Got the last one!

[newton]

Well, maybe, there could be more out there that I could not find.

I really liked the feel of the heavy conicals in my inline that I wanted to be able to shoot them out of a sidelock. I have also found that a sidelock is 10x easier to clean, for me, than my inline.

Last year I ran across a great deal on a .54 Renegade. So I figured I would just buy a .50 1:28" to drop in. Yea right. I am not sure when they quit making them, but they did. Well, at least GM stopped making them for their IBS system. You can still buy custom barrels if you want to pay the price for them.

I am not sure why there are still so many web site stores that still advertise the .50 1:28. When you add them to your cart they say out of stock. They advertise you can backorder, but I am not sure why.

So finally I found one place that did not say out of stock, but to be sure I called on the phone. Sure enough, they had one left on the shelf. Could not resist the temptation, so I got it.

I might be crazy, but the feel(not to mention the look) of a sidelock is just something an inline cannot achieve. Yea, they both load from the muzzle and shoot the same boolit, but the sidelock just has something that has hooked me.

Anyways, thought I'd share. I have always heard that GM barrels are top notch, but never could get a clear consensus on why. What is it about their barrels that makes them so popular? I have to say, they are cheaper than most other, but is that the only reason why they are popular?

[725]

I've got a GM .54 on my T/C because they shoot so good. Drop in accuracy. It's a joy.

[aspangler]

Gm is a Premier barrel maker. I know several rimfire bench rest shooters who will use nothing but GM barrels. I ordered a 45 cal barrel blank and made my 45-70 on it and it is the most accurate 45-70 that I have seen personally to-date. Gm barrels ar very accurate and worth the money.

[newton]

Yea, heard they were good is why I jumped on this. I know other barrel companies that are good also, but they don't just make a drop in barrel like GM does(did).

But what makes them good? I have heard, just from one place, that the rifling is cut different to where it has very crisp edges. This should make for a good barrel for what I shoot out of it.

Is the metallurgy different in them also?

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I can have the side lock mostly clean before i can have the breach plug out of the inline , the Inlines say you can use more powder for faster velocities , but i wonder if anyone really put load against load over a chronograph inline next to a side lock , because you can only get so much powder to burn before you run out of barrel, I would put a 32 inch barrel side lock against the 24 or 26 inch barrel inline I don't think your going to see that much more velocity if any from the inline even with the much hotter priming the next thing to bring up is that , at least in a few different breech plug manufacturers tests less powerful ignition is more accurate , so many take and use reduced power 209 primers or replacment breech plugs to use 32 cal brass with small pistol primers to set off the black or even some subs

[rodwha]

"I might be crazy, but the feel(not to mention the look) of a sidelock is just something an inline cannot achieve. Yea, they both load from the muzzle and shoot the same boolit, but the sidelock just has something that has hooked me."

Same here! I just love 'em!

But I'm also being swayed by flintlocks. It's more of a historical thing I suppose...

I've also been looking into drop in barrels for my Lyman's Deerstalker. I like the idea of the T/C Contender/Encore's ability to swap barrels for a multi use rifle. So I'm on the lookout for something I can shoot conicals/sabots from for hunting beyond 100 yds that would look nice with a Malcolm style scope, as well as a smoothbore and possibly a small caliber small game barrel.

[Boerrancher]

Side locks are awesome. I have a nice inline and I never shoot it. Of the side locks the flint is my favorite. A well tuned flint lock will fire as fast as a cartridge will. My trade gun has become my main carry and hunting gun on the farm.
Best wishes

Joe

[newton]

Barrel came in today. Wow is all I could say. It's my first GM barrel, but they did a fine job on it as far as I can see. We will see how it shoots sometime in the next few days.

[Junior1942]

I went to the GM web site, and all I could find were barrels as in nothing BUT the barrel. No drop in barrels at all.

[idahoron]

I use GM LRH barrels on all my rifles. Look at the sticky above for the paper patched bullets I put on. Ron

[newton]

They did quit making them for sure. I think they still make slow twist drop ins, but fast twist is a thing of the past. Every vendor I have talked to has also attested that they do not make them anymore. Not sure if they will in the future or not though.

Ron, I've seen your posts. Half tempted to try paper, but think I'm going to stick with my knurl method. Did you ever try pp in a different barrel, or just always GM barrels?

I am going to have to do some work on the stock. The only barrel I found was a 15/16 and my renegade is a 1". It fits, and I have to tweak the stock down some, but I'd like to make it a better fit. I thought it was the tang reciever, but I think it's a combo of it and the stock channel(towards the rear) that is keeping it from laying down right.

[bubba.50]

ya could leave the renegade as is & just buy a t/c hawken to put yer new barrel on.

[marshall623]

ya could leave the renegade as is & just buy a t/c hawken to put yer new barrel on.

X2 my 50 Renegade is a tack driver as is

[idahoron]

They did quit making them for sure. I think they still make slow twist drop ins, but fast twist is a thing of the past. Every vendor I have talked to has also attested that they do not make them anymore. Not sure if they will in the future or not though.

Ron, I've seen your posts. Half tempted to try paper, but think I'm going to stick with my knurl method. Did you ever try pp in a different barrel, or just always GM barrels?

I am going to have to do some work on the stock. The only barrel I found was a 15/16 and my renegade is a 1". It fits, and I have to tweak the stock down some, but I'd like to make it a better fit. I thought it was the tang reciever, but I think it's a combo of it and the stock channel(towards the rear) that is keeping it from laying down right.

I have used the PP in green mountain and knight AKA green mountain. I have wondered how the 1-32 twist of the Lyman would handle them. Ron

[OverMax]

Have a couple GM barrels here. Both 45s. One is a ball only shooter. The other is a Long Range Hunter stainless. Ball actually shoots better. Just not as far as the other. Sad day when GM decided not to make T/C replacement barrels anymore. There is a rumor going around T/C is discontinuing there traditional line of rifles also. Oh well mine will last for awhile yet.

O/M

[Boerrancher]

I would hate to see T/C drop their traditional line of side locks. I have a dang fine shooting T/C cap lock. I don't really like cap locks but this thing shoots so well I hate to get rid of it. Unless I could trade it for a 32 or 36 cal flinter.
Best wishes

Joe

[newton]

I actually have another renegade stock and lock. I have to repair the stock though. It's a 1" channel also, but you really have to be picky to notice it.

I have also read in other places where some guys swear by using the 1" stocks for 15/16" barrels. Almost like a free floating set up. I'm not sold on it though.

I did figure out that it's all in the tang though. A piece of paper slips all the way down the barrel so there is no contact. I measured the tang on the .54 original barrrel and the new GM. The GM is a tad thicker vertically which is the reason it does not let it lay down. I had a little bit of time this morning and I filed a little off. It dropped significantly. A little more and it will be like a glove.

I guess the only downside is the step down from the tang reciever to the breech plug, but again, as pretty a barrel as it is, I'm more interested in function. I have high expectations for this gun.

I guess in the end a guy could have GM make a barrel, just would not be a drop in. I had originally planned last year to build a custom gun and then get a fast twist .50 in a sidelock latter. But when I started looking around I saw that I had better jump on this now or else the .50 would also become a custom gun in the future due to lack of availability.

Now I wish I was a rich man because I know where a .45 LRH is hiding and it would be cool to have it as a drop in also. But I know that my custom gun will be a .45 so I'm not too concerned.

[aspangler]

Check the Swapping and Selling forum. Someone had one in there yesterday.