Small bore smooth bore

[Baldy]

I have a really strange urge to put together a .41 smoothbore long gun. I know, it may sound off the wall. This would be a small game gun that would handle .39 prb that I use for my 40 cal rifle and it would be a black powder flintlock .410 shotgun as well. Equipped with rifle sights, I should be all right out to about 50 yds with prb for any small game that I wanted to go after. A good load and short range would even be effective on things like coyotes. With shot loads, it would be about like a .410 -- again a shorter range gun. Thinking stage really since I have no idea where to get a barrel in those dimensions or if it would have to be custom made (a long wait). I am sure someone has done something similar before.

[eli hex]

  I'm currently working on a 410 flinlock.Just need a flintlock for my stock.The barrel is 36" long and is 15/16 diameter octagon.410 wads fit down it perfectly.Hope to take some game with it.

[roundball]

Thinking stage really since I have no idea where to get a barrel in those dimensions or if it would have to be custom made (a long wait).

Check with GM, Rice, and Ed Rayl...they may offer such a barrel...or maybe a .36cal they could bore out to .410" smooth.

[beowulf]

my uncle has an old .36 caliber smooth bore ! bought it through the national rifleman magazine back in the early seventies for about $30.00 ! only one I`ve ever seen !

[david32cal]

i have long wanted a .410 flinter. i have an old Stevens single shot .410 which i was thinking the barrel could be used to build a flinter around,i'm sure it could be done. maybe Mongrel could chime in here with his thoughts on it.

this may be an option for the budget minded,you can usaly pick these old .410 up for less than a hundred bucks. much cheaper than a new barrel.

[mongrel]

i have long wanted a .410 flinter. i have an old Stevens single shot .410 which i was thinking the barrel could be used to build a flinter around,i'm sure it could be done. maybe Mongrel could chime in here with his thoughts on it.

this may be an option for the budget minded,you can usaly pick these old .410 up for less than a hundred bucks. much cheaper than a new barrel.

Anything can be done. You lose about 2 1/2" off the breech end, since the .410 generally is chambered for a 3" shell and ideally the chamber portion ought to be cut off (except for 1/2"-5/8" that will be enlarged for the breechplug threads) to keep bore size uniform. Most .410's I've seen were full-choked, too, which shouldn't pose a problem if all that's going to be run through them is shot. Patched round ball might be another issue. I don't know, I've never built a gun around one of these small barrels -- just thinking of potential issues. If I can get my building schedule back into coherent shape I'll have the opportunity to report on how it works, for better or for worse. I have two .410 barrels, one unchambered and a straight .410 caliber all the way from breech to muzzle, the other off a little single-shot shotgun and probably full-choked like I describe.

It'd make a cool itty-bitty fusil or fowler, that's for sure....

[david32cal]

"It'd make a cool itty-bitty fusil or fowler, that's for sure...."


my thoughts exactly...for shot only,would make a great little rabbit gun.