Has anyone ever made a two piece rifle barrel?

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NL-Hunter

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As title states, I have been trying to get info if a two-piece rifle barrel has ever been made. I have scoured the internet with only a couple of sites referencing rumours and fictional rifles. A discussion in this thread
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1143455-Ultra-compact-takedowns

discussing the theoretical possibility of creating a rifle that would break down in pieces less than 12 inches. Folding Stock, Takedown Rifle and Two-Piece rifle barrel.

Is it possible, has it been done, how would you join the pieces? Threaded or some type of locking device built in?

I have very limited gunsmithing experience and absolutely no machining background. In theory it should be possible as accurate tooling is made and improved every year.

Please discuss and if you have links to projects attempted or completed, please post.
 
I suppose anything is possible. Keeping the rifling aligned would be a challenge. A smoothbore would be easy.
There could also be legal overall length issues, depending on the length with the barrel disassembled.
Can't really see the point, though. Short rifle barrels can be effective, what would be gained with a 2 piece barrel?
 
Making a compact break-down barrel joint capable of sealing 60,000 PSI and maintaining good accuracy would be unsuccessful. Theory all you want, it's a failed concept.
 
guntech said:
Making a compact break-down barrel joint capable of sealing 60,000 PSI and maintaining good accuracy would be unsuccessful. Theory all you want, it's a failed concept.
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Given this information, would the OP's needs be met with a break down shotgun barrel? What about a rig set up for a low pressure cartridge that still might pack a bit of a whallop, say 45-70 at 20,000 psi?
 
Northman999 said:
Given this information, would the OP's needs be met with a break down shotgun barrel? What about a rig set up for a low pressure cartridge that still might pack a bit of a whallop, say 45-70 at 20,000 psi?
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In spite of Guntech's comment, I believe it is possible but you would have to make the barrel significantly thicker to have the threads stand up at the joint (also a long threaded section.) I question that you could make it accurate because of the problem of getting the rifling to line up and in the final analysis is "why bother". Better to make a gun with a removable barrel of around 20" if small collapsed size is important

cheers mooncoon
 
I can see the purpose but suspect a better plan would be take-off barrel.Provided there isn't another purpose other than an easily packed firearm, the meeting point between the barrel and receiver are the natural take down point for reducing the guns disassembled length to the greatest degree. If everything has to be as short as the shortest point (probably receiver) then you're onto another matter, but at that point the question becomes how much value are you getting from it being a couple inches shorter vs how badly is function and reliability being affected by creating a multi piece barrel?
 
There were muzzleloading smoothbore "poachers' guns" which had two piece barrels. Barrel separated at the end of the forend, butt and grip detached behind the tang. Three piece gun which would fit in an deep overcoat pocket.
Consider a shotgun with screw-in or screw-on choke tubes. There are extended tubes available. An extra long tube would be a barrel extension. Take one of the little shortguns so popular these days. Thread muzzle for choke tubes, fit a 12" long tube, and have a normal length shotgun. Don't know that it would shoot any better, though.
A two piece rifled barrel, with a joint part way down the barrel would be problematic.
Classic takedown rifles often have an easily removable barrel. The taken down length is no greater than the front or back half, whichever is longer.
 
If the joint were located at mid barrel the pressure issues would be greatly reduced. Then "all" we have to have is an accurate joint which lines up the rifling and ensures true axial alignment. The "all" being in quotes because that would not be all that easy a job. There's likely various options but one that comes to mind at the moment would take the form of a keyed joint with a tapered connection and a threaded slip collar on the outside to supply the retention clamping. The barrel could then be assembled and drilled, reamed and rifled as a single unit so the rifling matches at the joint. The angle of the tapered joint would be a longish taper but not so shallow that the metals self lock. Just a longer taper so there's good resistance to a bending load and so it provides easy and accurate centering.

At least that's how I'd approach it if I were trying to build such a thing.
 
The way I theoretically figured it out, the barrel attached to receiver at takedown point would be at least + / - 10 inches giving an overall length of 22 inches for the total barrel if short action caliber chosen.

i.e. keeping the join as far away from chamber as possible. I would also cut and create barrel join before boring and rifling the barrel which would in turn align rifling.

Hope that answers some of the stumbling blocks. Smoothbore or Shotgun barrel would just be to "Easy" :p by using choke tube or even a supressor type device.

Just figured someone out there have tried and documented this, was unable to find anything (yet) on net and that kinda got me going....

I have seen multple version of rifle stocks modified to make compact rifles, some creative ones during WW2. Same goes for takedown systems, seemed like many were created for Paratrooper needs.

Not looking to set long range records or round count records, thinking minimum .30 cal useable for big game in North America with enough stopping power for a bear if needed.
 
Come on guys, give your heads a shake, a take down 24 inch 2 piece rifled barrel... how would you ever take the barrel apart if it is screwed together and sufficiently tightened to line up the rifling and to seal over 50,000 psi.

Take down/ break down rifles use no tools to take them apart.

A why in the world does it need to break down to less than 12 inches? As the op stated - fictional rifles...
 
guntech said:
Come on guys, give your heads a shake, a take down 24 inch 2 piece rifled barrel... how would you ever take the barrel apart if it is screwed together and sufficiently tightened to line up the rifling and to seal over 50,000 psi.

