I recently just picked up my muzzleloader and the barrel was rusted pretty bad. I have cleaned it and there are considerable amounts of pitting. It is a .45 cal winchester X-150, I know the gun is not worth much anyway, but I just dont like to get ride of any of my guns. My question is, can this barrel be bored out to shoot .50 cal bullets? The barrel seems plenty thick enough, and how much do you think it would cost? Thanks for your help.
Yes there is pitting. Bad is small pits all the way down the barrel, The rifling is still there and looks good actually, besides thesmall pits everywhere.I am soaking it in kroil oil right now for one last cleaning, and will put it on paper tomorrow to check the group size.New Barrels are available for this gun?
Yes new barrels are available from BPI for the X-150. If you have an owners manual, just call their # and tell them about it.
As long as the breechplug threads are okay, you'll be fine. If the barrel shoots good or not with the pitting is the main factor. If it shoots good, I wouldnt worry about the pitting.
X-150's are really nice shooters. I have a .50cal SS/Camo X-150
mcfadden - you may want to try and lap the bore. First you will need to make a bore plug. To do this get yourself a new 45 cal bore brush. put a couple of damp patches in the bore about 6" down and insert the brush threads out and masked. Pour molten lead into the bore around the brush and let solidify. The lead will not stick to the steel.
Once the 'plug' cools remove it from the barrel. and take out the patches with a worm. Run an oiled patch down the bore then coat your plug with J-B compound or a Comet Cleanser paste and run it back and forth down the bore. You will have to line up the rifling in the barrel with your plug every time you put it in. And this plug will only be for this barrel.
It may work and save you the expense of buying a new barrel. Just don't over do it.
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mcfadden - you may want to try and lap the bore. First you will need to make a bore plug. To do this get yourself a new 45 cal bore brush. put a couple of damp patches in the bore about 6" down and insert the brush threads out and masked. Pour molten lead into the bore around the brush and let solidify. The lead will not stick to the steel.
Once the 'plug' cools remove it from the barrel. and take out the patches with a worm. Run an oiled patch down the bore then coat your plug with J-B compound or a Comet Cleanser paste and run it back and forth down the bore. You will have to line up the rifling in the barrel with your plug every time you put it in. And this plug will only be for this barrel.
It may work and save you the expense of buying a new barrel. Just don't over do it.
You may want to shoot it before you go to all the trouble of laping the bore and pouring molten lead into it. My son didn't clean his ML at the end of hunting season, it was froze up tight, bore wasdirty and pitted. I cleaned it withbrake cleaner and it shot fine to 100 yards, never tried it further than that. Chap Gleason
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Chapman Gleason
Purcellville Va
http://www.the-gleasons.com
I just so happen to have the manual for my X-150 right here. The Customer Service Department of BPI can be reached at 1-877-892-7544. Either way, clean it, shoot it and see how it goes. Any idea why it rusted? What'd you use to oil it down the last time it was cleaned?
Thanks guys, If it doesn't shoot well I will try that, and thanks for the BPI number, your help is much appreciated. Branson, I have no idea what oil I used the last time, it probally wasn't cleaned for two years, I forgot I had the thing and just found it in a closet the other day, as I have not been muzzleloader hunting in a while. I just ordered some Brownells rust preventative #2 to use this time, what do you recommend?
I lightly oil with plain old Rem Oil (same for all my guns) after a good cleaning. I haven't had problems yet. I'm sure there are better things out there. Maybe someone else will chime in. Let us know how it works out.
Rust in muzzleloader barrel
