Shiloh Rifle Forums

Your Douglas BPCR barrels are 4140 steel alloy Kurt, no worries at all about shock load numbers with this barrel quality steel alloy. I use Douglas barrels almost exclusively for high intensity rounds. GM only uses 1147 for muzzle loading and .22 RF barrels I've read and 4140-50 for the rest. I'm not sure if they make any stainless barrels or not. I used to use Shilen's but got a couple that walked so went back to Douglas and have stayed most happily with their product.
Bartline barrels are sure giving good account of themselves lately in F-class gun making.
I use GM barrels for all muzzle loaders and generally BPCR guns.

mdeland,

As to your Stevens 44, they are marginal in those larger cartridges. The originals in 32-40 and 38-55 had an additional section on the hammer that would slide under the breechblock much like a rolling block. With out that feature it will loosen up in a relatively short number of rounds. The frame itself is strong but the pins are not up to the task. My 25-21 will loosen up in ten rounds with smokeless schuetzen loads.

YRMV

I noticed mine does have that hammer ledge that slips under the block at firing. I was thinking about lining it to 25-20 or perhaps 38 special.

Here is that 44 and the hammer shelf to reinforce the block at firing.

Have to make another reply to get the three pictures up.

I didn't like the French Red oil stain so mixed my own in denatured alcohol.

In looking over an exploded view of the action I was thinking that the link pins,not the two cross pins in the hammer and lever was probably the biggest two weaknesses in the design. DeHaas says that the action shoulders at the top of the block mortise is what takes the primary back thrust (if I understood correctly) which the hammer ledge would directly support. The link pins of course are in the locking linkage and are the smallest axial's in the design. DeHaas accurately points out that there are 5 contact points of lock up with the pins and shoulder and if each give .002 of clearance from wear or stretch then we have at least .010 of head space which is excessive as typically .004 is max and .006 is excessive or field gauge head space.
It is interesting that the 44 remained Stevens work horse action and survive the better 44.5, falling block design.
DeHaas says that even with the hammer ledge the 32-40 and 38-55 cartridges were to much for the 44 as continual heavy hunting loads would loosen the action and eventually allow excessive head space.
The epitome of the 44 evolved into the famous "Walnut Hill" target rifle.

I raised the grain with the alcohol based stain, knocked it back with steel wool after dry and have applied two coats of hand rubbed out Tru-oil. Probably will keep going to 6 rub outs and steel wool abrasion between coats.It does need to be good and dry so the steel wool (lint) does not embed. So far it is looking pretty good.

The Laurel Mtn. Forge brown is looking good as well but that is almost a given the stuff is so easy to use and even out. Here are a few pictures of my cabinet made for me by a close friend of many years. I couldn't have asked for a better gift and use it regularly. I retired my hot blue system once I started using the Niedner rust blue method which is the best looking and most durable blue I have ever seen. The cabinet works equally well for bluing or browning. Here are some pictures of the set up. The top tray has a computer fan mounted in it which keeps the hot, humid air circulating from the hot plate and coffee pot in the base. It makes a very even blue/browning environment top to bottom.
In the back at the top opposite the glass port hole is a combination temperature/humdity gauge.
This is a 36 inch barrel plus a 4 inch tang and an 8 inch wood plug in the muzzle. I had to tip up the upper shelf to get the length in and still have my parts hangers.

One more.

Well she's finally done! Getting anxious to get her sighted in soon as this cold spell breaks.

Can't get them all on one reply so have to stagger them.

Well, the over size side plate came out well but I see I could have fit the nose cap just a might tighter at the top. One of the things I realized with this stick of wood is that I don't think it was fully cured as some of the inlets have opened up some from how well they were scraped to fit initially from what looks like wood shrinkage. It's really going to be a bummer if the wood pulls away from the furniture all over the stock and leaves a bunch of gaps. Oh well, live and learn but over all I'm pretty happy with my first attempt at a flint gun.
One positive is it looks like the tiger strip is appearing more as the stock dries out under the oil finish.

Sure does feel good in the hand as the 13/16s light .45 cal barrel and slender stock came together nicely with the three key purchase. The drop fit's me nicely with a 13 1/4 inch pull length. I'm pretty short so even a 1/8 inch more would have worked quite well. The butt hook could have been a bit more open but if I loose another 20 lbs. and shoot in shirt sleeves that to should work out.
Now if the bore is straight so I don't have to drive the sights off center line and it's accurate , I'll be a happy camper!

I forgot to mention that I was very happy with how the stain color came out under the Tru-oil finish as I never cared for the very dark Aqua-Fortice stain common to this style of So. Mtn Rifle. It was the one departure from the style I made.
One poster on another forum said it looked pretty good but said I should have made the cheek piece a bit shorter in length. I guess it is out of proportion with the stock length in his opinion. It does look like the picture my plans show though so I think it's right.

I like it Mike. The only issue is the lock is on the wrong side. I have to look at it in a mirror to feel good about it.

Woody