Will a Huntsman muzzle loader barrel fit on a shotgun frame?
Will a shotgun barrel fit on a Huntsman muzzle loader frame?
I have never touched a Handi muzzle loader and have a long distance opportunity to purchase one.
This particular rifle/barrel comes with a regular percussion cap breech block. Can that block be changed out for either the 25acp or 209 style breech blocks?
Yes, I have a NEF Pardner that originally had a 20 ga shotgun barrel but was fitted with a Huntsman 50 cal barrel back when they had the accessory barrel program. That said, like all H&R/NEF barrel swaps it might fit like a glove or need a little tweaking.
The Sidekick which looks very similar is only able to use the muzzleloader barrel.
There are 2 different Huntsman muzzleloaders. The early models from the 1970’s had a receiver that had a large diameter firing pin made to work with percussion caps only. The barrels from that era had several styles of breech plugs but the barrels will fit the more recent made Huntsman, handi rifle , topper and Pardner receivers. The newer Huntsman’s were made to work with a orange plastic primer holder that had a tab that stuck out of the side of the receiver when the barrel was closed and used a 209 shotgun primer for the muzzleloader. The receivers on them were essentially a SB-1 cast iron receiver like the topper and Pardner shotguns used.
Some of the more recent Huntsman muzzleloaders also came with a centerfire rifle barrel that was a package deal that H&R did and both barrels were fit to a SB-2 steel receiver.
So to answer your question, if you are just buying the barrel…. It depends which one it is ? The later Huntsman barrels had threaded breech plugs but some were threaded 7/8-20 thread and others had a smaller 5/8” diameter threaded plug. I know that there were some aftermarket breech plugs made to fit these later barrels but I can’t give you a name of the manufacturer that made them and I believe they may no longer be made.
I believe you are talking about a earlier made barrel if it’s designed to use caps so as far as I know there are no breech plugs made for 209 ignition for that style barrel.
Jedman
Great information Jedman.
The reason for the question is that my son wants me to get a ML and join him for the ML elk season in the fall.
One of my choices is a complete 1971 (from S#) Huntsman 58 cal. with a 7/8" percussion cap breech plug.
Since you mention this may be the fat firing pin, I am not sure I want to introduce it to the flock, as I only have thin firing pins at this time.
The other choice is a 50 cal. parts kit from GB. It has all but the receiver (and likely sans breech plug). This must be the one that uses the plastic tab, as there is a cutout for said tab on the breech face. No picture of breech. I assume there is no breech plug included so I would need to source one. I will see if they are still available for both sizes in 209.
Then choose an existing receiver that fits from my collection.
Thank you for the wealth of information.
I had two of the modern ones and the receiver was identical to my SB1 shotgun, so they had to transfer through an FFL. They could be fit with cartridge shotgun barrels when NEF was still in business. If yours uses caps, it is almost certainly an older one and cannot accept centerfire barrels without major modifications. If you just want a good inline that takes caps, look no further than the musket cap version of the Traditions Pursuit. I have the 209 version and it's awesome, way better than the NEF Huntsman's I had. The modern Huntsman uses 209's in a funky plastic carrier. Metrics Unlimited of Michigan made a standard breech plug for them, don't know if they still do or not. Also, it uses a telescoping ramrod that has to be unscrewed to git back into the forearm. Remember, there is zero factory support for any H&R/NEF single shots and there is a good chance you're going to spend more than a new gun overall on one. I would skip the Huntsman unless it was a complete gun locally for a really low price.
Thank you FergusonT035, I have been doing a bunch of reading after getting some previous feedback and have come to the same nogo conclusion that you advise. I had originally thought the Handi option might be a good fit, as it is a platform that I am somewhat familiar with.
Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge on the subject.
You got it. I'm a big fan of H&R/NEF myself, but I don't think they are a good value anymore compared to new guns available today.