Well I finally got the old Ballard out to the range. Three different bullets up to size .381...Black powder and my "super accurate in all my other 38-55 rifles", Unique load.

Terrible accuracy. 12" groups at 25 yds!

So what to do....Reline the original barrel or rebarrel with a Green Mountain or a Kreiger barrel and put the original barrel into storage to preserve the collector value?

If I rebarrel I could increase the length and go with an Octagon to round, keeping the weight about the same but with a better sight plane.

But Relining could be done for a fraction of the cost as I have everything I need except for a barrel liner ($150)

Advice??

RoyB wrote on Feb 16^th, 2014 at 8:13am:


This question has been asked before.  I say an original barrel with, for all practical purposes, no bore left, has only minimal collector value, on top of which it's almost certain to become separated from the gun somewhere down the line--may not happen till after you've gone, but eventually it WILL happen if it's not screwed into the receiver. Not so big a deal perhaps on un-numbered barrels, but on Ballards, it is.

Therefor, reline--especially since, doing the work yourself, I'm sure it will be a top-notch job.

PS--Yes of course, try other bullets FIRST before doing anything else, but 12" at 25 yds does not look promising.

Frank, wouldn't I need to open the chamber end? The bullet is being sized down to .378 before it even makes its way down the bore.

I would think opening the muzzle would just exacerbate the issue...No?

I found a barrel on Track of the Wolf

Green Mountain Barrel
#3-1/2 Taper = 1.12" breech tapering to .95" muzzle
.38-55 caliber,  35", 1-12" twist, 7.7 lb, .368" bore, .375" groove 

If my high school math is correct, this should give me just about the exact taper I'm looking for. I can turn the front section round for an Octagon to Round contour.

1-12 Twist will stabilize the Lyman 340G bullets with an OAL of 1.309"

Price is $259 and they have them in stock.

Seems like a great option.....??

Roy don't scrimp now make it a sub minute of angle bench gun should you ever want to shoot some of those matches down the road. It will add very little to what you are currently looking at.

JLouis

I tried to enlarge the picture, but was still unable to make out the load data. Would you mind sharing it here?
thanks

Jesse

I would agree with Redsetter.  You have already done repairs to the gun which a "serious collector" would have problems with.  Also the finish on your rifle, to my mind, is in the "shooter" class, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  I would go for a reline.  A good job would be plenty competitive at a CAS side match.

Before I did that, though, I would cast up a bunch of bullets, (0.381" if your mould can get it with Linotype or other alloy), roll them in Clover 320, breech seat them and fire lap for a hundred or so shots, brushing, cleaning and checking for groups after every ten shots.  At this point, it can't hurt, and if it gets the tight spot out of the barrel ahead of the chamber, it might even help.

This business of "Collector Value" is often an albatross around our necks. A pristine specimen shouldn't be messed with, of course, but you did not get a pristine specimen, at least from the pictures you have.  Rehabbing your rifle into a good shooter will enhance rather than diminish its value.  It will be more liquid, too, if it works the way it should and shoots well.

I have a beautiful half octagon 30" Ballard barrel, that looks like new inside and out; serial range 34,xxx. Unfortunately it's in .32-40, so it wouldn't be the .38-55 you desired anymore. I bought this barrel from Al Perry before he passed away, and was planning on putting it on one of my #8 Ballards that has a Winchester barrel, but the Win. barrel shoots so well I never changed it.