Locating a round 38-55 barrel blank.

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PAINTBALL GUY 3

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Howdy all,

So I'm setting up for a project and have decided that a 38-55 (.375 caliber for use with roundball/conical) barrel suits my needs the best. A search yields examples of octagon barrels and barrel liners, but no round barrel blanks. Is there such a thing out there that can be had for less then an octagon barrel? I would rather a round black to work with over an octagon. I'm not talking about finding one in Canada, ordering from the US isn't an issue for me. Any help on this would be great.

As for the project, I'm designing an air rifle which can be considered "big bore" for downrange thwack wile not eating as much pressure per shot as say a .457 and remain a semi common caliber. Hornady .375 size balls and .375 "pellets" can be ordered as well as roundball/conical molds. I wanted to go with a .40 caliber, but I couldn't find a common roundball and barrel that would fit each other. If anyone has any recommendations on another calibers that meets my criteria, I welcome them.

Thanks much.

Ti
 
Have you looked into the Lothar Walther line? A quick search found a 9mm air rifle barrel listed and the site mentions other than listed possibilities on request.
 
Most original 38-55 barrels were .377-.378".
Later on the 375 Winchester and most of the commemorative 38-55 rifles had .375" barrels. That's what you need.
 
A barrel blank for a real rifle would be prohibitively expensive. They start new at a couple hundred plus Cdn.
Marstar is listing Fair to Good Lee-Enfield barrels at $25 though.
 
PAINTBALL GUY 3 said:
As for the project, I'm designing an air rifle which can be considered "big bore" for downrange thwack wile not eating as much pressure per shot as say a .457 and remain a semi common caliber. Hornady .375 size balls and .375 "pellets" can be ordered as well as roundball/conical molds. I wanted to go with a .40 caliber, but I couldn't find a common roundball and barrel that would fit each other. If anyone has any recommendations on another calibers that meets my criteria, I welcome them.
Click to expand...

From the sounds of things you seem to want to build an air rifle along the lines of Lewis and Clark. If that is the case, I think you would be wise to think in terms of patched round ball and forget about the conical. With that in mind, you should be going to somewhere like Track of the Wolf or Dixie and buy a muzzle loading barrel and preferably one with a slow twist (around 1 : 68" ) because a slow twist is the most flexible in terms of velocity and accuracy. I am sure that muzzle loading barrels in 40 cal are available and .390 diameter round balls are common

cheers mooncoon
 
f:P:


Duuuh! I knew I was forgetting something. I'm sitting here scratching my head thinking " hmm, a barrel...........for use with rounballs............hmmmmmmm":rolleyes:

Thank you very much Mooncoon.

Ti
 
the reason that I suggest a patched round ball is that it gives you a good seal with no leading of the barrel. The alternative would be a slightly oversize "chamber" that fits a ball perhaps .010" larger than the bore which would also permit some type of magazine but personally I would still go with the patched ball loaded from the muzzle. Use a light oil to lube the patch.

cheers mooncoon
 
I can offer ML and cast bullet barrels from Shilen and MCGowen. The options are huge including custom contours which will save alot of machine time when fitting to whatever receiver you have in mind.

Consider casting your own projectiles - more options... better control over harness and shape options.

I would strongly suggest a well lapped barrel to keep leading to a min no matter which way you go.

Let me know.
Jerry
 
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