really shoot get an original Maynard model one and have John Bly install one of his barrels. You can find decent original model 1 Maynards for less than a repro and you have something worth owning. My opinion Gary Pope. WBR
Simon, see if you can find someone with a V or V Block micrometer. They give very accurate readings on odd number grooves. Your measurements may seem accurate but your probably getting readings from corner to corner on the grooves rather than flat to flat. It will make a few thousanths difference. If your satisfied with the current accuracy I wouldn't change a thing.
Kurt
Kurt,
You're right about that. I'll check around.
I rechecked it last night. It looks like it's closer to 0.516 which is more along what I was expecting. Not sure how I measured it so large the first time.
Thanks again,
Simon
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Hello, Simon:
Great news on the conforming .516" dimension.
Don't be concerned about measuring wrong.
We ALL do it more than we like to admit.
And those odd number groove bores make it a challenge.
The toughest are even number of grooves and odd number of lands in a bore, such as six grooves and seven lands. I had someone at the NMLRA Nationals tell me this.
Let's see the comments on this. Haha
The cost of a good Starrett "V" anvil micrometer will bring most of us to a sweat. Hard to justify upwards of $750 cost for a few times of use.
There is a way to do it with a "V" block and regular mic if you know how. I don't.
The old-timey gunsmiths had no such tools and relied on feel and visual inspection of rifling imprinting until the likes of Harry Pope got hold of good measuring tools.
Gauge makers can often feel a tenth. Wow!
Happy for you.
Kevin Tinny
I purchased some "minus" plug gauges from Travers Tool. Minus gauges are .0005" (that's 1/2 of a thousandth) under size. This lets a .515 gauge just slip into a .515 bore.
Buying them by the individual size wasn't as expensive as full sets. For the carbines, I have in .001" increments from .512 to .520...I think. These don't tell me the groove diameters, but I find it's easier to make these guns shoot as well as they can if you know where you're starting out.
I also got appropriate ones for 54, 58 and 69 caliber.
Bob Anderson
Ordnance Sergeant
Company C, 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry
Small Arms Committee
"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a hand on.
I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."
- John Wayne in "The Shootist", 1976
I measure the groove diameter of my Maynard barrels when I set them up to chamber. I check the bore size with a plug gage. It is generally .499" or .500". Then after I get the barrel centered in the lathe I use a dial test indicator the measure the difference from the bore to the deepest part of the groove. I add twice this measurement to the bore size to get the groove diameter. I record this with the barrel serial number. There are no diameter records on my early barrels.
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