Old time false muzzle question.

L

Lavan

New member
When they shot muzzle loaders for serious competition, most used false muzzles for loading.

I read that the false muzzle had to be matched to the rifling of the gun.

Did they saw off a piece of barrel? Doubt it. :confused:

Or did they fit the false muzzle to an unbored barrel and ..then..rifle both together?

:confused:
 
Yes. (The second guess)

See if you can find a copy of Ned Roberts "The Muzzle Loading Cap Lock Rifle"
 
The barrel was bored then a section was cut off and faced off to which pins were fitted to rejoin the it to the barrel. The reaming and rifling could then be done so they are a continuous smooth transition from false muzzle to bore. The false muzzle is opened up at the front to allow the bullet to be inserted with out damage.
 
The best false muzzles were done as Oliver describes.

However, I once saw a procedure for making a false muzzle out of a rifled barrel blank. It had calculations to determine how far to turn the false muzzle to allow for the kerf of the cutoff tool and realign the rifling. About the only way, if you have to start with a barrel blank.
 
Yes that is the best book yet written on the percussion rifles, with lots of info applicable to the flints too, especially their construction. That book is one of the main reasons I'm a cap lock lover and am interested in 19th and early 20th century usage of them.
 
Decades ago when I first read the book, I thought ho-hum. Then I couldn't put it down. It is easily the most important work on the subject. It's a masterful blend of history and technology.
 
Fitting the false muzzle to the unrifled barrel and doing them together was the accepted method of doing it.
I have done it to all ready rifled barrels by cutting of a section of barrel and turning it round and facing it and the barrel. Next step is casting a cerrosafe slug in the bore and pushing it out the length of the false muzzle and sliding the muzzle to be down the slug till it bottoms on the face of the barrel. Clamp both together and drill for the locator pins. Worked pretty well and pushing a patched bullet through and out the breech showed no deformation from the transition.
 
I've only seen one rifle having a false muzzle. And it was a picture of one on some other web site. At the time it wasn't explained why or for what purpose? I always thought it was done to eliminate some sort of wear incurred along the edge of a muzzle's entrance due to the antiquated softer steel they had back in the day. As I recall the false muzzle did indeed have locator pins. Although I can't remember how many small holes were purposely drilled into the barrels end face?
Gee that was quite some time ago I seen those pictures. i.e. better than a decade ago I do believe.
 
Usually four locator pins, NOT evenly spaced so as to be sure the right grooves lined up.

Most, not all, had a post to block the sights when the false muzzle was in place. Those that didn't got launched down the range every once in a while. Some shooters tied their false muzzle to the bench, just in case.
 
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