Threading a barrel without taking barrel off?

[J E Custom]

How does he do it?

I place the barrel in a lathe and center both ends using range rods to find the exact bore center on both ends. This way, all threads and the shoulder are centered, concentric and perpendicular to the bore center line. This way I can also fit the brake or suppressor threads to the barrel tenon for a near perfect fit (No thread slack).
Like everything else all threads are not created equal. Many factory barrel OD's are not concentric with the bore and this prevents bore to fixture misalignment.

I see many people using the piloted die nut and this can damage the bore at probably the most critical last couple of inches. Shoving something in the muzzle and then turning it is not a good idea (Just like cleaning a barrel from the muzzle end). Normally when this process is used, accuracy is poor and in order to save the barrel the threaded tenon and the damaged part of the muzzle has to be removed and re threaded.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Garry J]

The job he did with a file looks pretty good but the OD of the barrel is or may not be concentric to the bore. Threads need to be cut indicated to the bore. If you have a lathe with the bead long enough to put the barrel and receiver in a four jaw chuck and a center but then how do you indicate the bore. If the head of the lathe has a through bore big enough to put the receiver in then you can use soft jaws in the four jaw chuck with an ID tapper to match your barrel. Cut slow and at the last .005 to .010 recheck the bore to make sure nothing has moved before your final cut. I have recut some that had bullet strikes on the brake or Suppressor. You pay a lot to get a chamber parallel to the barrel so why put a corncob pushed on the end. You want that bullet to pass though what ever you put on that barrel with even pressures on all sides.

 

[Garry J]

Just so it shoot one hole when you are done!

 

[Blackhawk]

Well Blackhawk that is why your a tool and die makers and I'm a master gunsmith. I am sure you are a very good one with that many yrs of expierience. But why do you assume that I will use brass shims to hold the barrel in the headstock. I don't use shims in any setup I do. I also said that I made my own tools specifically for holding barrels in a chuck. I can tell you that my barrels don't move once indicated. I know this because I verify zero runout after cutting the tennon. Then again after cutting threads. I have not had any issues with runout. I can assure you I have never seen my lathe skip threads. Didn't even know a lathe in working order could skip threads. You know at the end of the day it's one of the simplest things I do is cut a thread for a brake. No hoopala simple. I've walked all my friends through doing it with no lathe expierience. I you feel compelled to take the barrel off go for it. Not to many real gunsmiths are going to waste their time and chance marring a finish to take it off. When I say real gunsmith I mean professional gunsmiths making a living building guns.
Shep

I shim my barrels in order to prevent any marring, galling, or blemishing of the barrel in any way. It is just a little added insurance. Yes you do not need to do it however I choose to. One barrel that has been marred is one to many in my book !

 

[shortgrass]

To 25WSM, by the way you post, one might think that you are the only one here with "knowledge". There are many here that have as much experience (or more) and have done as much as you have (or more). They just don't see the need to have their "years of experience" as part of every post they make. Are you trying to 'drum-up' some work, or what? And, by the way,,,,, what is it that makes you a "master gunsmith"? Are you a ACGG member? Many here of us here didn't 'fall off the turnip truck, yesterday" Gunsmith machining is nothing more than following general machining practices to the letter! There is not a thing wrong with using brass or aluminum shims between the jaws and the barrel to prevent marring of the finish on the barrel.

 

[25WSM]

I don't use shims because I have made aluminum sleeves that fit on the ends of the barrel. These sleeves have a raised up ridge that goes around it. When the chuck is tightened it is on this ridge. This is what allows me to move the barrel in the spider on the left of the headstock with out stress on the barrel. If you clamp down on flat wedges the barrel wants to stay in that position because of the flats on the chuck hitting flats on the barrel wants to stay parallel. My sleeves allow the barrel to pivot in the chuck. That way there is no stress as I dial it in. Plus since it's a one piece sleeve it's easier to use than shims. And they have 360 contact with the barrel so clamping pressure is great. Never slips like shims can.
Shep

 

[25WSM]

I mention my expierience so that whoever is reading my post know what my background is pertaining to the questions. Never in one single post have I tried to get work from this site. In fact if you look back through them you will find I have volunteered to fix people's buggered up rifles for free. I also volunteered to do for free a rifle chamber job for charity on here. I have not even put the name of my company on this site. Show me one post where I said I was the greatest or best or had the most of anything. I'm a master gunsmith because when I graduated from my gunsmith school after more than a year and a half of 40 hour a week training I received a diploma that says so. That diploma is a piece of paper and meaningless. It's the time in the military doing small arms and my schooling and the 30 years of on the job gunsmithing. As far as using shims to hold work in a chuck I do it too. When I said I didn't use shims was because of post 59 when it was stated he wouldn't use brass shims to hold a barrel in a chuck. I'm not the one who said you can't use shims.
If this post doesn't clear things up for you then so be it.
Shep

 

[Mram10us]

To 25WSM, by the way you post, one might think that you are the only one here with "knowledge". There are many here that have as much experience (or more) and have done as much as you have (or more). They just don't see the need to have their "years of experience" as part of every post they make. Are you trying to 'drum-up' some work, or what? And, by the way,,,,, what is it that makes you a "master gunsmith"? Are you a ACGG member? Many here of us here didn't 'fall off the turnip truck, yesterday" Gunsmith machining is nothing more than following general machining practices to the letter! There is not a thing wrong with using brass or aluminum shims between the jaws and the barrel to prevent marring of the finish on the barrel.

SG,
There is no need to be combative toward people on here. For some reason you feel like you have to be rude to get your point across, like in our debates in the gunsmith section. You have disagreed with me and mentioned experience. I don't mind guys giving some background as long as they are not being rude

 

[blitzfike]

I guess turning between centers like I have always done is now obsolete, Whoda thunkit?

 

[Mram10us]

I guess turning between centers like I have always done is now obsolete, Whoda thunkit?

I guess if br groups are good enough for you....
Sorry, had to say it. If you build accurate rifles doing it between centers, good on ya! Keep doing it

 

[25WSM]

The school I went to still teaches it between centers.
Shep

 

[DSheetz]

Between centers is ok if they are true to each other so you don't cut a taper you don't mean to .

 

[Tommo64]

My bad I should have just checked utube first I can totally do it myself with a few tools from the hardware store. Lol.

Might as well have taken it down to the local butcher's store. Jeez, that is just too painful to watch.

 

[Edd]

Might as well have taken it down to the local butcher's store. Jeez, that is just too painful to watch.

Is that another "How To" video from Mram10us?