• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Gunsmithing carbide finishing reamer

skeetlee

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 13, 2008
1,564
33
49
Central Illinois
What are your thoughts on a carbide finishing reamer? I have a carbide roughing reamer that I sometimes use and I really like it. I am thinking I might order a new finisher in carbide? Anyone here using one? Lee
 
Love'em

All my popular calibers are now carbide. Working on having the others changed over as well.

Now I probably won't get one off's or real odd ball ones done because they'll probably be lucky to be used once a year.
 
Gotcha, so not too much different than HSS. Do you like them so much because of a better finish or just longevity?

Ive always wanted to try a reverse spiral fluted reamer but just havent gotten the balls to do it yet. I feel like chip evacuation would be great with a flushing system with one of those.
 
Your feed rate is faster with carbide. That and the oil grooves in the pilots (PTG anyway) allow more fluid to flow around the reamer.

All in all you get a better end result with more productivity in the shop. Win win!
 
I use the PTG oil groove carbide. The bore scope shows better finish in the throats over HSS.
 
Would any of you have pictures of your oil flush systems? I want to build one but not sure where to start. I'm still using a squirt bottle. It takes forever since I can only cut around .100 per cut the I have to blow the chips off, run a patch down the barrel and squirt a generous amount of fluid on the reamer and in the bore. Any advice would be great.