I love the old falling blocks and levers with octagon barrels and my first squirrel gun was a Winchester 1890. I love the old Sharps and Winchesters.

I was just wondering if anyone has ever seen a bolt with a tapered octagon. I am afraid that on a bolt, it has the potential to look like a wooden knob on the space shuttle.

Whaddya think?

I got a mauser recently with an octagon barrel. It looks ok. The area over the chamber is larger than another I saw and that one looked better than mine.

A problem with octagon barrels is that if the barrel is bumped on something its easier to put a ding in it on that sharp corner. If it were round it would not ding as easy.

Here's one just finished. I would say it's at least worthy of shooting rats at the dump with.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...owflat/Number/3041902/page/1#Post3041902

Actually it's a very beautiful rifle. I like the idea but understand this. An octagon barrel will add considerable weight to the rifle.

Terry

Perfect for shooting from crossed sticks at distant tatonka

They are very pretty;from a functional standpoint, I don't know what they do....

My 1895 45-70 has an octagon barrel, the extra weight makes it steady and absorb recoil, plus if I run out of bullets an need to wack some critter over the head it will do the job better (grin)

zeN: Geeez........I had not thought of that....

I once bought a very nice-looking, lightweight .270 Mauser that was customized either in Europe, or in the US by an immigrant European gunsmith.

Besides the schnobel stock, etc, it sported a 24" tapered octagon barrel with an integral quarter-rib at the rear !

It was lighter than a comparably-sized round barrel, because only the wide corners/edges were of the same radius/size/diameter as a round barrel - the tapered flats were of a significantly smaller radius/barrel diameter.

The rifle was used, and had some handling marks showing that use - but zero issues with edge wear on it's barrel.
Perhaps no one had used it to part brush with.....yet.

.

I've always' been partial to the half octagon half round look myself.

Terry

Here is a photo of M1 Tankers rifle showing the area over the chamber. Note that the start of the octagon flats over the chamber have an attractive more gradual angle to them than the ones on my rifle. They also start much sooner and the round part of the barrel over M1's chamber is shorter than mine and better looking.



The diameter of my 22" octagon barrel at the muzzle is .555" which is about the same as the round barrel on a pre 64 M70 Featherweight. On the high diameter this octagon barrel is .595". I am quite proud of my rifle and embarressed over the poor pictures that I have of it so far. Something that I will work on but not today.

Here is a picture of my current project. Model 70 classic in 270, McMillan Feather weight (take off from a winlite feather weight blind magazine). Had the factory barrel cut down to 22" and the barrel CNC to octagon by CNC Barrel Works.

I have a tapered octagon on a 35 Whelen, Enfield action and a laminated walnut/maple stock with a ebony grip cap and ebony forend. Nothing traditional about the rifle. It is heavy but you need that for the recoil. Eventually I'll probably replace the laminated stock but for elk hunting in our wet weather, it is what I need to prevent stock warping while keeping the weight up for the recoil.

i like them. i had a savage 110 in 25-06 which i sold because of family problems. i have one a 275 rigby on a montana action, 375 imp. on a sako, a dual stepped lilja in 270 win on a remington 700 and currently working on a stock for a ruger #1 with one in 257 imp.

My octagon barrel is not heavy.

Butch

My custom rifle shown above is lighter then my factory M70 Featherweight 6.5x55. If an octagon barrel is done right it wont be any heavier than a standard contour.

An octagon barrel will always be heavier than a non octagon barrel of the same contour. You can always save weight by reducing the size but then you're comparing different contour barrels. Square sides adds weight. Sorry if that steps on anyones toes.

I just had one done that's down right petite.

Terry

To my eye an octagon to round with the break point at the forearm tip is a beautiful thing. I have seen a model M Oberndorf(African) with a shortened fore end and the transition was done so that there was no gradual running out of the flat onto the round but a tiny grove turned to just touch the centre of the flats then a convex bead ( to the height of the octagonal points) then to the round. That may not convey just how attractive it was but it really set the rifle off.

Von Gruff.

This is the half octagon version.

Butch

I like that look myself. Here is one of my octagon to round rifles.



Terry

They're all mighty fine rifles! That completely eases my apprehensions.

Here's what I'm dream building.
Commercial Mauser action, campfire modified, 35 Whelen, Timney trigger, 22 inch blued octagon, 1:14. Set up in a laminate gray camo, modern classic or maybe even a buffalo gun inspired stock.
Net un-scoped weight around 8 lbs.

I love the octagons, but a critical factor is the length of the cylindrical shank at the chamber end.

Most gunsmiths - in the US - make them too long. They do this so they can grab them with a common barrel vise.

To look "right" (to me anyway) the cylindrical portion needs to be short (look at the classic European octagons). This requires making shims for your barrel vise or casting bushings out of bedding compound, but it's worth the extra effort to me.

Here's one on a 7mm Mauser.



And I'm putting another in 30-06 on a 1909 next.

That is a beauty Chris.
Butch

Does any one do these barrels for under 2K, if you supply the blank?

I gots me a couple. One on a Ruger #1 another on an Encore.







ML

I think Lothar walther has a good price on this type of barrel. PM ButchLambert1 and ask him. He know's the details.

