Here it is - Maynard on the left...some serious-lookin' fellas:

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Hank45 wrote on Jun 16^th, 2013 at 6:06am:


Hank,
My own general observation after swapping a bunch of barrels back and forth from one action to the next is "No."

However.......Maynards involved a great deal of hand fitting - probably more than one would think - and some barrels just won't fit on some actions without fitting and modification of the link, etc. I'm having such a conversation with Mr. Bly right now - concerning getting a .64 shot barrel to breech up properly on a '73 action. I believe that the spacing of the two holes of the lever/barrel link of some of the larger diameter barrels (like this .64 shot example) differ slightly from that spacing of smaller diameter barrels. This is why you encounter some Maynards with levers that seem loose and others that breech-up with some difficulty or not-at-all. Slapping any ol' Maynard barrel on any ol' Maynard action and going off on your merry way to shoot may not be such a good idea....   

So far, my observation has been: Even on these large diameter barrels...with a case chambered and the barrel seated in the action, the center of the primer lines right up with the tip of the firing pin. But...nothing much surprises me about Maynards - the customer was King and they would build to suit.

Hank45 wrote on Jun 16^th, 2013 at 10:56am:


That varies with the caliber and barrel length.

I have a full-round 32" .40-70 Maynard barrel for a #10 that tapers from ~1.06" at the breech to ~.950" at the muzzle. I just sat it on my digital kitchen scale and it weighs 7.3#.

I acquired this 1873 action and stock to make up into a dedicated .64 cal. shotgun with an un-numbered like-new barrel and lever that came along with another Maynard rifle. The .40-70 barrel previously-mentioned (shown here above the action and buttstock) can be mated with this action to make a .40 cal. #10. This whole rifle weighs 10.4# on that same scale.

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This full-round tube makes it into a somewhat unwieldy, barrel-heavy field piece. I see now why the fella in the old photo holds his in the crook of his arm. It's definitely not a target barrel because it has a 1 in 25" twist - something more appropriate to stabilize a short conical bullet meant for a hunting rifle. The balance point of a rifle with this .40 cal. barrel mounted is well forward of the action as Mrs. xtm illustrates here:

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Mr.xtm, I know what you are saying about weight, I have a.28/30/135  (7mm) rifle with with a barrel that is 1.24 at the action and .99 at the muzzle that I have to shoot off the bench. thanks Hank45   

What is the safest .22 caliber cartridge made today that can be used in a 131 year old Maynard rifle? Hank45 

I would not hesitate to shoot any .22 rimfire cartridge in a Maynard in good condition and that includes the high velocity stuff. The key things to look for are the firing pin fit in the hole and the extractor fit. These must fit properly to prevent blown rims. The action is strong enough for any and all .22 rimfires.