You opened a dialog on crowns and their importance.
You opened a dialog on crowns and their importance.
OK everyone, you knew I wouldn't be able to stay in the corner long.
Kev, thanks for posting your approach to barrel crowns. I see you have put some thought into it.
This approach, executed as you have, should guaranty a great crown.
Thank you for sharing.
TKH (4628)
Thanks Tony:
And thanks for starting the thread. I have to say though, that there is something to the "old" 11 degree crown - some of the best barrels I have had have used this crown.
What amazes me too (sorry if this is off topic), is how influential crown placement is. I have found that setting back a barrel and recrowning has a huge effect on performance (for example, a .500" setback will IMHO erase any tuning history someone may have acquired with a barrel).
All the best,
kev
Placement is everything. The crown should be at the roundest, tightest place in the barrel.
That is very easy to say, and very difficult to do.
It would be easy if all barrels had a nice taper all the way down, and if they were perfectly round all the way down. But as hard barrel makers try, that isn't always, if ever possible.
Just think about what is going on when a button is pulled through a barrel. Displacing the metal and expanding it, then the spring back as the button is pulled through.
Then add to that the fact that our lead bullets are inert. Meaning they have no spring back once deformed. (Paul, if I have mis represented what is actually happening, please feel free to correct me.)
I think it is a miracle our rifles shoot as good as they do.
TKH (4628)
I tend to think crown placement is more important than the chamber itself.
When I did my 1st barrel years ago I didn't like how it shot out the gate. I'd bought 3 different reamers so I cut the chamber off & used another reamer & cut 1/2" off the muzzle. The gun then shot well enough & was fairly competitive.
In hindsight I think the recrowning was the answer but don't know having done both.
If something doesn't look right out of the gate now, I'll trim the crown before I'll redo a chamber.
As Tony said, I haven't been able to confidently measure where the tightest or roundest place is.
Keith
Last edited by linekin; 01-15-2022 at 07:20 AM.
Before doing any cutting on a new blank, lube and slug it.
...
We look at the crown as a maintenance item. We keep a eye on them and the rest of the barrel with the bore scope. If they look to be losing their sharpness (from cleaning) Tad will clean them up. Dialing the barrel in takes the bulk of time. Usually it very little removed to sharpen it back up. Carrie and I almost always shoot together and will shoot the same rifle. If its a 6 card match (x2) that rifle will see a cleaning rod in and out 72 times for that match. That rifle will more than likely see a crown sharpening mid season.
Todd