Take down/ break down rifles use no tools to take them apart.

A why in the world does it need to break down to less than 12 inches? As the op stated - fictional rifles...
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Mauser 03 and Blaser r8 and 93 need a little key to dissamble them but my savage 99 take down needs only my hands and a shot to put it back on his track for shooing straight... less money that those german rifles but still take down ...

i ve seen Mausers take down in the past with no keys but they more well made in those days. it was called i think a screw in barrel.
 
guntech said:
A why in the world does it need to break down to less than 12 inches? As the op stated - fictional rifles...
Click to expand...

The original idea, from the other thread, was discussing ideas for ultra-compact rifles for pilots. I believe Ardent's suggested perfect gun would be a repeater that could break down into pieces not more than 12" and be suitable for largish game.

It's the 12" that screws it up, because that significantly reduced barrel length for any of the calibers suggested, .308Win and up.

Well, and the fact that we're in Canada. Custom work can be had, but at significant price and wait times. Not quite as easy as grabbing any old gun and chopping the barrel down, to keep it legal we would have to get a gunsmith to make the barrel that length to begin with.

I do like me my AAC Handi Rifle. 5 pounds, about 30" OAL, breaks down into two 16" pieces. Single shot though.

The world needs more takedown guns for us guys who don't like hauling around a full sized rifle all the time. So many more transportation and storage options.

Hmm, just got a thought, but I wonder if anyone has given 30-06 the 300 Blackout treatment. I wonder what performance differences you'd get with the change in capacity, and if that would just plain be too much pistol powder.
 
guntech said:
Come on guys, give your heads a shake, a take down 24 inch 2 piece rifled barrel... how would you ever take the barrel apart if it is screwed together and sufficiently tightened to line up the rifling and to seal over 50,000 psi.
..
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I think you are overly concerned with the pressure. I know of one and I think two Shilo Sharps rifles in 45-120 where the owner(s) wanted reduced to 45-70 and did not want to loose the distinctive shoulder on the barrel. The barrel(s) were cut off and the chamber area bored out and threaded while the remainder of the barrel was threaded into the bushing portion of the original breach end. Admittedly they are probably only operating around 25 or 30,000 psi but the threads do stand up
If I were joining a barrel in the middle, not only would the barrel be reasonably thick but I would use some sort of lock nut arrangement so that the barrel could be screwed fairly snug to a witness mark and then the lock nut used to give the final tightness. I question just how accurate it would be and it would need some basic tools to assemble or disassemble but I think it would work. I think that Dan Wesson revolvers use a lock nut type setup to set cylinder gap

cheers mooncoon
 
I even thought that if the two barrel ends that met had the ends with a built in wrench so that when the two "wrenches" met it would create a "handle".

I also have hard time believing that a two piece barrel rifle has not been attempted by anyone and documented. It is the only thing I have ever googled and not found some reference to.

Thought I found a full stock takedown rifle with barrel in two pieces but a closer look revealed it was decor.

Impossible or not, someone must have attempted this at one point or another.
 
Stevebot-7 said:
The original idea, from the other thread, was discussing ideas for ultra-compact rifles for pilots
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The AR-7 .22 was designed SPECIFICALLY for US Air Force pilots as a survival gun. The barrel, reciever and mags are contained in a floating waterproof case 16" long that also serves as the stock when assembled. The .22 calber was/is considered to be most effective for a survival gun because the most rounds can be carried considering their weight size and ability to take small game without ruining too much of the edible meat. I carried a small drastically lightened and shortened Anschutz .22 bolt action with holes drilled in the buttstock to hold 50 .22 shells for many years in my plane travelling through the NWT, YUKON, ALASKA and Arctic.
 
First 12 inches of regular barrel (better yet, polygonal twist), second 12 inches taper-bore. That relieves you of the matching up rifling. Secondly it was done on bigger guns (adding a tapered adapter to a regular barrel). As for attaching, its quite capable in a variety of ways, without torquing things together like a conventional rifle barrel and action. But for ####s and giggles I say go find Gerald Bull's old supergun specs, and go bolted flange, LOL.
 
Dosing said:
First 12 inches of regular barrel (better yet, polygonal twist), second 12 inches taper-bore. That relieves you of the matching up rifling. Secondly it was done on bigger guns (adding a tapered adapter to a regular barrel). As for attaching, its quite capable in a variety of ways, without torquing things together like a conventional rifle barrel and action. But for ####s and giggles I say go find Gerald Bull's old supergun specs, and go bolted flange, LOL.
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What about the first half of the barrel being smoothbore and the end half being rifled? Sort of like a rifled choke in a shotgun for deer hunting.
 
Just for the sake of argument I see a lot of comments on matching up the riffling. Well who's to say it would need to be lined up? Why not just have a very short leade cut into the second part of the barrel similar to what goes on at the chamber?
 
Quiet said:
What about the first half of the barrel being smoothbore and the end half being rifled? Sort of like a rifled choke in a shotgun for deer hunting.
Click to expand...

I don't think it would be terribly accurate. What you are describing was made in the 1800s and called a paradox gun. Basically a combination shotgun rifle

cheers mooncoon
 
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