"Flowering" the muzzle

[DwarvenChef]

While I lived in Fairbanks AK, I met a man that built custom smoke poles from scratch to kits. After a few weeks of drooling at his bench I noticed him filing small paterns just off the crown. When I asked about it he said "flowering" the muzzle helps give a more uniform folding pattern to the patch before cutting it off. I had read a few lines in older books about the practive but never seen it on new guns. Well I had him cut my muzzle and I can't say as to whether it helped or not, but I love the custom touch.

Anyone else seen or done this?

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/DwarvenChef/tchawkcrown.jpg

[GregP42]

I have never seen that before, but it is slicker looking than snot on a door knob! Hmm... where did I leave that old barrel....

Greg

[Buckshot]

............Very interesting. I've never seen anyhting like that before, and if I had it's obvious I don't remember it :D Seems as if it might provide some grab to a woven patch so it's be streatched tighter around the ball ......... maybe? Looks cool anyway.

..............Buckshot

[shooter575]

Like Buckshot said,I ain't never seen it ether.Does look cool. Dont think I will be getting out the files though

[Throckmorton]

But then 'everyone' says scratching or beating up the crown on a barrel ruins accuracy.
some thins just give me a headache.:)

[KCSO]

I have seen this done by some backwoods gunsmiths and on a couple of midwest full stocks. I tried it on a 50 I built and shot the gun both before and after from the bench for accuracy. Looks pretty works bad.

Using a lathe with stops to mark the positions and filing to depth with a depth mic. I still had measurable accuracy loss at 100 yards. If you are shooting deer a 1 to 2" loss of accuracy is no big deal, but if this is a match rifle that pretty will cost you. I will put no decoration on the muzzle that even approaches the lands and grooves. I don't even like to file false grooves in a coned muzzle and will only do a cone on the lathe with a piloted self centering tool.

[versifier]

It looks in the photo like the cuts only go only to the bottom of the countersink and do not intrude on the lands/grooves. DwarvenChief, am I correct? KCSo's point makes a lot of sense if they are deeper than they appear. In any case, they do look slick, though I don't use prb's anymore. [smilie=s:

[DwarvenChef]

The cuts don't go past the crown, cutting a crown is bad news on any Bbl. This baby still holds clover leafs at 70yds (when I do my part) and can be covered by a dollar coin at 100yds. My next project will also have art'd up muzzle, depending on how the crown is cut will determin the art it gets.