Henry Rifle Forums

Has anybody ever rebored an in line pistol into a smooth bore shotgun pistol? Would this even be safe? Kinda seams like an easy way towards a smooth bore howdah.

It might be a good way to get three hots and a cot.

Travlin wrote:It might be a good way to get three hots and a cot.

You keep it a percussion gun and it wouldn't even legally be a fire arm, ergo the nfa does not apply. That's why I brought it up in BP. Frankly this is the best way to get a smoothbore shot pistol if you wish not to have the ATF shining a light up your backside.

Travlin wrote:It might be a good way to get three hots and a cot.

I should've clarified, this wouldn't be a cartridge conversion and would stay percussion only it would simply be a reboring to a larger bore diameter and no rifling. The idea being sort of an all around survival pistol capable of taking small game all the way on up to emergency defense against something that can eat you. The .50 cal rifled versions can do medium and reasonably large animals but will destroy say a rabbit, with the smooth bore you have a better gun for birdshot type loads that wont spread as quickly as a rifled gun.

SingleAction357 wrote: I should've clarified, this wouldn't be a cartridge conversion and would stay percussion only it would simply be a reboring to a larger bore diameter and no rifling. The idea being sort of an all around survival pistol capable of taking small game all the way on up to emergency defense against something that can eat you. The .50 cal rifled versions can do medium and reasonably large animals but will destroy say a rabbit, with the smooth bore you have a better gun for birdshot type loads that wont spread as quickly as a rifled gun.

fascinating .... a most interesting concept

JEBar wrote:

SingleAction357 wrote: I should've clarified, this wouldn't be a cartridge conversion and would stay percussion only it would simply be a reboring to a larger bore diameter and no rifling. The idea being sort of an all around survival pistol capable of taking small game all the way on up to emergency defense against something that can eat you. The .50 cal rifled versions can do medium and reasonably large animals but will destroy say a rabbit, with the smooth bore you have a better gun for birdshot type loads that wont spread as quickly as a rifled gun.

fascinating .... a most interesting concept

In theory it could even be threaded for chokes to increase accuracy at greater range.

In theory it could even be threaded for chokes

The barrel would have to be bored pretty thin to be able to accommodate a threaded choke. This might compromise safety if it cannot be properly tested. I would not bore a rifled barrel any larger than just removal of the rifling to make it a smoothbore. It might be a fun experiment but I would not rely on a single shot percussion smoothbore as a defensive weapon against something big enough to 'eat me'!

Mistered wrote:It might be a fun experiment but I would not rely on a single shot percussion smoothbore as a defensive weapon against something big enough to 'eat me'!

amen .... for me such a concept would be a curiosity .... one that might prove to be fun to play with .... I have both hand and long guns that I wouldn't hesitate to take into territory where dangerous game may be found .... none would be single shots, none would be black powder, none would be percussion, none would be smooth bore ...

JEBar wrote:

Mistered wrote:It might be a fun experiment but I would not rely on a single shot percussion smoothbore as a defensive weapon against something big enough to 'eat me'!

amen .... for me such a concept would be a curiosity .... one that might prove to be fun to play with .... I have both hand and long guns that I wouldn't hesitate to take into territory where dangerous game may be found .... none would be single shots, none would be black powder, none would be percussion, none would be smooth bore ...

Idk, in old colonial Africa and India single and double shot smoothbore bp pistols were often used as ballistic kitty spray. I'm not in Africa, so this is just me scratching the howdah pistol itch, but something tells me a 28ga load of buck and ball would help in a pinch.

Mistered wrote:

In theory it could even be threaded for chokes

The barrel would have to be bored pretty thin to be able to accommodate a threaded choke. This might compromise safety if it cannot be properly tested. I would not bore a rifled barrel any larger than just removal of the rifling to make it a smoothbore. It might be a fun experiment but I would not rely on a single shot percussion smoothbore as a defensive weapon against something big enough to 'eat me'!

I was thinking of going to 28ga, just a slight step above .50.