Shouldered barrels

[Mainmechanic]

Would a quality smith be able to chamber and thread a rifle barrel if he knew the tenon dimensions and a measurement from the end of the receiver to the bolt face ? I know I can accurately measure that as well as most of us can . Thanks for any input.

 

[ShtrRdy]

You would probably need to talk to the gunsmith and see if he is willing to do that.

 

[Mainmechanic]

Basically grew up in a machine shop of my father's. Quite familiar with the practices involved in general machine shop work with one exception which is class 3 threads . Does the smith just cut them using the 3 wire method or possibly using the action threads themselves to gauge the fit he prefers ?

 

[J E Custom]

Most good smiths prefer to do the barrel to receiver fit themselves and set the shoulder to get the correct head space. Rifles like Savages can be done this way because of the barrel nut system, but it stills helps to do the thread fit using the receiver.

Thread quality and torque determines the amount of crush/stretch you will get torquing the action and ultimately the final head space head space. So the fit of everything is all important for a quality job.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Mainmechanic]

Thanks for the good information. Didn't consider the thread crush regarding headspace . Believed there was something I was missing or you would bear more talk about doing this. Having never chambered a barrel is there a standard for how much case is left unsupported or is it specific to the cartridge a d or action ?

 

[jeeper80]

Thanks for the good information. Didn't consider the thread crush regarding headspace . Believed there was something I was missing or you would bear more talk about doing this. Having never chambered a barrel is there a standard for how much case is left unsupported or is it specific to the cartridge a d or action ?

How much case protrudes beyond the chamber end is pretty much specific to the action type.

 

[25WSM]

Been a custom Smith since 92. Most smiths can do shanks on custom actions such as those by Borden or Kelbleys because the head space and threads are very consistent. I specialize in Remington 700s and to be honest they are all over the place. But once I blue print one it is easy to make more barrels from the print. Most barrels crush about .001 to .002 when tightening so it you chamber .002 deep from zero headspace it will be good. Most chambers have .004 to .005 tolerance. If you have the barrel that came off of the action it can be copied no problem by most smiths. Even the headspace can be had from it. If your barrel is completely no good just cut if off in front of the chamber. Or send the whole barrel. Easy job. Can even get the cartridge stamp back in the right spot. Shep

 

[ntsqd]

If you want to go down this road maybe consider going with a "Remage" bbl nut instead of a shoulder?

 

[25WSM]

Remage nuts work great just as the savage nut does and if I were building someone a switch barrel gun it could be an option. One nice thing is you don't need a dedicated barrel vise. You can clamp it in wood in a regular vise and the nut wrench does all the work. But you have to admit they are ugly. If your a function over beauty then go for it.
Shep

 

[jeeper80]

Been a custom Smith since 92. Most smiths can do shanks on custom actions such as those by Borden or Kelbleys because the head space and threads are very consistent. I specialize in Remington 700s and to be honest they are all over the place. But once I blue print one it is easy to make more barrels from the print. Most barrels crush about .001 to .002 when tightening so it you chamber .002 deep from zero headspace it will be good. Most chambers have .004 to .005 tolerance. If you have the barrel that came off of the action it can be copied no problem by most smiths. Even the headspace can be had from it. If your barrel is completely no good just cut if off in front of the chamber. Or send the whole barrel. Easy job. Can even get the cartridge stamp back in the right spot. Shep

 

[jeeper80]

You can also purchase threaded finish short chambered barrels. These barrels are normally cut with a chamber a few thousandths short. You can rent a finish reamer with extension and headspace gauges to accomplish final headspacing. But really, there is nothing better than to have a good gunsmith do the barrel fitting.

 

[Mainmechanic]

Thanks gentlemen. I lot of my questions were answered before I even asked them. Speaks well for all who replied. Not a fan myself of the looks of barrel nuts on classic wood stocked rifles. The short chambered barrels sound interesting .Can they be finished by hand ?

 

[Mainmechanic]

Would one expect a short chambered barrel from a reputable maker to have the chamber aligned correctly ? With that being asked I do agree that area is where a quality smith excels. Has anybody here measured for that ? Or used these type of barrels and the results ? Not opposed to finding a new smith ( mine retired ) just exploring some options.

 

[jeeper80]

Would one expect a short chambered barrel from a reputable maker to have the chamber aligned correctly ? With that being asked I do agree that area is where a quality smith excels. Has anybody here measured for that ? Or used these type of barrels and the results ? Not opposed to finding a new smith ( mine retired ) just exploring some options.

I've been out of it for a while but several years ago I bought short chambered Douglas barrels that fit up and shot excellently. As I state in my previous post, final headspacing was done with a hand turned finish reamer with an extension. Douglas also made available barrels that were long chambered (about .010" as I remember) for people who had a lathe. Headspacing required turning the barrel shoulder back. But these are options that are (or were) available. One MOA accuracy with good loads was not a problem. If you want optimum accuracy, send it to an accuracy gunsmith who specializes in receiver and barrel work and invest in a match grade barrel from one of the custom makers.