The good news:

The GM LRH 1:28 50 cal barrel arrived today.

The bad news:

It's a drop-in for my Cabela's Hawken 54 cal stock, well, almost.

Challenge #1 - The ram rod rib is 1/4" too long and the hawken has a metal end cap, so I'll opt to trim the rib.

Question #1: should I remove the rib or trim it on the barrel? I may be able to slip a piece of paper between the rib and barrel and cut with a hacksaw and/or get nearly through and "tear" or flex it off. I'm concerned about mucking up the rib screws - never had one off.

Challenge #2 - The breech hook of the new barrel is 1mm wider than the tang slot. Mic's identical in all other ways.

Question #2: would you widen the $25 tang slot or narrow the $180 barrel breech hook, keeping in mind if I widen the tang slot the 54 cal barrel will be 1mm smaller than the slot should I choose to use it. Is that a big deal?

I have a good bench vice and numerous files, am a reasonably accomplished craftsman and would like your thoughts.

I would call Green Mountain Barrel Company and see what they suggest about the tang. As for the hooked breech, it might be easier to take the differenceoff the barrel part. Otherwise it would effect the fit of the factory barrel. As for trimming the thumble rib, I did not remove it.Although there is not a lot to taking the thing off. I put the barrel in a vice and with a dremel tool and metal cutter disc, just went real slow until I was almost to the barrel. A little wiggle and it came right off. Then a file smoothed that edge out. Others might have done it different. If the screws would come out, you could do a better job of it taking it off.

Cayugad - I only need to remove material from one or the other, making the tang wider or the hook narrower. Your choice?

I personally would adjust the hooked breech on the barrel. If you were to off set that tang it could lead to a lot of accuracy problems. None of my barrels needed that kind of adjustment. I did have to knock some of the thimble rib off a couple of the barrels, but not all the barrels...

Do a little at a time and take off as little as possible trying to be even to both sides. But of course you knew that... Good luck and be sure and let us know how it turned out.

When your done, try 100 grains of powder and a 250 grain shockwave. It really does shoot them nice. I also shoot the 200 grain out of it, both the Shockwaves and XTP's.

If you have a drillpress with a milling table use an end mill and take a small amount off each side till it fits.
But if it was me I would do as was suggested first and call the company. Lee

yeoman

It is really east to give advice when you do not have the object... so here goes...

Remove the under rib and cut it where it needs to be... use cold blue to bule the end... The screws on that new barrel will not be that tight. I am sitting here with mine in my lap right now. Get a screw driver that has a clean tip and fits the head of the screw. Apply a forceful downward pressure on the screwdriver before turning the screw. Just loosen it do not take it completly out until you have all the screws loose. Gm did not use a lock tight to hold the screws in.

No doubt! widen the tang slot. It really should not take much and it should not cause a problem with the other barrel. 1mm actually a 1/2 mm on either side will not effect the other barrel that much. The only thing the left right movement in the tang does is to help provide alignment of the hammer striking the nipple.... this may be actually your biggest problem when placing the new barrel. One thing you could do is to remove the tang and set the barrel in the channel and see how the alignment might occur. - After reading the other folks thoughts - i still would modify the tang vs the $250 dollar barrel - you can always get another tang. After you have removed the under rib and the tang and before you cut the under rib, set the barrel in place check the wedge alignment - put the wedge in place and lower the hammer on the nipple what does this look like...

This statement tells me you can do this and you say it with authority - so I am confident.

Start with the under rib project then move to breech end...

You can get TC tangs from TOTW for $12.95

Go for it... keep asking questions as you need to. The most critical thing in this project is the alignment of the nipple and hammer. By placing the barrel in the channel with out the tang and then closing the hammer on the nipple will tell you a lot...

Actually the biggest thing might be the alignment of the wedge and under key - check that also...

All of your suggestions are appreciated and valuable.

Here's the plan.

1) I will attempt to remove the rib screws. If they come easily, I'll vice and trim with a hacksaw. This may give me the courage to remove the rib of my old CVA so I can tighten the ramrod retainers from the backside.

2) I will pull the tang and lay the barrel in the channel to check for hammer and wedge alignment. My measurements suggest all ahould be fine but nothing like laying it in there.

3) Once I verify a tang is available for this Cabela's Hawken, I'll remove the blueing with a file from either side of the tang interior walls. Shouldn't take much more than that. If tangs are available and under $20, I may just get one to go with the 54 barrel to remove any doubt about accuracy.

4) I will put some SW's and 100 gr down the bore!


Now, who knows a good way to find a crack in an engine block!?