caliber enlargement

rgerge · January 2008

OK, a fresh stupid question for you..........I have a TCA white mountain carbine in .50, the question is; can I have the bore enlarged ( at the factory ) to .54 ? The bore is just about shot out, I wouldn't even think of this unless it was neccesary, it still chucks a round ball right on the nose up to 50 yards. I would ask TCA but they already think I'm dumb[:(]

mongrel1776 · January 2008

Never heard of T/C or any of the other makers/distributors reboring and rifling a worn-out barrel. Time was this was an accepted, often preferred method for getting more life out of a barrel, but we live in a disposable society. You really would have to ask the folks at T/C. An alternative would be simply buying another barrel, but finding a White Mountain carbine tube might be a chore. Am I right in my idea that your model gun has a round barrel? That would make it difficult to simply modify another model T/C barrel to fit your stock, which wouldn't be too god-awful a job if your stock was cut for an octagon barrel. Any .54 caliber octagon T/C tube, and some of the .50's, are 1" across the flats, and the breechplugs ought to be the same -- a shortened Renegade tube would be a good starting point unless, like I'm guessing, your gun takes a round barrel. A New Englander barrel might do the trick, but one of those might be as hard to find as a White Mountain barrel. Or, if you end up simply getting a new barrel, you could go with another .50.

Making the necessary modifications for a barrel channel cut to accept a round tube, to work with an octagonal one, is doable, assuming the breechplug of, say, a Renegade actually matches the plug (and tang) on your present barrel. Not nearly a drop-in-and-shoot proposition, but it could be done (services of BP gunsmith suggested).

No such thing as stupid questions, at least not with guns. Ask T/C about either the reboring/rifling, and the option of just buying a new barrel. It'd be bad for their business to consider you too awful dumb, since you own at least one of their products [;)].

rgerge · January 2008

Well, the wmc barrel is half octagonal and half round which makes it appealing to look into something like this, I,m thinking the barrel is so thick, they just might. It's just hard getting an answer out of those folks about anything. thanks![8D]

Winston Bode · January 2008

If it still shoots "on the nose" at fifty yards why bother?

You might also look at a replacement barrel from Green Mountain.

You might also try using a thicker patch to see if that will tighten your groups.

Just a thought.

Bode

rgerge · January 2008

quote:Originally posted by Winston Bode

If it still shoots "on the nose" at fifty yards why bother?

You might also look at a replacement barrel from Green Mountain.

You might also try using a thicker patch to see if that will tighten your groups.

Just a thought.

Bode
After 50 yards it's off the charts, where it goes, nobody knows.

allen griggs · January 2008

That is quite odd, to be on the nose at 50 and off the charts at 100.
Never heard of that.

rgerge · January 2008

quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
That is quite odd, to be on the nose at 50 and off the charts at 100.
Never heard of that.

OK maybe not nose, maybe dinner plater sized object, fishercat, really big rabbit, car door, mother in-law sized object........no that's too big. Anyway they are going to look at it and let me know.[:o)]

Winston Bode · January 2008

I still think an after market barrel would be the cheapest way to go. I have a Thompson .50 Hawken and the barrel was neglected badly before I got it. I have been considering a Green Mountain barrel for it but haven't gotten around to ordering it yet. I may even go .54 caliber when I replace the barrel.

Bode

HandgunHTR52 · January 2008

rgerge - I agree with Winston. You can pick up a Green Mountain barrel for $150-$200. I would doubt that you would get off that cheap trying to re-bore a barrel.

rgerge · January 2008

I looked into the Green mountain barrels, they start at $199.00, the gun is at the TCA factory now and they are going to let me know. It would be a shame to have to get rid of that wmc barrel.

mongrel1776 · January 2008

You could reline it. Track Of The Wolf sells .50 caliber liners at about $3.00 per inch, which would require you or someone you hired to do it to drill out the bore of your barrel with a 5/8" bit, then epoxy or sweat the liner into place. Given the pain in the butt of drilling the barrel out, and the absolute necessity for the liner to butt perfectly flush against the breechplug face, a new barrel might be a more expensive but far easier solution.

rgerge · January 2008

I never thought of a liner, good idea. What are they made of? chrome?

mongrel1776 · January 2008

Track describes theirs as being "special" chrome moly, and the price has gone up since I last looked into this. They're $4.35 an inch and, in .50 caliber, available in 1-20" and 1-48" twist. The only other caliber available is .45, which I suspect won't interest you. You actually need to drill an 11/16" hole, not a 5/8".

I honestly have never lined a barrel or known anyone who has, so I can't tell you what to expect along those lines. It's been done for years, though, and obviously isn't a cheap fix, so I assume enough customers have been happy with the results to make it a service still worth offering.

caliber enlargement

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