Interchangeable Barrels
 

Why doesn't someone make a muzzleloader with interchangeable barrels, but a dedicated muzzleloader? Something that can go from anything 45 to 54 with a few different twist options? They wouldn't have to go through the headaches of all the paperwork associated with a firearm. Also wouldn't have to be built as strong to hold up to smokeless pressures.
Just a thought. It seems like a good idea.

Green Mountain Barrel company technically did just that. If you have a Hawkins or Renegade.. you can go from a 36 caliber to a 62 caliber. I still want to get a .40 caliber for small game. But I have a .45, 50, 54, 58, and sold my .62 caliber smooth bore. You can get them in fast or roundball twist and they are top quality barrels.

I have wondered for years why they do not make a round ball twist for the ones that have inter changeable barrels like the Encore. It would be a whole different level of difficulty to make a practical set up that could change calibers over that wide a range of calibers because of the weight factor if you make a one inch barrel to have a good strong barrel for a 54 then make a 45 that diameter you would have a very heavy barrel.

T/C used to offer a "swap barrel" ML called the System One? Rem700MLs can be barreled but it requires a few tools and some skill. They had 45, 50 and 54cal barrels. The Savage is somewhat easy to swap barrels with the barrel nut wrench and you can buy barrels for about $300.

On my Knights i can just swap out the barreled action with triggers but there is not much of a savings.

The new ML only T/C Pro Hunter would be a good platform for a easier swap barrel but no one makes any barrels for them yet other than the factory 50cal.

Not one for those new fangled inlines (nothng wrong with them, just not my cup o tea), I agree with Cayugad on the Green Mountain IBS system for T/C Hawkens and Renegades. A lot of choices in caliber plus you can get most of them in blued or stainless.
But Lemoyne was also right. You get a .32 cal 15/16" barrel and that sucker is a good bit heavier than the same barrel in .54 cal. So I guess its a trade off of weight for convenience of swapping calibers.
Speaking of which, there is a nice T/C Hawken flintlock in the classifieds.....:)

The easy answer is there isn't a demand for the calibers you mentioned.company's that make muzzle loaders are like any other company, there driven by profits.Ray

The big problem is....it costs as much to make a good inline ML only barrel as it does to make a SML barrel. So why not get the SAAMI spec barrel for nearly the same price. Just look at the GM catalog and compare the prices. McGowan barrels start at under $300 and a Beragara replacement barrel for T/Cs are not much cheaper and are mass produced. The McGowans are custom built to order for $25 more roughly not including any Smith work that might be needed.

When you get into this market the prices can sky rocket and only a break action becomes an affordable modern style platform. Ive been there and done that with a orginal Contender when barrels were reasonably priced. The Handi Rifle is one of the cheapest ways to get into a strong multi barrel gun through SMI using a $360 Douglas barrel. You can convert a NEF 45/70 for about $150 dollars as another example and the guns are under $500 for a nice one like Busta's NEF 45cal SS Super Slu.

It boils down to...if you wanna play...you gunna pay. Regardless if its a inline ML or SML build. Only the Hawkens type "drop ins" come closer to being cheaper and only when you can get them on sale. GMs custom shop barrels are far from cheap.

Funny thing about interchangeable barrels - they lost their allure once I had them.

Like Cayugad and Bronko, I had GM barrels for my Renegade in several calibers and twists - .45 & .50 in fast twist LRH, .54 & .58 in round ball 1:70 twist. I ended up acquiring stocks for each barrel rather than use one stock for all of them. It's insane I know. But there it is.

My infatuation with my Contender died off too after about 2 years. Im not sure why because it was a great gun but i lost interest in it and moved towards other carbines. I settled on a old Rem600 in 308 and never looked back.

I would like to see T/C offer the new ML only Pro Hunter in a 45 and 50cal set though. Then it would have some appeal to me if they offered custom shop barrels also such as a faster twist 36cal and 54cal. BUT like the Contender each would end up with its own scope and the cost would rise again.

As for Hawkins I still love to shoot them I used to built them and sell them and I have a couple of TC haw ken I won shooting and a couple of Renegades just because I like them. But the new inlines offer a new challenge and are much fun to shoot at extreme range. I had a System One and it was an excellent rifle had two barrels for it, that 1-38 twist was almost like an extra barrel because it would do a really good job with PRB and 90 gr of RS. But with the event of Blackhorn it fell by the wayside so did my Bighorn which was also an excellent rifle.
But the 1-70 twist in a 54 for the Encore Endeavor is my dream.