Bush 40X? What dia, & pitch?

B

Boyd Allen

Active member
A friend knows a smith that has made bushings for 40x rimfires to accomodate a smaller tenon diameter. They incorporate recoil lug as part of a one piece unit. In your opinions, is this a desirable modification?

Another question...will a 40X work with a cone breech? If it will, is there a problem with this option? It would seem simpler, or does it complicate loading?

Thanks,
Boyd
 
Boyd, I'd like to know who this gunsmith is and more detail. My next project is a 40X benchrest rifle and I have been debating with myself whether to get a straight barrel and use a bushing; or just get a barrel with a fat chamber end and thus make the whole process easier. The big hole is why some gunsmiths don't like 40X, but I never really understood the issues. Thanks, Douglas
 
I have heard of people making bushings and it's definitely something that I think could be advantageous. What I would really like is a bushing that allows me to use bbls off my Hall.

What I did on my own 40X is get a bbl nut from Pacnor. This way the tenon contour has no torque shoulder and the OD of the tenon is much closer to the dia of the rest of the bbl. You can also set back the chamber very easily.

You can use a cone breech but if the thing is ever dry fired you will most likely put a nice ding in the chamber.

ETA: Pic of bbl nut

40xbblnut.jpg
 
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My newest 10.5 gun is a 40X set up exactly as you describe. The barrel is a straight .800 Broughton with a factory recoil lug, in a Tony Larson stock. It weighs 9 pounds 1ounce, with a Weaver T36 scope and it is a great shooter. I see no down side to this set-up so far.
 
Boyd Allen said:
A friend knows a smith that has made bushings for 40x rimfires to accomodate a smaller tenon diameter. They incorporate recoil lug as part of a one piece unit. In your opinions, is this a desirable modification?

Another question...will a 40X work with a cone breech? If it will, is there a problem with this option? It would seem simpler, or does it complicate loading?

Thanks,
Boyd
Click to expand...

Years ago I had a 40X with a coned breech in it. I didn't like it and wouldn't want another.
 
Boyd:
Sent you an email with details. For all others, before you ask, here's a photo. The 40 X action must be rethreaded to a larger dia to remove the existing threads. Then thread to a 28tpi. Gene Beggs should be able to help you.
zBeggs169ba.jpg
 
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Fred J said:
Boyd:
Sent you an email with details. For all others, before you ask, here's a photo. The 40 X action must be rethreaded to a larger dia to remove the existing threads. Then thread to a 28tpi. Gene Beggs should be able to help you.
zBeggs169ba.jpg
Click to expand...

Hey Fred....that pic kinda looks familiar to me.LOL And, that's my Turbo if not mistaken. LOL
Almost like something Gene Beggs, Bill Meyer, and I were play'n with a couple of years ago.

It also might be interesting to some of you that when I showed this to Chad Dixon at "Long Rifles" a year or so ago....he said he'd done it a long time ago and called it a differentially threaded bushing and not an indexing bushing.

Landy
 
Landy:
Could be. I saw this when I was at a shoot a Piney Hill a few years ago. Bill and Gene were working on it together from my understanding. I saw some test results, but have no copies of them. I like the idea, but Im not sure if I want to open up my 52 to accept that bushing. I also saw Bill proto-type and man was that a smoooooooth action. Wish he had it in production before he was taken from us. Maybe Harrel or Stiller will get one out soon.
 
If someone could please enlighten me, what's the advantage of using a bushing vs a fat barrel? And the bushing Boyd is talking about, how can you incorporate a recoil lug and make it one piece, how would you index the recoil lug? Thanks, Douglas
 
Douglas,

The threaded bushing with differing thread pitches is used conjunction with a cone breach. This simple system of differentiated threading allows the barrel to be rotated 360 degrees while maintaining correct head spaceing. It can prove useful in barrel rotating in an attempt to find the most accurate barrel position for your particular barrel. This is however different then what the original poster was inquiring about.

Essentially Bill Calffee and others prefers a smaller barrel tenon diameter which in turn allows the use of a small diameter staight cylinder barrel. The beleif is that it's easier to tune a rifle with that particular barrel geometry. Which is why 40X's are sometimes bushed with a smaller threaded I.D., usually .750 X 16TPI.


Mitchell Johnson
 
I don't think a recoil lug is necessary in a 40X that is fully bedded or glued in. The bushing was designed to assist in barrel indexing, for those that believe.
 
Hmmm? I don't want to be argumentative, but I'm getting more confused. There's a difference of opinion about the merits of barrel indexing and also the merits of using a recoil lug on a 40X, and I don't wish to sidetrack this thread about those two issues. Like mitchel said, skinnier barrels are easier to tune that fat ones, i think everyone pretty much agrees on that. But in the case of a 40X, is there any advantage in using a bushing with a straight skinny barrel over using a barrel prophile that is 1.20" diameter for about three inches at the chamber end and then narrows straight skinny, say 0.850", for the rest of the way to the muzzle? thanks, Douglas
 
Doug:
There have been two different types of bushings used by the 40X and their clones. One as you refer to is to allow for a smaller barrel for easier tuning. The other is an indexing type that allow those that believe in indexing, the ability to get the full potential of their barrel, regardless of the style they use. The rear tang of the 40X 22 RF, makes a great recoil lug if bedded properly.
 
barrel shoulder

What does the shoulder of the barrel stop or tighten against and what does the bushing tighten against? As far as using this for indexing if both threads are right hand as you turn the barrel in or out to index it you would also change head spacing. Also how would you tighten the barrel up? It looks like the barrel dia. is smaller than the thread dia. in the action.
 
Fred J said:
Landy:
Could be. I saw this when I was at a shoot a Piney Hill a few years ago. Bill and Gene were working on it together from my understanding. I saw some test results, but have no copies of them. I like the idea, but Im not sure if I want to open up my 52 to accept that bushing. I also saw Bill proto-type and man was that a smoooooooth action. Wish he had it in production before he was taken from us. Maybe Harrel or Stiller will get one out soon.
Click to expand...

Fred,

You’re correct. They got together and made two prototype rifles utilizing an indexing bushing with a Turbo action and Gene’s “Ultralight” stock. Gene kept one and the other was sent to me.

Here are a few more pics of the bushing setup and the fully assembled rifle. Disregard the strange looking guy....he’s my evil alter-ego and needs to be cropped out of the photo.

The last two pictures are of my Swindlehurst and a bushing made for it so I can screw barrels off of my other rifles and switch back and forth in a matter of minutes.
There are any numbers of ways to modify the bushing to fit your circumstances.

It’s really a pretty simple concept once you get your head wrapped around it and I’ve found it offers more advantages than disadvantages for the ways I use them. That may not be the case for everyone, but it is for me.

Landy

zBeggs167.jpg


Beggsshrink1.jpg


SwindlehurstBushing.jpg


sTunnelSwindlehurst.jpg
 
Landy
That shooting bench looks a little shaky...maybe you should get a more substantial bench before testing further!! ;^)
Love your testing facility
Melvin
 
bushing

Landy , does the end of the bushing with the wrench slots go agaist the barrel shoulder or into the action? thanks Bob
 
Is that barrel profile anywhere close to the profile Varmit Al has proposed in one of his recent post here? Thank you.... joe
 
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