My 16 bore muzzle-loader J.C. Reilly SN 5512 arrived today. It's 1847 with both the 316 High Holborn and 502 New Oxford Street addresses on the rib as pointed out in the Reilly line.




The barrel exteriors are not nearly so pitted as the photos make it appear. The action is very crisp, the hammers snap like mouse-traps. This is going to be my only "project gun" so I'll be asking some questions.

-- I want to recondition the stock. The wood looks really interesting. The checkering is almost worn off. I'll redo the finish following the internet but how do you redo the checkering?
-- For starters, how do I check out the bores of a muzzleloader? I've beamed a military rifle light down them....they look decent. But how to know? How do you clean a muzzle loader to start with? I want to shoot this gun but 170 year old barrels need examination. Who do you recommend?
-- And....can I rebrown these barrels myself or do they need to be sent out and checked out? To whom?

I can point you to the correct chap to re-cut your flat top checkering. You may be surprised what a cleaning will do for it. Raw linseed oil can do wonders. Beyond a bore light or scope the breech plugs need to be removed to get a good view of the bore condition. Blackpowder is water soluble so the best way to clean the bores ends up being a good scrubbing with soap and water followed by oiling the bores. I would not attempt to re-brown your barrels yourself without lots of practice on scrap tubes. It takes a fair bit of trail and error to get the browning process down correctly. Drop me a note for more info on both the stock refresh and the barrel browning. I just cleaned up a nearly black stock full of oxidized oil and dirt with pretty much zero abrasive paper. The gun now has a nice old rich glow to it and wood looks great. Most likely the best route for your gun as trying to make it look new would look "off". Best regards,
Steve

Nice looking gun....

Its quite sad that after 170 years it has crossed paths with a shade tree gunsmurfer.

I bet ol'Reilly is rolling over in his grave about now.

the only smurf posting on this thread is you Smurfette.

A made in China borescope costs peanuts these days. Plugs into your cell phone.
Like magic for examining a muzzle loader bore.
Can be ordered from eBay or Amazon.

Stevie pie pOooo

My reply was not to you nor did it have anything to do with you.

But since you chimed in...

He could send it you a gun farmer like you.

You have nothing to contribute to this board as usual frAnk.....just another no nothing blow hard is what you are.

Says the gun farming smurf...



Rumor is the more work you do for members of this forum the less your credibility as a gunsmith becomes.

You are the only Smurf here Smurfette.....

You trashed another thread Stevie...

You're like a little punk kid Stevie

No that was you frAnk and I am sure Wills will be along soon to back you up. You are a sad and pathetic individual Frank who has nothing to contribute. Nothing new there.

You would know a punk....takes one to know one they say.

If my original post here saves this fine gun from amateur hands...mission accomplished.

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

Better go back and check my edits Stevie

That is why I quote you....you are completely dishonest. My quotes of your posts tell the story. No need to re-write it from my point of view. You have no integrity and anyone who has been following your posts knows that about you frAnk.

I made one reply and you've attacked me 6 times....

Go for it buddy you're the one looking like a fOOl...

Frank, you are Amazing!!! How do you do it!!!??? How do you manage to check every West-Tennessee-stereotype box every tine you open your mouth?? Every one of them!! That is talent! . Alabamians have known about this forever - now the world understands.

I won't mess this gun up. I really like it. If push comes to shove I'll send it out to a pro.

Here's a good one Stevie in case you missed it.

Gene,
this is the stock I was referring to that is currently in process. Cleaned well, some slight damage repaired, red oil reapplied and a linseed oiled top coat currently being applied.

Before:



In process:



it will get a new pad as well.

If you are going to shoot it, I highly recommend you have an experienced muzzleloader gunsmith remove the breechplugs and clean up around the flash holes and blowout plugs as well as scrub out the barrels, especially the powder chambers and the area just in front of them. You can never tell what unwanted material has built up in these areas. I would also replace the nipples to insure a good fit for modern caps. I like to use an extremely thin steel wire to make sure the hole in the blowout plugs is clean, but only the experts here can tell you if this is necessary.

my vote is to leave it alone and preserve it as found...

stan and others, what say you?

argo, knowing that you like french guns, thought you would like this link:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/818363082

Interesting: Looks like Berthon Bourlier Frères in Saint Etienne - Arquebusier existed from 1753 to 1831. The company is also identified as Berthon Bourlier Et Fils Aine, St. Etienne, France. (Fils Aine = oldest son). Can't find much more. The rib says "C Gordu Berthon Bourlier".....Claude Berthon Bourlier died in 1831 as mentioned above. That might be the "C." The gun is clearly much older that 1861....1820's?

Can't identify the Brussels Arquebusier H. Manglot. Why it's got two gun makers' names on it is a mystery. Perhaps Manglot marketed the gun?

