Brunswick Rifle Questions.

[frankx80]

I've got what i think is a brunswick rifle with it's bayonet.
My father gave me this as a restoration project (wallhanger), but it's got the wrong barrel with it.
The rifle is as far as i can tell a brunswick made by wilkinson, but the barrel seems to be from a percussion shotgun.
I've no idea which gun the barrel is from but it's a smooth bore, and the wall thickness tapers towards the muzzle and seems way too thin for a ball firing gun.
This barrel is sat in the stock so the gun could be displayed on a wall mount,
It's not fixed at all and it does not quite fit into the stock (the stock would need to be cut to fit the barrel properly).

I would like to change the barrel for a more suitable one and would like to be able to shoot it in the future but I'm unsure of the legal requirements.
I've even been thinking it would be a lovely place to start a ball reservoir airgun project, but the legal issues are the same i presume because it would need to be well over the airgun limit.

The problem is this,
If i change the barrel would it then be classed as a firearm rather than a curio, If so how do you go about aplying for an fac for a gun that doesn't legally exist untill you build it?.

Would i need an fac to purchase a barrel? Is the barrel considered the part which makes it a weapon?

Lots of questions I know but any advice would me much appreciated.:confused:

[Smokeless Coal]

I don't know the Brunswick but by all accounts it is an antique and if you do not intend to fire it can be held as such without a licence.

If you intend to fire it, then it would need to be licenced relative to the barrel, if smooth bore then as a shot gun under sec 2 if rifled then as a sec 1 firearm.

A muzzle loader barrel can be bought so long as it is not chambered for a cartridge. You might find something suitable from Track of the wolf. Along with a breech plug and drum. Import would be very hard though.

Would it still be an antique? Possibly you are after all just carrying out a restoration.

It's never going to be 100% original so perhaps it would be best put together as a firer. You would be hard pushed to get a .704 barrel so i would suggest take it down to .577.

[Smokeless Coal]

I'll add a bit more on here frank.

If you want to put it together as a firer, first get a variation on your FAC if you want to do it with a rifled barrel. If you have a SGC you are not limited by number so you could put it together as a smoothbore then have it proof tested.

I had a similar question because I want to build a wheellock. It can be done if you get the slot on your license first. you then build it then write it on as aquired then submit it for proof testing.

As I wrote earlier I'd do it for a smaller bore than original say .577 or even .44
Could then be a nice target gun.

Look here for a barrel.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(scbu4yitxbvl1i55tkqju03j))/categories/catList.aspx?catID=14

[Smokeless Coal]

Going by the list of your guns I would guess you don't have an FAC so perhaps you should consider putting it together with a dummy barrel and keeping it as a wall hanger.

http://www.ima-usa.com/product_info.php/cPath/29_164/products_id/922?osCsid=b0aae52d0777bc187c5ccde853aca692

Click on the pic should give you a bigger view

[Smokeless Coal]

You say its a wilkinson are you sure its not an enfield

http://aotw.org/weapons.php?weapon_id=6

http://www.sharpsburg-arsenal.com/Rifles___Muskets/F356_P-53_Enfield_by_Wilkinson/f356_p-53_enfield_by_wilkinson.html

[rockdrill]

IIRC correctly the Brunswick was a two-groove pattern rifling, with a special ball mould that cast a flanged ball so the flange mechanically engaged the rifling.

I would suspect there would be no legal implication in buying an original antique barrel and fitting it, although I would have thought the likelihood of finding one is somewhat slim. If any kind of reproduction barrel was fitted I would suspect that FAC conditions would apply.

[frankx80]

Thanks for all the advice, I think you're probably right that i rebuild it with a dummy barrel for now.
While i would love to shoot it that's a dream for the future rather than a plan for now.:)
I'm still reasonably sure it's a brunswick and it's engraved with the name wilkinson on the lock. Unfortunately it bears no date markings on the lock (I've not removed the lock plate to see if it is marked internally), I presume the date and proof markings would be on the barrel?
You're quite right that i don't currently hold an fac, It's on the list of things to do but i need to finish renovating my house first and I'll need to join my local shooting club as I've not shot properly for years.
I'll get some pics of the brunswick when I'm next in the loft and post them here, As i say I think i know what it is but I may well be wrong and would happily be corrected.:)