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M

mike in co

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non benchrest....
i have a 5 shot 38 special that has rough chambers. throats and bbl seem fine but cases stick/resist extraction.
i would like to polish the chambers WITHOUT touching the throats.
i do not have a mill, only a lathe and drill press.
i was thinking a rotary lap with a shoulder to stop it from getting to the throats.
lapping compound or undersize and wrap with abrasive paper
lap in the lathe and hand holding the cylinder.
any other ideas ??
not sure i'm good enough to mount the cylinder and try reboring the chambers single point.


thanks
mike in co
 
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Butch

You're a funny guy.

I've carried a 5 shot revolver for almost 40 years and I never considered it a precision weapon. Who'd a thunk it. The throat is actually the forcing cone in the barrel. What you see in the cylinder is just a straight cylinder section that is larger than bullet diameter and very loosely aligns the bullets while it's exiting the case. I would take a 38 cal bore brush and wrap 0000 steel wool around it until it's the appropriate size. Run that in the drill press or the lathe and lightly polish the chambers.

Dave
 
pretty sure.
the burrs are clear and very visible...just poor fast production work.
think of a pc of carbon steeel, low rpm and a carbide tool in a lathe...that kinda finish.....sorta smooth but obvious rough spots.
the brass sticks in the worst couple of chambers and eases out of the better ones.
i think steel wool is to fine for the inital task
mike in co
alinwa said:
Have you any evidence that polishing the chambers will help?

al
Click to expand...
 
mike in co said:
i was thinking a rotary lap with a shoulder to stop it from getting to the throats.
Click to expand...
First thing that I thought of when I read this was "Empty case" - and polishing compound - maybe very fine lapping grit. Brass case would probably be better than nickle.
 
Split a piece of dowel rod and slip some 320 wet or dry in it. Use a big enough dowel and enough length of paper to require some little effort to get it in the hole.
Chuck that in a drill motor and have at it, keeping --plenty-- of oil in the cut.

Don't even begin to worry about getting up into the forcing cones -- you can feel them if you push too far and even if you do it won't hurt a thing.
 
Indicate off cylinder leades,index & re-bore the 5 cylinder holes depending on how rough the original machine finish.

Lapping or flex honing will ensure 5 inconsistent holes.
 
It's a 5 shot belly gun... after firing five, throw it at him and run...

If you don't carry speed loaders for it, some tough extraction isn't any big deal.

It certainly won't matter though if you polish the rough ones... it is not a precise firearm...
 
yep is definetly a short range gun....3" 158's at 800 fps.......
and yes i want to be able to reload.....
dan.....i'm not sure i can....cheap chinese lathe and i do not want to ding the cylinder.

i'l order the flex hone, may chamfer/radius the breech end of the chambers......

just need to smoothout the crappy chamber finish....

thanks all
mike in co
 
jackie schmidt said:
Strictly from a Machinist viewpoint, it sounds like you are getting ready to pour perfume on a pig........jackie
Click to expand...

Yep, that's why I suggested sandpaper on a stick. I've done plenty of revolver work in the past and I can tell you, you are over thinking this. Its a $2.00 solution that will be every bit as good as buying a special tool and maybe better. Unless the chambers are jugged out, in which case the only solution is a new cylinder.
 
I work on a fair number of these things in my shop. Are you absolutely sure that you are using the correct ammunition? 38 S&W and 38 S&W Special seem to get mixed use in these guns, and they are not interchangeable.

Clemson
 
lol
its a new gun( and no i'm not gonna return for repair under warrantee, i'll do it my self).
i own both 38 s &w and 38 special revolvers.
i do know the difference.
there a very clear burrs in several of the chambers of the cylinder.
my big concern was not messing up the throats while removing the burrs.
i think making a sand paper lap with a shoulder will do the job....
if i find myself rich and famous may order the ball flex hone.
thanks all
mike in co
Clemson said:
I work on a fair number of these things in my shop. Are you absolutely sure that you are using the correct ammunition? 38 S&W and 38 S&W Special seem to get mixed use in these guns, and they are not interchangeable.

Clemson
Click to expand...
 
mike in co said:
lol
its a new gun( and no i'm not gonna return for repair under warrantee, i'll do it my self).
i own both 38 s &w and 38 special revolvers.
i do know the difference.
there a very clear burrs in several of the chambers of the cylinder.
my big concern was not messing up the throats while removing the burrs.
i think making a sand paper lap with a shoulder will do the job....
if i find myself rich and famous may order the ball flex hone.
thanks all
mike in co
Click to expand...

Mike...the forcing cone is in the barrel...the step that you see inside the chambers is a ridge left there by the factory to keep someone from putting a .357 mag. round in it and blowing up the gun...if you use the sandpaper on a split dowel you will NOT change the cylinder/chamber relief enough to allow a longer cartridge to chamber...the area just ahead of that step in the chamber is comparable to the throat in a rifle chamber nothing touches the bullet....
 
well i am seriously contaminated by my cast bullet shooting, tho i do not do that in this gun.
that area is the controlling feature in cast bullet shooting....bullets need to barely slip thru..as an example on my 44 mag the throats are 0.4326 and i size bullets to 0.4322.....yep just .0004 undersized. they float thru, not drop thru.
to document this,431 and 430 dia bullets shoot at 1.5 inches at 25 yards, 4322 cast bullets shoot at 0.75 at 25yds( 280 and 300 gr bullets)
soo my idea is to not mess with the throats...yes the forcing cone and bbl throat are a seperate area and seperate requirement.......

i have no plans to touch the throats on the cylinder.........

mike in co

oppps .0004, not .004
and .4322/6 not 4312/6
 
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Right.
Don't mess up the throats.
A simple sandpaper lap will do this.
You can feel when it hits the throat and then you back off.
Its hard to take off any appreciable amount of metal this way.

mike in co said:
well i am seriously contaminated by my cast bullet shooting, tho i do not do that in this gun.
that area is the controlling feature in cast bullet shooting....bullets need to barely slip thru..as an example on my 44 mag the throats are 0.4316 and i size bullets to 0.4312.....yep just .004 undersized. they float thru, not drop thru.
to document this,431 and 430 dia bullets shoot at 1.5 inches at 25 yards, 4312 cast bullets shoot at 0.75 at 25yds( 280 and 300 gr bullets)
soo my idea is to not mess with the throats...yes the forcing cone and bbl throat are a seperate area and seperate requirement.......

i have no plans to touch the throats on the cylinder.........

mike in co
Click to expand...
 
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