22" or 26" replacement barrel
 

Let's call me a semi-traditionalist. Either that or I just don't like change when I find something that works. I've got the old Knight Wolverine, 50 caliber that uses #11 percussion caps and I love it. I had a stupid moment last year where I left the bullet/powder in my rifle up until just last week. Yes, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID but it happened. The barrel accumulated a significant amount of rust while sitting in my gun safe. I've scrubbed it out twice so far with a copper brush and solvent. The rifling looks pretty good so I'm hoping it still shoots as accurate as ever.


Even if it still shoots well, I'm considering buying a new Stainless Steel barrel (green mountain barrel) directly from Knight for the long term. They emailed me and said their bighorn and littlehorn barrels will fit the old wolverine rifle. Yes, they are $299 but I'm really willing to pay that. My question is, the original barrel is 22 inches. The bighorn is 26 inches and the littlehorn is 22 inches. Should I stick with the 22 or will I gain some long distance accuracy by going to the 26? My other option is to find a used SS barrel but that seems challenging at this point and I don't know what kind of care it's had by it's previous owner.

I have an old White .504 Bison rifle that I purchased cheap. In fact I was shocked it was such a deal. But the seller claimed the gun was 95% good. Well when it got here, the barrel was in terrible shape. Clean mind you, but pitted terrible. He must have judged the 95% by the condition of the stock and sights.

Still I cleaned it and took it to the range and I was surprised how well it actually shot. Granted, when I clean it I kind of cringe when I look through the 22 inch barrel.

Now to you, I was not aware that Green Mountain sold barrels for the Bighorn, LittleHorn, etc. I am sure they would fit my three LK rifles. As they are very similar to the Wolverine. I would really like a 26 inch barrel for it. Still shoot it #11 ignition system mind you.

Or you could look and find a used rifle. The parts would come in handy and you can find barrels in good shape out there. It would probably be cheaper to.

It's really according to the load you like to use as to whether or not a longer barrel would give you enough extra range to be worth the sacrifice of maneuverability of the shorter barrel. If you are a hot loader like me then yep it's worth it. I also like a longer barrel for off hand shooting. Helps me stabilize the rifle better. Some people are just the opposite and do better with a shorter barrel off hand.

Yes, the Knight Barrels are made by Green Mountain. However, I contacted Knight directly about a replacement. That's when they told me the Big or Littlehorn would both work, depending on what length I wanted. Contact them and ask about the LK. They were pretty responsive to me.


I think I'll stick with the 22. I load light, 80 grains 777 and a 220 grain bullet. It's worked great for me in the past. Do you think a stainless barrel would shoot any differently than the original blued barrel?

When you say 'Barrel' - I am guessing you are really meaning a barreled action!

http://www.knightrifles.com/product-...oader-barrels/


Should not be a significant difference between blued and stainless...

Well for one thing the length of the barrel does not change its accuracy, what it does do is add a bit to the velocity, if you like what you have for barrel length stay with it.
Also if you get some Evapo Rust from the auto parts store plug your nipple fill the barrel with it it will remove all rust over night even in the bottom of the pits.

Have to disagree a LITTLE bit there lemoyne. With SOME bullet/powder combos, a longer barrel absolutely will increase accuracy to an extent. And with some it will actually hinder accuracy. Barrel whip sometimes comes into play with some loads. It's kind of dependent on barrel thickness. Sometimes that extra 2-4 inches longer in the barrel gives the bullet a bit more stabilization by giving it that little bit extra speed on the rotation. Kind of dependent on the power spike timing there too.

Not in my testing at all. I would absolutely stay with the shorter barrel in a Muzzleloader.

I appreciate the input! With the current barrel, the accuracy is unparalleled! I'll stick with the 22 inch on the new one. Thanks!

super_hunt54
I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one. I have cut a lot of barrels off for myself and others and its my opinion that individual barrels have different responses to being shortened.

Yep that was my point lemoyne. Some barrels react differently to harmonics. Thickness and alloy type are key to that. While some loads may be fantastic in a shorter barrel, others may not. Same for a longer barrel. I like a longer barrel for my own abilities since I find it easier to hold my sights better off hand with a little more frontal weight than most people. BUT there are many times that I like a short barrel mountain rifle for my woods work. So I look for whatever load works best in that particular rifle. Like anyone else with ethics will do.

You might be surprised... I bet the old barrel will still shoot just fine.
It will likely be a problem child though going forward, you'll be continually fighting the rust issue most likely.
I would absolutely get the 22" barrel if you go that route. Not only will it shoot just fine, if you get the 26" it will be so top heavy you will hate it. Good luck!

Oh, and if it was me... I'd drop the $300 on a like new MK85 in stainless rather than a barrel, and keep the current gun as a backup/loaner. Better rifle by a mile, and they can be found in excellent shape for $250-300. Food for thought

I'm going to have to go along with SH on this. With barrel diameter and everything else being equal, a longer barrel will have more "whip". This is fine provided it is the same from shot to shot and there is no contact with the stock. A heated barrel will change the pressure where it contacts the stock causing the POI to change enough to notice it on paper. However the longer barrel (up to a point) will give increased velocity because of a more efficient powder burn - i.e.: more consumption. Accuracy between the shorter vs longer barrel itself will not improve with the longer barrel. The reason someone can usually shoot better with the longer barrel is because of the longer sight plane with open sights. A scoped rifle one should notice no difference unless the barrel likes more velocity.

Well, no worries on this end. I finally got out to shoot it today. Maybe an inch to the left of the bullseye on a clean barrel and centered the bullseye after a spit patch and dry patch. No more adjustments. Lets head to the woods and keep this barrel clean from now on!

I figured it would probably still shoot fine. Just keep a close eye on it, now that it has rusted once it'll be much more prone to again. Good luck :happy0001:

Thanks. It will be cleaned spotless after season with a thin coat of grease in the barrel then into the safe. Very excited for the season!