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?
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?