Hi all, I noticed that Numrich has some Muzzle loader barrel seconds for cheap. I'm wondering what kind of steel is normally used in Muzzle loader barrels and if it might be acceptable to do a 50-70 on a 50cal muzzle loader barrel?

Steel barrels for rifle, pistol and muzzleloading. Rifled and unchambered, in the white.
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.50 Caliber - 1" A.F. x 30" long, 1 turn in 62 twist.
Gunsmithing
Barrel Blank, .50 Cal., Octagon, Muzzleloading - 30" Long, 1" Across Flats, 1 In 62", In The White.
Item No. 314000
Additional HVY ITEM charge: $1.00
Retail Price: $42.80 Add to Basket:



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Muzzleloading Barrels
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.45 Caliber - 15/16" A.F. x 42" long, off center on one end.
Gunsmithing
Barrel Blank, .45 Cal., Octagon, Muzzleloading - 42" Long, 15/16" Across Flats, In The White, Off Center On One End.
Item No. 314020
Additional HVY ITEM charge: $1.00
Retail Price: $53.55 Add to Basket:

They could be of any steel. Many are made from 12L14 and I would never knowingly buy such a barrel for any rifle.

The .50 cal barrel will not work as a .50-70 because it's twist is far too slow for any decent .50 bullet.

Do not be cheap, buy a good barrel. It is the most important part of any gun.
Brent

Brent is right. ML'er barrels are made from many different types of steels depending on the manufactuer. Getz and Colrain use 12L14. Green Mountain advertises that they use "Modern Barrel Steel", Ed Reyhl makes barrels from steel and well as brass.

The only way to know for sure is to contact the company and ask them.

Dixie Gun Works used to sell (may still, I haven't looked) cheap "second" barrels in which the deep drill bit had wandered putting the bore well off center at one end. Dixie said to use that for the breech end and you'd never notice. Maybe, with a muzzleloader. It'd complicate drilling it for the breech plug even there. For a breechloader it would never do.

I wouldn't be so worried about the type of steel as the workmanship in general. Old 50-70 barrels were probably made of crappy steel too. Thing is the Numrich cheapo barrels are poor quality. I have used several. Often they have a nasty gash in the bore. So, if you want a barrel with a big chunk torn out of the bore, these are your guys. You can try to lap it out but, some have been so bad that I can't get the mark to go away. I have a 45-70 barrel that was like this. I lapped the snot out of it, using 120 grit, until I got tired of the work. I probably enlarged it a couple of thousands. I left a choke in it. I turned it for an Egyptian rolling block. The rifle was made up as a "Baby Carbine". It shoots really well and looks great. I do stick to black powder.

My point...........yes you can use them. But why? the quality is horrible, the strength is less, the rifling twist will be wrong, and the dimensions are likely to be off. If you want to play get a better barrel and make a better rifle.

Not on that barrel!! Not unless you plan on shooting round balls out of your .50/70!

Some companies have used 12L14 for the muzzle loading and 22 RF barrels. I don't use these due the type of steel.

Lasalle 1144 was used for quite a while for barrel steel. However this is the one that bit Remington in the behind on their shotgun barrels. Savage also used it on the rifles for a while. No one has used this steel for gun barrels in over a decade.

Lasalle 1137 is currently use for 22 RF, blackpowder and shotgun barrels by many firms.

4140 is the old standby for centerfire chrome moly barrels.

Jim Wisner
Custom Metalsmith

Definately a round ball twist.

Okay, I'll pass.