Re-chambering Factory Barrels

C

Curious

New member
I have never re-chambered a factory barrel, everything I have worked on has been an aftermarket blank of good quality. Ive re-chambered a Kreiger barrel that I first made in 22/250 to 22/243 and the process was easy enough and the rifle shot well.

I have been put off from working on factory barrels as my friend (who first got me started) told me the quality of the steel used in factory barrels is poor and that can be hard and cause damage or premature wear on the reamers. I notice all off my local smiths seem to refuse to work on factory barrels but I wasn't sure if the tool wear issue was a fact or if it was so they could work with a known quality barrel?

I was asked today if I would re-chamber a factory Sako from 223 to 223 Ackley, as you will know there isn't really going to be much cutting to move the shoulder forward and reset the new headspace but I wondered what you thoughts were on doing this guys? I value my reamers and dont want to ruin one for the sake of a favour to a friend.
 
Get a hardness test run on that barrel before you stick a good reamer in it.

A general caution on reworking factory barrels if you have to shorten and retread. Most factory barrels taper off quickly just beyond the original chamber not leaving enough wall thickness for a new chamber.


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I suspect the reason your local smiths don't work on factory barrels is that they would rather sell you a new barrel. The factories make barrels the same way the custom makers do except for those made by hammer forging. In any case, I have never seen a factory barrel that was more difficult to machine than a modern custom barrel. That includes 1917 Enfield, Winchester, Ruger, and Remington factory barrels. Maybe I've been lucky.

RWO
 
It takes just as

long to machine junk as it does good stuff. I can see doing the Ackley chamber. But on other set-backs, no way.

Richard
 
One problem you can run into when rechambering factory barrels such as a 7 Rem Mag to 7 STW is that factory chambers quite often are dimensionally sloppy. You may or may not clean up the old chamber when rechambering and have to set the barrel back enough threads to clean up the old chamber.
 
Jerry's recommendation to hardness test first might save a lot of trouble. I recently machined a late model PSS for a brake and it was unusually hard and very difficult to machine. I never experienced anything like that with older Remington barrels, but many of them had out of concentricity chambers and tenons, and not enough meat to set back the full length of the tenon.

A guy starting out can get valuable practice re-fitting take offs, but I wouldn't put much money into them.
 
SGS said:
Jerry's recommendation to hardness test first might save a lot of trouble. I recently machined a late model PSS for a brake and it was unusually hard and very difficult to machine. I never experienced anything like that with older Remington barrels, but many of them had out of concentricity chambers and tenons, and not enough meat to set back the full length of the tenon.

A guy starting out can get valuable practice re-fitting take offs, but I wouldn't put much money into them.
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You could always pick up the threads and not remove the whole tenon.

It is a PITA.
 
Factory Barrels

At one time I spent a good deal of time and effort hunting prairie dogs. At that time a group of us were wearing out barrels after every trip. I found that a factory barrel is machine to SAAMI maximum so that it will accept anyone's factory ammo. I purchased a number of factory take off barrels. The chambers that I tried to recut with the exception of Ackley improved chambers left a step at the shoulder body junction due to tolerance variations. My procedure for these changed and only the tenon face and recoil lug altered to achieve proper headspace. This procedure allowed to use a $75 take off barrel instead of a new custom blank. It did the job for my purpose at a fraction of the cost for a custom.
 
Curious said:
I have never re-chambered a factory barrel, everything I have worked on has been an aftermarket blank of good quality. Ive re-chambered a Kreiger barrel that I first made in 22/250 to 22/243 and the process was easy enough and the rifle shot well.

I have been put off from working on factory barrels as my friend (who first got me started) told me the quality of the steel used in factory barrels is poor and that can be hard and cause damage or premature wear on the reamers. I notice all off my local smiths seem to refuse to work on factory barrels but I wasn't sure if the tool wear issue was a fact or if it was so they could work with a known quality barrel?

I was asked today if I would re-chamber a factory Sako from 223 to 223 Ackley, as you will know there isn't really going to be much cutting to move the shoulder forward and reset the new headspace but I wondered what you thoughts were on doing this guys? I value my reamers and dont want to ruin one for the sake of a favour to a friend.
Click to expand...

IMO there is 1 valid reason for doing it....learning how to do it.

"Picking up the old threads" ......a good skill to have in one's pocket.

"Checking the steel" .....another good skill to have. Learn to read sparks, learn to try some cuts where they don't matter....and with less than ideal angles/grinds... try some long, unsupported hangouts....

"Picking up the old dimensions" ..... this is HUGE. I've known lots of trained machinists who really do not know how to check their work. Ohh they've memorized certain "checking techniques" but to really and truly be able take a cold part and chuck it up to find it's centerline(s) is a skill worth developing. The "WHY" always drives the "HOW"

"learning how to deal with one's own screwups" ..... no cheaper way than to hack up and try to refit some factory bbls...

"Fireform barrels" I've got a bunch of them built from factory bbls. I spend some time on the other part of the barrel testing for machinability, I do a "scratch test" in the chamber to check for work-hardening, maybe single-point it a little if possible, then throw a chamber in it.

Sooo, while I do not believe there's any benefit to salvaging junk, there is benefit in doing the jobs not for money, but for experience. Or even for tools. In my opinion once one has conquered the hill of learning then the only reason left is "for a friend"........a slippery slope indeed ;)

I went to gunsmithing school in the early 80's, got away from it for almost 30yrs and recently have been doing some select work. The single biggest change, single biggest boon to barreling stuff for others, is the proliferation of fat recoil lugs. I've got lugs from .180 to .750 thick! Freakin Kiff'll make 'em an inch fat if you want 'em.... but really, it takes the fear away from "running into the shoulder and buggering it up" because when I do, the client just gets a custom recoil lug, and I get out of my screwup for 30 bucks :) nobody gets hurt. I've even slotted the barrels off factory rifles and later, when I wanted a fireform barrel could salvage the old barrel by using a large recoil lug! (Somewhat questionable from a monetary point of view since those thick lugs are spendy, but in a couple cases I had, and I did)

Anyway, that's off-subject but those are my thoughts re factory bbls.
 
Do anything for a true friend....reamers and such are just money. If you goof it up, buy another barrel and give it to him....chambered.

No response necessary...just sayin'.....
 
Wilbur said:
Do anything for a true friend....reamers and such are just money. If you goof it up, buy another barrel and give it to him....chambered.

No response necessary...just sayin'.....
Click to expand...

well now.....True Friends, that's dif'rent. I've got 5 friends, not counting my kids nor my brother, who if I called and said "I'm in jail in Pakistan, bring Cheezits" ..................would.

but oddly enough, none of them owe me anything.
 
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