Originally Posted By: Joe Wood
Originally Posted By: cadet
Anything I should look out for beyond the usual wall thickness, proof, tightness etc caveats?


There is one thing I'd suggest you consider based on the two I have. There is very little metal in the action bar due to being a single barrel. And the steel in these is usually pretty soft. As a result heavy loads can stretch the action easier than on a double. My little 16 has been particularly suseptible to this problem so I'm holding my loads to no more than 7/8 oz. But it's old.....(even older than me--Whew!)


The guns were proofed at 1oz and 7/8oz is the load they were designed shoot day in day out. However as I remember the problem with Joe's gun was that the action needed to be hardened. Joe argued with me that it never had been case hardened and I argued that it had and had been anneled because the forend iron was hardened. As I remember it the gunsmith thought the action needed to be hardened too. I shot many 1oz loads through my Birmy sixteen singleshot before switching to 7/8oz blackpowder. I have had no trouble with mine going loose or off face.

Best,

Mike

Last edited by AmarilloMike; 03/12/12 09:49 AM.

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