Question on possible build on ML action?

[koger]

I had a guy give me a Traditions Vortek ML the other day. The barrel is completely shot, no chance of saving it. I called traditions, they want $269 for a new barrel, fitted to my action, 3 months before I get it back. I am thinking it over. I thought about lining it with a .38 special barrel, and shooting black powder or maybe even a .45 colt barrel with black powder or low pressure smokeless loads. It also has a scope and good set of rings, so the worst I could come away with it is a free scope/rings combo. Just wanted your thoughts. A buddy suggested a 45/70 barrel, and just shoot black powder in it?

[country gent]

Maybe line it to 38 cal rifle and shoot it with black powder as a 38-55. save you powder and lead. At the factory price of $269 a barrel blank or liner and work is going to be hard to beat that price.

The tooling will be time consuming to make or expensive to buy. extending a frill long enough or buying a long drill. The time involved and then actually doing the job, all adds upd

[koger]

I have a lathe and know how/skills to do most of the work. I found a used 38/55 barrel for $100, so all I would have to do, is stub the barrel, make a extractor. I have 2-38/55's, thanks for a great idea!

[Jedman]

koger, I had to google the Vortek to see what it was like before answering your question.
From the video’s I watched it has a 4140 CM barrel but being a muzzleloader all of the pressure when firing it is in the barrel and breechplug. No back thrust on the actions standing breech so If the receiver is made of steel I would pull the stock and see how thick the breech face is and try to determine if it’s up to CF back thrust. The thickness of their “ no tools “ breech plug would have to be made up so I see a couple ways you could do it. If you are going to try to find a liner to fit the barrels bore without drilling or reaming first a 1/2” OD liner might work but wouldn’t be a close fit assuming the barrel is 50 cal. If you did use a liner like that you would have to bore the center out of the breech plug and attach it somehow to the liner , threaded or epoxied ?

The way I would do it is to probably get a Green Mountain gunsmith barrel blank ( $ 50- $ 60 ) determine what size you can drill or ream the bad bore out to and then turn the blank as a liner with the breech end having the larger diameter to take up the space of that breech plug then epoxy it in.

All this would only make sense if you have a lathe and other equipment to do the job yourself otherwise the cost would be way higher than what a new, Traditions, Henry or other break action single shot rifle would cost.

I would watch eBay for a used replacement barrel for the muzzleloader, sometimes you can find them for sale and if not a popular barrel it might go reasonable enough to make it worthwhile

koger, I am a slow typer and after posting I seen that you posted that you can do the work yourself so that’s good !

Jedman