Terry

Thank you for the reply. I'm in need of one in .223 for a .22 Lr Springfield 1922. I've had quotes around 3K. Far to rich for my blood. I will PM Butch. I've got a fantastic Myrtle wood stock that looks like marble cake French. I'm only a barrel away from finishing this long winded project.

here is some info on Walthers http://www.lothar-walther.com/278.php

Got my quote from Woody, looks like 1.5 K for that same barrel.

Thank you Terry and Butch.

That's less than I would have thought... good news.

For what it is worth, I know one guy with one of these barrels on a Mauser and it shoots well under one MOA.

Looks neat too!

John

What to my eye is the nicest part octagonal to round with full length rib. The transition into a wedding band at the departure point of the octagonal to round. When you have the completed rifle in hand and send it off to the engraver for two gold rings on the wedding band (one on either end, with a space between the two).

For me nothing else competes, for looks.

I'll see if I can take photos of a friends sako vixen with octo to round, with full length rib, rear 2 leaf, front short ramp and ivory bead. A Flaigs gun from PA in the 60's, possibly the finest tiny stalking rifle I've seen. Its in .222 mag also. Just a gorgeous gun.

Octagon barrels add class to a rifle, and I like the looks of them. Same with color case hardening on "selected" parts of the rifle. Also, some Roger Kehr engraving adds MUCH to enhance a rifle's beauty.
As long as the complete rifle looks good, I'm all for it.
Mark Stratton, and I believe James Anderson too, do some awesome octagon barrel work. I can drool over the above stuff all day long..

Don

http://www.montanarifleman.com/barreltechinfo.htm

Montana Rifleman shows an octagonal barrel as part of their inventory options at a reasonable price. I have heard that they're pretty good barrels but have no personal experience with them.

[quote=3sixbits]What to my eye is the nicest part octagonal to round with full length rib. The transition into a wedding band at the departure point of the octagonal to round.


Thanks 3sixbits that is what I was trying to describe on my earlier post.I have seen just the one like that and it was a stunner. The 'wedding band'is quite mild convex and if the band is backed up against the fore end tip it is spectacular.

Von Gruff.

The added weight is to increase physical fitness while hunting since you are away from the treadmill.

I have and 8X57 like you describe, looks much like the barrel on Terry's rifled pictured here. Once you get a taste for rifles like that, you had better have real deep pockets. It means going from a tap water budget to something a little more costly than Mad Dog 20-20.

Another alternative would be to buy an old guild gun with a nice looking barrel on it then Have it re-bored like you want it. The one you see in the above picture I paid $250 for and sent it over to Jim Duball and had it re-bored from a 8X57J to a .338-06.

Here is another one I bought and did the same thing too. It's a .260 Remington now. I hope to get it stocked soon.

Terry

Here's another angle. This is a 30-06.

New_Guy's 1909 with the octagon barrel is great art! A rifeman's art.

Terry, who did the integral bases on the Springfield for you?

"Find on old guild rifle"? For 250.00. Man that's been awhile.

I have several and thought about it. But I don't think it will work from a Mauser tenon and thread to a Springfield and putting a liner for a .22rf. I am not going to tear apart a fine old rifle for a sacrificial barrel. But I did think about it, a lot.

I even considered having a cnc program written for it and doing it on a mill. The cost for that gets scary.

The other thing I like, is the swivel on the barrel mount milled into the barrel, not silver soldered on.

All in All, I think the Lothar Walther barrels are a deal, I guy just needs to save his milk money a little longer. The other option, sell some of he stuff that never sees the light of day.

With a wedding band added at the transition, well for me, it just doesn't get better than that. Vary rare to find any rifle like that.

A fellow named David Christman did those. He's an amazing gunsmith.

That's a 1936 Mexican smallring M98. Notice the huge gas hole on the left side of the receiver isn't there anymore!

Terry

That's magnificent!!
Amen on David Christman. He's the best kept secret of outstanding gunsmithing today!

Don

lilja & wind river will do octagons a lot cheaper than most of the other barrel makers. lilja charges an extra $165 & wind river's octagon barrels start at $325 installed. i have a wind river 6.5x55 on a rifle & a lilja octagon blank that i got dirt cheap thats waiting on the right project. the the finish on the flats is actually better on the cheaper wind river than the lilja but i would imagine the barrel quality on the lilja is better because i don't think wind river could do their barrels at that price if they used a premium barrel blank.

i also agree with new guy on the shanks, i like them short & i've seen way to many of them about 1" long that i think ruiend the look of the rifle

Just a little too square.

I bought one Wind River blank before they moved south. For the money they are decent blanks. Just don't put your Hawkeye bore scope down the bore and you won't feel bad about the barrel.

On the other hand I have barrels from Lilja (in the dozens) and every one looks as clean, reamer marks free as any top barrel maker.

But if you want to put your money in the vary best then go with a blank from Boughton barrels. Lots of folks will mill your blank for Octagonal, cheaper than Lilja. A guy that does more octagonal barrel mounting than anyone else, is John King.

Here is a light countour 7x57 I think it looks nice.



Obviously a work in progress

Michael J

... and a stunning one at that!

WOW.

Green with envy.