Barrel boring

[junkman]

I have an old Traditons .50 cal side lock and I've been thinking about boring it out smooth so I can fire shot from it.What size bore can I safely go up to?And can I just go to a tool store Like prodution tool to get a reamer to do the job or should I send off somewhere to be done.

 

[cayuga]

A gun smith/barrel maker could best answer that as they will measure the remaining barrel material and know what kind of stress will be placed on it. They could then tell you the gauge they dare make and even some load recommendations probably.

I did have a barrel 1 inch on the flats that was a .62 (20 gauge) smoothbore. But whether the same could be done to your rifle, I can not (and will not) say.

 

[excess650]

You would be wise to send the barrel out to have it rebored. Factors that determine how large you can go are the outside dimension of the barrel, breech plug thread size, and depth of holes D&T, dovetails, etc.