Another question about my Potsdam

kotkinjs1

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Joined
May 25, 2017
Hi again, received my Potsdam project musket yesterday. It's a bit more 'project' than I anticipated. Aside from a few cracks on the stock outwards from the butcap and below from the rear of the trigger guard (the butcap cracks seem to be fairly common on Potsdams for some reason, at least from photos I've seen on the web? Maybe they came from overtightening the screws?) and the obvious reoiling issue - it's very dry old wood that's been stripped - it also has a slight bend to the barrel. Almost unnoticeable when looking from the side or at least from a wall-hanging distance but obvious when looking down the barrel.

I've roughly highlighted the curve via powerpoint below. Seems to be greatest near enough the middle band.

So, the question is.....straightening this puppy. I think maybe removing the barrel from the stock (obviously), putting it in a padded vice, curve up, locked in a little behind the bend, then carefully yet forcefully bending in the opposite way....and resecuring the vice slightly ahead a few inches, rinse and repeat a few times until I've worked through the bend? I could probably check my work with a jerry rigged 'straightener gauge' via a length of round stock slightly smaller in diameter than the barrel about 8 inches long to see if there's any remaining bend left?

potsdam curve.jpg
 
Chances are the stock has warped to the bend in the barrel, so unless you plan to shoot it, and want to try to bend the stock as well, I think you would be better served by leaving it be. If you want to shoot it you would be better off sending the barrel to Bob Hoyt and having him straighten it and sleeve the bore.
 
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I also was thinking about the stock as well, that over time it warped itself to match the barrel. I'll have to look at it closely this weekend. No plans to shoot it but I hate the idea of owning an unserviceable arm lol.

I wonder, if the stock is slightly warped if steaming it would be a reasonable solution. Especially since it's so dry looking. I've got my wife's steam iron I could commandeer or I've heard of people making a large one out of some PVC pipe and kettle.
 
Here is a link to a great article that shows an old fellow straightening a barrel by hand.

http://www.armscollectors.com/darra/darra.htm

In this 1962 article, the writer William B. Edwards describes a visit to Darra, Afghanistan, where the villagers used hand tools and old railroad iron to make copies of guns ranging from the Model 1853 Enfield to copies of modern automatic arms.
Edward reports among other interesting things "I have seen two pocket Model 1849 Colt revolvers, rudely but serviceably done, winsomely stamped ADDDRESSS COL. SSAML NEW NEW AMERICA, (as near as I can recall) with some of the S's lying on their side"
This article was posted to explain some of the strange variations of old arms brought back to this country by returning service members who bought "antique" in some Afghan market.
Here is that link:
 
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