Rifle Chamber Questions

[Tidesloe]

OK, if you are considering just re-barreling it, trying to hand ream it a touch isn't going to make things worse.
I am surprised the gunsmith didn't offer to make it right if the Go/no-go gauges don't work right. Have you shown the fired cases to him?

Yes, I've sent fired cases and the barrel to him. Honestly don't know if he even looked at it. He was already hot around the collar and told me he didn't want to touch it. Wouldn't do any warranty work on wildcats, is what he told me. His partner told me to send it in and he'd look at it. Pretty sure they did nothing with it.
I think it would take cutting it back enough to clean up all the neck also. Necks have the same ridges in it

 

[tim_w]

A gunsmith that was more than happy to take your money then after the fact does not want to guarantee THEIR OWN work is not right. There is a difference between their work and the function of the wildcatt. The latter is not their responsibility but the former most certainly is. Unless he was instructed or prearranged to, he did not even hit the go guage spec but was short.

Maybe a smith on here would be willing to check out it out for a fee. Correct if possible i.e. cutting back a few threads and shoulder to clean up the chamber. What concerns me is tge combo of case growth/shoulder bump needed with your comparator shoulder bushing not sitting square/flush on the shoulder (uneven shoulder). Wavy neck as long as there is enough clearance and inside is smooth after sizing would not ge much of an issue if at all to performance. But tge way you describe the shoulder not so much..

 

[Tidesloe]

A gunsmith that was more than happy to take your money then after the fact does not want to guarantee THEIR OWN work is not right. There is a difference between their work and the function of the wildcatt. The latter is not their responsibility but the former most certainly is. Unless he was instructed or prearranged to, he did not even hit the go guage spec but was short.

Maybe a smith on here would be willing to check out it out for a fee. Correct if possible i.e. cutting back a few threads and shoulder to clean up the chamber. What concerns me is tge combo of case growth/shoulder bump needed with your comparator shoulder bushing not sitting square/flush on the shoulder (uneven shoulder). Wavy neck as long as there is enough clearance and inside is smooth after sizing would not ge much of an issue if at all to performance. But tge way you describe the shoulder not so much..

The shoulder is just like the neck. The headspace gauge contacts it all the way around but only in spots. It seems to be about like the high and low spots in the neck.
After discovering how well it shoots the Bergers, I might just put the rock chucker back to use, solve the die camming problem, and continue with testing and then load development and keep an eye on my brass for problems. I might even try another sizer die to see if that changes things at all.
I agree with you on the gunsmith, and I've since taken my business elsewhere.

 

[Kmccord]

Sounds like you would be better off purchasing a Pre-fit barrel for your action. The other option is sending it to another smith and having him set it back and re-chamber. To set it up to not work on a Go-Gauge is odd if not totally stupid to start with, if you decide to go Pre-fit, I would suggest Preferred Barrel Blanks, they have done me very well and they back up what they produce. I really hate to hear about someone claiming to be a smith and not delivering it to a Go-Gauge spec.

 

[tim_w]

The shoulder is just like the neck. The headspace gauge contacts it all the way around but only in spots. It seems to be about like the high and low spots in the neck.
After discovering how well it shoots the Bergers, I might just put the rock chucker back to use, solve the die camming problem, and continue with testing and then load development and keep an eye on my brass for problems. I might even try another sizer die to see if that changes things at all.
I agree with you on the gunsmith, and I've since taken my business elsewhere.

Glad you are able to keep using the barrel. Maybe a new die from Sherman will address it. You should be able to get a tuned load with those 250 EH to ½ moa given tge current size of the ladder.

Good luck

 

[Nimrod]

This is exactly what I think has happened, but haven't heard if it's even possible. I have heard that a reamer can't cut anything other than a perfectly round hole, but I'm really not too sure if that is necessarily always true.

Rest assured that reamers can do all sorts of strange things, piloted reamers aren't quite as bad as a standard chucking reamer would be but they can sure cut some funny holes. The biggest variable being the guy who is running the reamer. I retired last October but spent many years as a machinist/toolmaker and spent the last 10 or 11 years making close tolerance holes for a living. I also did a lot of gunsmith work for myself and at a local shop and have seen many imperfect chambers. A year and a half or so ago I bought a Christensen Arms Ridgeline in 6.5 PRC that the chamber was so bad in it wouldn't even extract a fired case (factory Norma ammo). I was able to clean the chamber up with a 6.5 PRC AW2 reamer but I learned 2 things, first, it was obviously not test fired at the factory and 2, I'll never own another one.

