I have an Alex Henry falling block 450 3 1/4 with a very light 29 1/2" tube.The shallow Herny rifleing looks terrible and very dark.I haven't fired it because of the cost to gear up to the 450 ctg.but I assume it won't shoot too well.
I am considering having a new barrel fitted to match the origional contures. Relining is out according to Redmans relining service of Omak, Wash. because of the very small diameter of the barrel.
Can anyone suggest a gunsmith capable of duplicating the origional barrel with the flats at the breech.
Thanks
AkMike 

LOL, Thanks for the Mr. But that was my dad!
 
  The flat's I mentioned are top and bottom of the barrel. It's hard to describe the contour. I'll see if I can get a picture of it. But the blank will have to be 1.3" minimum then mill 2 flats top and bottom radius the remaining chamber area then  a straight taper for the rest of the bbl.

Now I'll try to post a picture
Thanks

Mr. AkMike's son:

The picture thing did not work. Or do I have to become a member of the picture hosting site to see it?

Now you done got my curiousity aroused. Is the top barrel flat flush with the top of the receiver? Are the sides round?

Glenn

AKMike:

I still can't get the picture site to play nice. Now it is telling me that it is too busy and to try later. If you want you can email the picture by clicking on the mail icon under my name on the left.

Glenn

Glenn and AkMike,

I've seen that breech contour on Martini-Enfields in .303 and if my feeble memory serves me right a SMLE has it to. I never understood the reason for it on a military rifle but we are talking about the British here. 

I couldn't get the photo site to open for me either. It probably knows your computer is a member so it works for you AkMike. But any way it was that great picture you drew that jogged my memory.

It wouldn't be a real hard contour to make, rough it out with a mill and then file finish. And no filing between the flats like you do on Rigby flats.

Steve Durren

I haven't seen the pictures but I believe the contour we're talking about here is called a Knox Form, and is common on many many British rifles and some Continental ones as well. It is indeed easy to duplicate if you have something to copy.

Green Mountain bbls in the Sharps style have larger diameters, you could get a blank from them & work it down. And, the GM Sharps-size bbls (40, 45 & 50 cals only) have the much-vaunted CUT rifling, if it matters to you. I've installed only two of these GM Sharps bbls so far, the interiors looked very very good but my friends haven't reported on how they shot. Since GM bbls have set several national records in the past, you can normally have every confidence in their accuracy potential.

Either of the two smiths (hst & Buchsenmacher) who commented above are very capable of doing this work, why don't you give one of them a try?
Good luck, Joe

Monte Mandarino praises Dennis Olsen as an artist at relining,  he does thin high power barrels like the .30-40 Krag.  You might ask him about the Alex Henry before deciding on a complete new barrel.  Do not have his address handy but it can be found by searching the gunsmithing forum at accuratereloading.com.