Turning down or shortening.

T

tjensen

New member
Hi all.
I have this rifle I made years ago.
In ,257 AI.
Not a benchrest rifle but easily a 1/2" shooter.
Thing is for giggles I made it with a 1,250" barrel the whole 28"
So its heavy.
So I was wondering.
Velocity is not an issue so wich would you recommend to lose weight:
Shortening the barrel or turning the dia down?
Thanks.
 
tjensen said:
Hi all.
I have this rifle I made years ago.
In ,257 AI.
Not a benchrest rifle but easily a 1/2" shooter.
Thing is for giggles I made it with a 1,250" barrel the whole 28"
So its heavy.
So I was wondering.
Velocity is not an issue so wich would you recommend to lose weight:
Shortening the barrel or turning the dia down?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

From strictly a machinist standpoint, there is always the possibility of introducing stress in any barrel when you turn it. Barrel makers go to great lengths to avoid any heat, chatter, tool stress, or any other of several things that can cause this..

You say weight is no problem, but a 257 Ackley likes at least 24 inches of barrel, or more.

If you decide to turn the OD, use a good sharp positive rake tool with a good coolant, fine feed, and just enough speed to allow the tool to cut efficiently.
 
Last edited:
jackie schmidt said:
From strictly a machinist standpoint, there is always the possibility of introducing stress in any barrel when you turn it. Barrel makers go to great lengths to avoid any heat, chatter, tool stress, or any other of several things that can cause this..

You say weight is no problem, but a 257 Ackley likes at least 24 inches of barrel, or more.

If you decide to turn the OD, use a good sharp positive rake tool with a good coolant, fine feed, and just enough speed to allow the tool to cut efficiently.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply Jakcie.
I am a machinist and a gunsmith and aware of stresses and heat warping.
How ever that's not a problem taken the right precautions. This rifle has a very special purpose wich is to shoot at max 250yards at varmints so a little loss of velocity wont hurt. Accuracy loss is what I was considering.
Guess I wont know untill to late....
Most likely will end up shortening it down to maybe 18" and threading for a moderator .
Decisions decisions...... :)
 
I guess buying a smaller diameter barrel is out of the question? Sell this one or keep it for grins and giggles or a future build on another chassis.
 
Why not do both, cut it down to 24" and turn the barrel down a .100. If it is turned down full length it should not change the dimensions internally that much. I had a barrel that had .100 machined off on the last 3 inches and it shot quite well. A Shilen barrel if I recall correctly. Just do it as Jackie said.
 
John VM said:
Why not do both, cut it down to 24" and turn the barrel down a .100. If it is turned down full length it should not change the dimensions internally that much. I had a barrel that had .100 machined off on the last 3 inches and it shot quite well. A Shilen barrel if I recall correctly. Just do it as Jackie said.
Click to expand...

Might do ;)
 
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