 

[bigngreen]

Sounds like reamer chatter, the reamers can cut ridged holes. I've had it happen a couple times, it's very hard to repair, some guys wrap the reamer in wax paper to support it till it cuts the ridges off, I've done that and it worked I've also just drove the reamer hard and got under the chatter and cut it out. Too sharp of a reamer seems to be a cause, I rub a penny on the flutes when new and a loose bushing combine with not perfect set up can start it also.
You can't see it in a chamber but you'll see ot clear as day when you check your chamber with an indicator in a lathe. You'll feel and hear it if you have your hands on things.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

....and the gunsmith is???? Knowing this information and the folks that may/may not use them after this kind of shabby work may have him thinking about a career change. Gunsmiths survive by their quality work and by reputation.

I know you probably don't want to put anyone on blast, but clearly they are not doing quality work. It's not lawn maintenance, it's explosives near your face.

I know these guys won't be getting any of my work.

 

[Tidesloe]

Sounds like reamer chatter, the reamers can cut ridged holes. I've had it happen a couple times, it's very hard to repair, some guys wrap the reamer in wax paper to support it till it cuts the ridges off, I've done that and it worked I've also just drove the reamer hard and got under the chatter and cut it out. Too sharp of a reamer seems to be a cause, I rub a penny on the flutes when new and a loose bushing combine with not perfect set up can start it also.
You can't see it in a chamber but you'll see ot clear as day when you check your chamber with an indicator in a lathe. You'll feel and hear it if you have your hands on things.

Hmm, so it sounds like what I think may have happened sure could have potentially happened. Sounds like it's potentially repairable?

 

[Tidesloe]

....and the gunsmith is???? Knowing this information and the folks that may/may not use them after this kind of shabby work may have him thinking about a career change. Gunsmiths survive by their quality work and by reputation.

I know you probably don't want to put anyone on blast, but clearly they are not doing quality work. It's not lawn maintenance, it's explosives near your face.

I know these guys won't be getting any of my work.

I agree with you, but I'm not ready to do that just yet. I've had very good work done by him. Excellent work. I think he got overwhelmed honestly and started making mistakes and pretty sure he tried to train someone else to chamber barrels, and maybe cut them loose and shouldn't have so soon. Regardless his response to the pressure wasn't good, but I think things are turning around with new management in place. I'm pretty sure everyone that does what we do has heard all the "talk", and know who it is. I'm not giving him a pass, and I've got 2 other projects elsewhere at the moment, but I might see if he can repair this one.

 

[Tidesloe]

Glad you are able to keep using the barrel. Maybe a new die from Sherman will address it. You should be able to get a tuned load with those 250 EH to ½ moa given tge current size of the ladder.

Good luck

Maybe I'll PM you, since you've got one and talk about this cartridge a little more

 

[Tidesloe]

Sounds like you would be better off purchasing a Pre-fit barrel for your action. The other option is sending it to another smith and having him set it back and re-chamber. To set it up to not work on a Go-Gauge is odd if not totally stupid to start with, if you decide to go Pre-fit, I would suggest Preferred Barrel Blanks, they have done me very well and they back up what they produce. I really hate to hear about someone claiming to be a smith and not delivering it to a Go-Gauge spec.

I got a other idea. If you know someone with a lathe, and if you have the ability to remove the barrel, then chuck the barrel in the lathe and indicate off the bore that hasn't been cut, right in front of the leade to center up the bore. Then you can measure the concentricity of the chamber to see if you can detect the waviness that you suspect.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone with a lathe

 

[Shane Lindsey]

I agree with you, but I'm not ready to do that just yet. I've had very good work done by him. Excellent work. I think he got overwhelmed honestly and started making mistakes and pretty sure he tried to train someone else to chamber barrels, and maybe cut them loose and shouldn't have so soon. Regardless his response to the pressure wasn't good, but I think things are turning around with new management in place. I'm pretty sure everyone that does what we do has heard all the "talk", and know who it is. I'm not giving him a pass, and I've got 2 other projects elsewhere at the moment, but I might see if he can repair this one.

We've talked, just thought others would benefit.

People make mistakes, it's what we do after that makes us good people.

FWIW, I had a GS tell me that after an earthquake, they had to do another barrel job. Apparently they test levels, gauge, blah, blah (I no nothing about gunsmithing) on their equipment regularly. This time there had been an earthquake and the did not test and it cost them a new barrel.

Based on my dealings/conversation with a barrel maker that did a pre-fit for me, I would think long and hard about giving them my business. At least yours allowed you to send it back to them, mine would not.