in need of pieces & parts for a trapdoor

Speaking of pieces gentlemen...

A friend of mine has a trapdoor receiver (nothing else) and I was wondering if rethreading a 45 or 50 caliber modern muzzleloading barrel to fit to the receiver would be feasible to begin the process of building a trapdoor replica as a home shop project over the next couple of winters. A piece here and a piece there so to speak until its all together. Purely a blackpowder/pyrodex planned shooter at this point. At this time, I have a 50 cal muzzleloader as a possible barrel donor.

Forty years or so ago Dixie or Numrich (not sure which) used to sell a muzzle loading conversion for trapdoors. Barrel assembly plus hammer... you used your stock, lock, and trigger assembly.
I have a conversion that doesn't appear to have been used, if so very little.

Parts available here:

http://www.trapdoorcollector.com/parts.html

As long as you can cut square threads on a lathe, it sounds feasible; however in the grand scheme of things, a barrel meant for cartridge guns isn't all that expensive.

I have pieced and searched for rifle parts before, and usually found that it is less expensive to just buy a complete rifle to modify instead of buying a swivel here a lockplate there, screws and other parts from somewhere else, plus shipping from everybody.

Personally, I like the idea of a trapdoor in .38-55. Or maybe .38 Special. Or...

Robert

sounds like you like Trapdoors in any flavor... ;)

Well, I was considering cutting the chamber as a 50-70 since the ML Barrel is just sitting in a corner of the garage and the reamer, dies and brass are readily available.

My personal preference would be the 45-70 caliber but if a barrel should fall into my lap than so be it. Again, this would be a get-around-to-it project as I've got several others still cooking on the stove so to speak.

Bruce

Actual bore and groove diameter will matter as will the rate of twist. Most ML barrels are made for round ball so the twist would be very slow and most likely would not stabilize a conical bullet. Years ago a friend made up a Hawken style rifle from a trapdoor action. Most people thought it was a ML until they actually had it in hand. Nice rifle, often thought I should build one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elk hunter

Actual bore and groove diameter will matter as will the rate of twist. Most ML barrels are made for round ball so the twist would be very slow and most likely would not stabilize a conical bullet. Years ago a friend made up a Hawken style rifle from a trapdoor action. Most people thought it was a ML until they actually had it in hand. Nice rifle, often thought I should build one.

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That's exactly what I was envisioning! looks like a muzzleloader but shoots a cartridge!

THe barrel comes from an inline muzzleloader that I shoot conicals and sabots out of quite well so I'm figuring that the twist is appropriate for a cast boolit. Worse case, I could always load a saboted 45 cal bullet in the cartridge!

Bruce

Bruce I tried to send you a PM but your message bank is full, essentially I have a parts gun in 50-70 caliber.

Bruce, Labradigger1 had some parts for sale this past winter, I bought some off of him, great guy! give him a yell he may still have some lying around.

Thanks everyone who have literally filled my inbox with offers of parts and near complete rifles. I've replied to several already and hopefully the discussions will bring the parts to Indiana for a winter build. I've got a couple pounds of Hodgdon 777 and Pyrodex that have been talking like a siren to get me into Blackpowder cartridge reloading in addition to all my other projects...