I have a barrel that I am replacing or I should say upgrading that has about 1500 rounds through it, still a great shooter and shows very little throat errosion. My question is could I rent a reamer and give it a couple of turns with a T handle(by hand) just enough to take a few thousands off and "freshen" up the barrel before i install it on my back up rifle. This is a 6.5 CM barrel that is a savage style threaded prefit. I'm thinking with the ability to just re-headspace the barrel on the other action (yes I have gauges) this should be fine but I don't know enough about the dimensions to know if this will work or not. Any one actually done this or have enough gunsmithing know how to coherently comment?
Hand ream finish/touch up a used barrel?
- Thread starter LR51
- Start date
I don’t think that would accomplish anything. If the barrel shoots well and a erosion isn’t bad, why mess with it?
I realize that but if this extends the life to another 1500 on it and I dont have to touch it again after setting it the $40 reamer rental seems worth it. I also know lots of the pro's hand finish their barrels by "scratching in" that last few hundred thou so just an idea. As I stated, looking for actual knowledge from those who have or those who know.
The chamber doesn’t wear out. It’s the throat ahead that the reamer doesn’t touch.
You’ll have to go more than just a couple thou to make a noteable gain in life on that barrel.
You’ll have to go more than just a couple thou to make a noteable gain in life on that barrel.
Ok, again looking for actual information. Don't need 100 answers of "Don't do it" Unless you have a reason, i.e. you have done it in the past with poor results. If you have no knowledge you are just wasting both of our time.
I'll just say this, I've fucked up alot of perfectly good expensive stuff trying to make it "better ".
Yeah I understand that the cut is not in the throat, its the shoulder/body area that would need to set forward but every pass you take moves the "body" further into the eroded area. Not sure on how much that needs to be. I know most "set back" barrels take an inch off but I thought that was just to get a good solid full rechamber. Not really needed here even a few thou is going to reduce the erosion.
Well that's fair, that's why I'm asking BEFORE trying. But I do have fair knowledge of the task at hand. I don't have my lathe any longer but have used one in the past. That was before I got into the rifle game and never did any chambering on it.
You can do it, it will work. The two things to consider before you take it on is clearance from the breach face to bolt face, and how much extra clearance the bbl nut has. If there’s .020” (numbers are arbitrary you’ll have to figure out what you can do with the rifles you have) clearance from the bolt face you can deepen the chamber .01-.015” and reset headspace normally. You just have to keep it clean. If there’s only a few thousandths of space now you’ll have to shorten the tenon to match the depth you increase the chamber by. Best done with a lathe, but you could get by with hand tools if you were dead set on doing it.
Ok how bout this, sticking a reamer in a chamber with no rear support and attempting to cut the chamber deeper, is a bad idea.
The above is true. It may very well take a good shooting rifle with finely machined fits and finishes to built in a cave AK levels of slop and inaccuracy.
But, like I said before you can get it done with hand tools if you want. And if you’re careful about how you do it everything will work out fine.
But, like I said before you can get it done with hand tools if you want. And if you’re careful about how you do it everything will work out fine.
I appreciate a well thought out response. The tenon was the question I was most concerned about. Wasn't sure on these thread in (non shouldered) if it was as tight of a tolerance or if there was simply an overlap type action that allowed you to thread in and out and maintain headspace off the shoulder or not. Sounds like you're saying no that's not really the case if the chamber is deeper than it was originally cut.
I expect you'll find that distance varies by barrel maker. If you're shooting a custom/semicustom target action and barrel combo now, it's probably down in the .010" clearance range. If it's a "rack" grade gun it might be twice that to allow for hunters to fill it with crud and fouling without a failure.
I suppose you could cut the chamber deeper to the point where there's no clearance and it will still function safely. You just can't go the other way or you'll bulge or rupture an unsupported case.
I suppose you could cut the chamber deeper to the point where there's no clearance and it will still function safely. You just can't go the other way or you'll bulge or rupture an unsupported case.
I have done similar operations on Mauser 98's, just not for cleaning up erosion.
Sometimes I find a used barrel I want and the headspace is long. So I face off the breach and recut the shoulder to the nominal .625" (or whatever that receiver mics out to).
Then I rechamber the set back barrel to proper headspace.
Sometimes I find a used barrel I want and the headspace is long. So I face off the breach and recut the shoulder to the nominal .625" (or whatever that receiver mics out to).
Then I rechamber the set back barrel to proper headspace.
Would be going into a ARC Archimedes action so from what I have heard quite a tight tolerance action.
