chamber snafu question for smiths

slophish · #1 11-02-2006, 02:08 PM

My custom rifle I've waited for 6 months to get is 95% complete, all thats left is duracoat. My smith informs me this morning after test fire the chamber has a crown in it. The rifle is a 7 rum with a 30 inch 1in7 twist lilja. If I rechamber in 7 rum he'll have to cut off an inch, [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] that bugs me, I put the thirty on there to burn all that powder. Should i just shoot it? Should I wildcat it? Should I rechamber and knock an inch off it? Can it be repaired and left as is? Thanks.

MagMan · #2 11-02-2006, 02:50 PM

I guess it depends on how nice you're feeling and when you want your rifle back. The smith is the one who screwed up while boring/reaming your chamber so he should stand behind his work and buy you a new barrel (which may take a while) or make it up some other way and get it back quicker.

With a 29" barrel & break it will still fit in a standard rifle case. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I'd probably let it go at 29".

I'm sure someone around here has a 30" they'll sell you at a reasonable price.

Coyboy · #3 11-02-2006, 04:14 PM

Do you trust that smith enough to do it right the second time he tries? Did you ask him what went wrong that he put a "crown" in the chamber.

If you trust him give him the option of ordering a new barrel and giving you what you asked for. Or take it at 29" and have him shave off the bill.

If you don't trust him, then you the fool for taking it to him in the first place. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Pick it all up and take it to someone reliable with a good reputation. Make him eat his fudged up labor. After all you don't want to end up with a 27" tube after he tries a few more times.

If he was truley respectful of what you asked for he would make it right.

James Jones · #4 11-02-2006, 04:35 PM

I've chambered a few guns but I've never heard of having a crown in the chamber. I'm guessing that he has put some sort of oversized area in their which is a terrible problem and will cause you greef till its fixed.
It it were my gun I would at least have him refund some money to have sombody that knows what they are doing recut the chamber.

the differance between 29 and 30 inches is gonna be nill so having an inch lopped off shoulden't be to big of a deal but I would definatly have sombody else rechamber it.
One of the causes for gouging up a chamber if guys runnig the reamer in to fast trying to take to much material out at once or trying to use the finish reamer to do the whole job instead of boring out the chamber area first then making the final cut with the finish reamer , also if its a SS barrel some tend to cut kinda "gummy" and need plenty of fluid when the chamber is cut.

But I'f I had boogered up your barrel I would cut it back 1" and rechamber it so you could have somthing to play with while the replacement 30" was on its way. You bought a 30" barrel cause thats what you wanted and I'm sure you paid extra for it so thats what you should end up with.
I would definatly ask how he managed to get it "crowned"

Black Diamond 408 · #5 11-02-2006, 05:18 PM

Sounds like somthing went terribly wrong! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] I can't emagine what he did to do that to a chamber, The reamers have pilots to keep things straight, wonder if the pilot was too small, or like what was previously mentioned, he may have run the reamer too far with out cleaning and gauled the chamber, then had to polish out the marks and ended up with a larger dia at the shoulder area. Sounds not good. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] 29" bbl would not change much over the 30" tube, but that is not the point. If i made the mistake, i would offer to fix the problem or buy a new bbl...customers choice. Out of hundreds of barrels i have installed the only problem i have encountered was bores that were so out of center it was hard to chamber them, (cheapo's) 30" bbl i dont think it was a cheapo. So i would look else where for the problem. Sounds like a smith error, but it can happen to anyone. You could possibly have the chamber improved, but that still might not cure the whole problem. I would give him a chance to rectify the problem. But dont settle for a bad chamber job.

slophish · #6 11-02-2006, 09:07 PM

Thanks for the replies. He is a good smith and a perfectionist. I think this one caught him by suprise. Spoke to him a little bit ago and he wants to replace the barrel, he thinks the reamer may have a flaw. He has chambered enough to know, so I won't question him. I think after reading the replies here I'll have him lob an inch off and rechamber. I don't want to become one of those guys who has no room for errors in life, it's just too damn short for that. Anyhow good smiths who are willing to try any hairbrained idea you come up with are hard to find [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]. So I may have to let this one go, I'll let you guys know what I find out tomorrow.

Fiftydriver · #7 11-03-2006, 11:15 AM

Slopish,

I assume by crown, you mean that there is a ring in the chamber and when you fire a round the fired case has a raised ring around the case somewhere.

This is generally caused by not using enough lube and taking to deep of a cut per pass as you chamber the barrel.

If he takes an inch off the barrel but used the same reamer as is and he feels the reamer is the cause of the problem you will get the same problem. I would say he simply "rolled a chip" as he was chambering and could not polish out the ring.

When chambering a barrel for a round like the RUMS, I like to take no more then 26 thou in depth of cut at each pass with the reamer. If you figure how long the chamber is on a RUM case you realize this is ALOT of passes with the reamer but it also insures that your fluted do not get compressed with chips and if you use enough lube pretty much insures you will not ring a chamber.

As a fellow smith, the correct thing to do would be to give your smith the chance to correct the problem. At least he was honest with you about the chamber so that shows his good qualities right from the start.

He may have just gotten in a hurry and I am sure will not on the second time around. He already lost all his profit having to refit the shank, rethread and recut the chamber so he obviously is more worried about good service then anything else.

Give him a chance to correct it and then if the second time around is no different I would take it elsewhere.

Good luck,

Kirby Allen(50)