pistol barrel chambering

[B Jordan]

what kind of setup do you guys use when setting up a barrel in a lathe that is to short to reach the spider? is a stedy rest about as good as it gets or is there something i am missing?

 

[James Jones]

I've done an Encore barrel using an action truing jig , not the best idea but doable if you lake light cuts.

I've also seen a bushing made than barely slip fits into the bore of the chuck and has a center hold bored to fit the muzzel end of the barrel very snug , assuming that the bore is perfectly concentric with the OD of the barrel I can see this working as the hole bored in the bushing is cut the same time the OD of the bushing is cut.
If sombody had told me that this was a good way to do it , I'd have laughed , but i have seen a VERY well respected builder use this method for ALL the barrels he chambers including record setting match rifles and he has a 3/8" guarntee with his rifles chambered in the non mag calibers. I now another guy that most likely using this method also , maybe he'll chime in

 

[B Jordan]

I've done an Encore barrel using an action truing jig , not the best idea but doable if you lake light cuts.

i have actually thought about doing the same thing because i dial in from the chamber end anyway wonder how that would work with say an 18" barrel? i think mine has about 8" between the adjustments you might be on to something here


i am really wanting to build a long range pistol !!!

 

[James Jones]

The Truing jig will work if light cuts are made , My jig is a bit more rubust than most being made from 5" 7075 aluminum stock and 5/8x24 bolts , I used a brass bushing that barely slip fit on the barrel and realy torqued the screws down , I never did use a drill on this barel instead using a boring bar and a taper attachment to get very close to the chamber size before using a reamer then going painfully slow in the reaming. This resulted in a perfect chamber for my one and olny Encore barrel build , with the lengthened set and machine time along with the lug fiting and welding this barrel would cost over $1000 to make , no money waseted on my part but I woulden't do it again.

But just for chambering I think the jig would work fine.