not an announcement--iron musket barrels

[DonSmithnotTMD]

Not an announcement but a question. I found a blacksmith who says he has made iron blackpowder barrels (rifled and smoothbore). So, I'm trying to see if there might be a market for such.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Sounds kind of sketchy to me. Musket barrels were dropforged over a mandrel and then went through several machining processes. Not exactly blacksmith work.

[DonSmithnotTMD]

good point -- I haven't seen any of his work since I'm in Korea and he isn't. He's supossed to be making me one, so in about a year I'll know something.

[cwsitebuilder]

Sounds kind of sketchy to me. Musket barrels were dropforged over a mandrel and then went through several machining processes. Not exactly blacksmith work.

It definately is blacksmith work. A skilled blacksmith could very easily make gun barrels, both smoothbore and rifled. A gunsmith was just a blacksmith who specialized in making guns.

Take flat bar stock, heat it and then wrap it around the proper diameter rod, forge weld the seem and rifle, if appropriate.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

It definately is blacksmith work. A skilled blacksmith could very easily make gun barrels, both smoothbore and rifled. A gunsmith was just a blacksmith who specialized in making guns.

Take flat bar stock, heat it and then wrap it around the proper diameter rod, forge weld the seem and rifle, if appropriate.

I am very familiar with the work of Gunsmiths, such as Wallace Gussler etc. And a skilled GUNSMITH can use the crude methods you pointed out to make a spectacular one off 18th century type of firearm. However military firearms from our timeperiod used a full battery of machinetool processes, In fact modern precission machine tools were developed and perfected in the United States, between 1812 and 1858, making guns. The forefathers of the "American style of Manufacturing" such as Blanchard, Whitney, Brown and Sharpe, all worked in the develpment of American firearms manufacturing. These men more than anybody else are responsible for the American Industrial Revolution. In short, a musket for our time period would not only best be maufactured in a machineshop, it is correct way to have it made. If you want a Kentucky long rifle, go with a Gunsmith. If you want a 19th century rifled musket, go with a machinist.

[LibertyHallVols]

I concur with Mr. Johnson's assessment.
The type of barrel produced with furnace, hammer, anvil, and rod would not be appropriate for US muskets of the period (or British, Belgian, etc). If one considers nothing more than the thickness of metal at the muzzle of a 69 cal smoothbore US Musket, it is evident that machining (lathe) has taken place.