.32 project....seeking input

Been day dreaming of a small caliber inline since I learned of the now unobtainable Green Mountain Squirrel rifle. I'm trying to decide on whether I should have an existing rifle sleeved or just make a new barrel on the DISC platform such as the 1:18 .45 that 52Bore posted several months back. While sleeving a rifle is looking like the cheaper option I'm concerned that the finished product will be obsurdly muzzle heavy and unnatural to shoulder. In contrast the blank could be turned down if making a replacement barrel and would likely help the balance of the rifle. Leaning towards having a DISC style barrel made but as of yet I haven't found a smith or machinist interested in the project. If anyone has any thoughts on the matter I'd appreciate the input.
-Chris

You and Me Both. I have been looking myself and trying to come up with something I want too. Contemplated using an H&R shotgun action in similar fashion to and SMI conversion but don't know anyone that will put a lug on a barrel for the H&R/NEF.

Here is one of the Sleeved Barrels that was done for one of our Members, Squeeze, on a Mountaineer. It shoots.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=23917&p=181108&hilit=mountaineer+to+.32+conversion#p181108

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=24325&p=184022&hilit=mountaineer+to+.32+conversion#p184022

I have yet to decide what Action I will use but am contemplating a similar build to his new .36 inline project using an Allen Inline that uses a #11 cap.

You can see the Allen inline here.

http://www.longrifles-pr.com/actions.shtml

I've seen the 32 .Mountaineer and spoke with the guy who built it (think his name was Colin). I was about to have him make me one until he said it'd take about a year due to his back log. Since i personally just want a shooter and not necessarily a work of art I've also considered just tapping a blank for a breech plug and copying the mounting lug from a break action such as a Traditions and welding it to the barrel. It'd work and probably balance well but I can already hear the jokes about putting that much into a rifle like a Buckstalker or Pursuit.

It could be done, but the lug will have to be compensated for a smaller barrel, Or it will be heavy. I went around and around for years with it myself. The mountaineer .32 is nice, BUT its a mountaineer plus a few pounds. It took me quite a while to find anyone who was even willing to try to make that, and I waited a while for Colins schedule for that one too. Thats just the way it is. Its either something like that, or something like the fast twist .36 I just built. The plunger action might be your best bet, and could be made a lot faster also. here is a thread on it http://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=26443

I thought about making a smokeless style conversion on a break action .35 whelen also. but bullet selection is pretty small for that route. It really depends what you want to do with the rifle, But really a .32 is a squirrel gun, and best for a patched roundball. It will have a bit deeper rifling (~.008) I have several .32 in a variety of styles, and to me, the benchmark is the old TC cherokee with its 1-30 twist. not finicky at all, and shoots well at many loads, where a slower twist will take a bit more load development, and have a favored sweet spot. (usually around the 22-25 grn charge area for a 1-48 twist, where the cherokee shoots nice with anything ive tried yet (from ~10 grns to 30))

Do either of you know if anybody is offering a .32 1:30 blank right now? I'm need to call Green Mountain and check, I haven't been able to find what I want on their website. Traditions told me initially that they would sell me a Crockett barrel in the white but I never could get a price out of them when I emailed back.... plus the twist is slower than I'd like.

If I end up doing the work myself (with the non-relining options) the milling operations and welding aren't a problem. The one issue I see is with the machining surrounding the breech plug, I suspect the job should be done on a lathe with a boring bar but I don't have access to this equipment. Drilling and tapping sounds simple enough but with the pressures involved it could be dangerous if the threads end up a bit sloppy.

That depends on what action you plan on using. for a sidelock, or plunger style Breech, the barrel and breech must both be fitted to seat timing of both the inner, and outer shoulders to mate simultaneously. with the octogons also timing into the seating if applicable. Usually a breech never comes off a factory gun, but many I have seen removed are not properly seated on even factory production guns. I just did a search for custom twist barrels, and most would not venture to anything custom, or outside standard catalog issue. One place I found that would pretty much make any twist or caliber (CUT RIFLING) Was http://www.thegunworks.com/ they got an allen action and set the barrel for me on the .36 build. Nice friendly couple, easy to get ahold of, and fast service (at least for me) . theres CVA new old stock .32 barrels for sale on e-bah auction sites usually. the tang, breech and bolster are usually harder to locate. and in the end, the plunger action will be cheaper to the point of a barreled action. be wary of any used muzzleloader barrels on the auction sites. theres many out there from people who thought they might try blackpowder, and never liked or learned to clean them after. Ive been stuck with my share of rusty tubes that way. the Allen action IS the breech for that style build, but there are a lot of different styles of breech. A break action is probably simplest, but then the barrel must also be fitted with the appropriate hinge lugs also. requiring barrel welding, and yet another set of challenges. you have to kind of decide what exactly you want to build.

Most barrels will be available tapped for most breech or action style you want (not always all), but both must be machined to correct seating timing. Usually done on a lathe, but some experienced guys can do it with just a vice and files and some good guages

Thanks for the link, looks like that solves my problem if I go the break action route. Making the lug for the barrel hinge and welding are not an issue.

Nice! Keep us posted on the build. theres a few small caliber guys here. and a custom build is always a good topic

After looking at several breech plug designs i have a friend bringing over a newer traditions with the accelerater breech plug so i can take some measurements. If it'll fit my pre-accelerater Buckstalker I may just go that route. If it shoots i may just do it again with something nicer.

Arrowhead http://smokelessmz.com/index.html just came out with a new smaller 9/16 O-D breech plug. Built specific for the smalller cal barrels http://dougsmessageboards.proboards.com/thread/17077/arrowhead-plug

That plug looks similar to the one used in the Traditions Thunderbolt about 10 years ago. I'm going to call on that blank tomorrow and see how in depth they'll get with their machining for the plug. I see that they offer a tapered barrel, may just go a bit longer than I first thought.