On the Reilly 5512, looking at it further I'll definitely need a professional familiar with muzzle loaders to look at the barrels and nipples. Recommendation? The stock is not too bad....I'll try Steve's Linseed oil and see what happens.

I got a small flashlight, the size of 1/2 a AAA battery, stuck some opaque plastic over the lens and slid it down the bore facing toward the muzzle..
Gives not a bad initial look.
As others have said the cheap borescope type things you can send down the bore work well too.
Make sure you get one with an angled mirror attachment to get a good look sideways as it goes down.
Be warned, looking through these makes things look far worse than they probably would to the naked eye.

Mines certainly got some pitting here and there, but the breech area was pretty good. Bear in mind you have one pit each side that goes clean through the barrel :-)
I shoot mine with conservative loads of Swiss 2F without issue, but that's a call you have to make.
There's some good info on original muzzle-loaders here:
http://www.cablesfarm.co.uk/a-beginners-...ders/#more-1630

GDU

The resident gunsmith, Willie Boitnott, during the NMLRA National Matches during the '80s at friendship, IN, used tiny round mirrors, which were highly polished pieces of polished steel, as I recall. He would drop one the right size down the bore until it rested on the breech, then shine a light down the bore and view it. I got him to check the bores on a 16 bore Powell for me, in about 1985, before buying it.

The above method of dropping a tiny flashlight down against the breech will not allow you to view the very bottom of the chamber area, which in many cases is the most deteriorated area of a muzzleloader bore. The length of the flashlight area of the breech cannot be seen.

SRH

or...remove nipples and attach a fiber optics adapter to a flashlight...

https://www.amazon.com/Beamguide-Fiber-A...8CTR49F062KFQH7

I've examined the bores as best I can without a bore light and they don't look bad at all. But here are some condition problems I'll be facing:

Pitting on the outside underside of the left barrel:


Rust deposit on the left forearm area...and is that replacement wood there? I thought this bit of rust corresponded with the pitting above but it's a good inch more towards the chamber.



Dent in front left barrel...this looks new - wonder if it was done in shipping?


Chip on right side of fore arm:



Possible small crack on left side of forearm?


Checkering is pretty worn...this from the stock grip:


A small area of corrosion on the outside breech area of the top left barrel:

Nipples are solid, not blocked but look like they have not been taken out in years..I can just imagine stripping one of them. I remember breaking off a screw extractor trying to get the points off a 1967 Triump TT Special - that wasn't fun.


And I don't understand the wood screw on the tip of the ramrod.


I'm going to have to have a barrel guy look at this if I'm going to shoot it. Recommendations welcome.

The screw will let you disassemble a load that has not been fired.

If you use linseed oil for perking up the wood, make sure it is RAW linseed oil, not boiled linseed oil.

The videos on-line all are using boiled linseed oil. What's the difference?

The stock is not too bad...a few dings and scratches which give it character. Looks like someone put a coat of varnish on it though>

Raw linseed will not harden. You use it to clean the wood with along with some 0000 steel wool. The checkering can be cleaned with a mild solution of Murphy's oil soap and warm water along with and old toothbrushh. Boiled linseed has dryers added to it and is not what you want to use while cleaning.

so much for preservation as found, i guess...

It's a wad puller for unloading the gun.

I was at Friendship just last month. Still have a fair turnout there these days. But it rained both weekends and that hurt the marginal visitors. But you could buy whatever you wanted or needed with no crowds. I had the nipples replaced on my 20 bore double. Gun checked out amazingly well. Kept the ones which came with it but I’m sure they are not original 180 years tends to see a lot of parts replaced. Friendship is about an hour from me and is always worth a visit each year.

Wonderful place to be immersed in the whole world of m/loading. I really enjoyed my trips there. I had to camp on site, use the public showers and toilets. Took the wife and two young boys and we all had a big time. One year there was a horrendous drought in that area and the public showers were closed down. We rigged up private "showers" with the water we got from the potable water trailers they would bring by every morning. We learned to shower, including a shampoo, with one gallon of water each. I don't think "Queen" would go for that now.

Gunmaker's Hall was one of my favorite places to hang out. You could meet and visit with celebrities in the m/l world there. Greats like John Bivins, Herschel House, Lynton McKenzie, Lew Sanchez, Bob Watts. Old great competitors like Doc Valentine, Max Vickery, and so many others. I really miss those times. But, such a long drive from down he'ah.

SRH

A door closes and another one opens. Unless you could screw up the courage to ask Queenie.......

Good luck with an insurance claim....after seeing better pictures I take back everything good I said about the gun.

You got you a JACBG bud...

The dent in the muzzle is a very easy fix.