Setting a barrel back

S

skeetlee

Active member
Fellas
I need some info on the proper way to indicate a barrel that one intends to set back. I have a 22ppc .100 short barrel that has 1000 plus rounds on it. I bought a new Borden 22ppc reamer, so i thought setting this barrel back would make for a good first project. The barrel is now a .100 short 22ppc chamber and i want the new chamber to be .070 short. What i need to know is how to indicate this already chambered barrel in. Do i indicate off the chamber with a long whiskered indicator, or do i use my grizzly rod like i would if the barrel was new? I know this has probably been covered here before, but if you guys dont mind lets talk this over again just a bit. Thanks a bunch. Lee
 
skeetlee said:
Fellas
I need some info on the proper way to indicate a barrel that one intends to set back. I have a 22ppc .100 short barrel that has 1000 plus rounds on it. I bought a new Borden 22ppc reamer, so i thought setting this barrel back would make for a good first project. The barrel is now a .100 short 22ppc chamber and i want the new chamber to be .070 short. What i need to know is how to indicate this already chambered barrel in. Do i indicate off the chamber with a long whiskered indicator, or do i use my grizzly rod like i would if the barrel was new? I know this has probably been covered here before, but if you guys dont mind lets talk this over again just a bit. Thanks a bunch. Lee
Click to expand...

Lee, unless you cut the entire tenon and chamber off and start over, just indicate the chamber in and go. The reamer will follow the existing chamber for better or worse.--Mike
 
So just indicate the chamber in one spot or front and back of chamber? I guess what i am concerned with is re-cutting the shoulder. I want to make sure the shoulder is cut square. Or am i thinking about this all wrong? thanks Lee
 
Center it up and check the front of the chamber to the rear of the chamber to the threads to the shoulder to the throat........... it's like squaring a building, it's ALL square.


Or it's NOT square :)

al
 
Here is when cutting threads without a thread relief pays off big time. You can set back a barrel less than the full shank length and not have that big ass grove in the threads when you are done. I suggest that, if you are comfortable picking up the rest of the old thread you shorten the barrel at least the length of the old neck and throat to allow for reamer mismatch. If you choose to do this you need to do like Al said and get it all squared up, if you can. If one or more things is out then you will have to choose which reference you will use, in that case I prefer the bore over all others. If the shank is not that far out it can be saved and you can straighten up what is left of the chamber with a boring bar to give your reamer a fair chance at getting started. Depending on how long your barrel is I think your best bet is to lop off the old shank and start anew. Another thing to consider is that the muzzle wears and to do a proper job setting back a barrel you need to set back the muzzle too. It sort of flairs out with use, you can measure this and remove that length and cut a new crown. DO NOT let that barrel get shorter than 16 inches long before it becomes a tomato stake, a pistol barrel blank or pre-drilled stock for bedding pillars (my preferred use). Another thing to consider is that the material in the throat area will be “a touch” harder and a little prone to chatter when you ream it. This is another reason to remove that much when you set back a barrel. This is so it won’t end up in the most critical area of your chamber.


When Pai-Mei reams me maybe we can get the five point palm exploding heart technique from him. :rolleyes:

Nic.
 
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skeetlee said:
So just indicate the chamber in one spot or front and back of chamber? I guess what i am concerned with is re-cutting the shoulder. I want to make sure the shoulder is cut square. Or am i thinking about this all wrong? thanks Lee
Click to expand...

The problem with a setback is that it's all dependent on the exiting chamber. If it's not true, you're not going to make it true without starting anew. All that's needed is to indicate one spot. Can't see how the CHAMBER could be straight on one end and not the other unless the chamber is crooked, and yo're not going to fix that with a small setback. And when you get the chamber to run true, the shoulder will be perpendicular to it and the bore at the throat of the old chamber, ASSUMING it was true before...and that's all you can do without starting over. The reamer will follow the existing chamber.--Mike
 
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