Ok, since you actually asked why. I got a very good deal on a plain Jane tikka sporter in 22-250. As much I love the small round it doesn't do me much good because I don't really get to varmint or coyote hunt. However my brother and I go out west about once a year now since we are older. So I'm wanting something in the 6.5's for antelope, mule deer, or something else similar.
Teaching somebody to chamber a barrel
- Thread starter Tbaxl
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6MM06AI
Well-Known Member
Tbaxi. i think it's great your wanting to learn. It's fun and very full filling to complete a rifle build and see how it shoots. I'm glad you found somebody to help you. I got lucky and had a local gunsmith here that let me build his rifles for him under his watchful eye. I built them, he got paid for them and I got free schooling on the trade. Now it's a part time job in the winter cause he's too old to do it anymore. And remember most good information isn't free, your either paying for it or working for it. Have fun!
KyCarl
Well-Known Member
I have to go with the beginner on this. I've run a lathe and other stuff for over 40 years. I swept up chips ..cleaned coolant tanks..deburred parts..all of it in the beginning. Indicating a part isn't hard. A ground rod for the bore .an indicator
a Allen wrench that fits the chuck screws..Work in pairs 1 and 3 and 2 and 4
Tighten the plus loosen the minus. Work on 1/2 the indicator reading because both sides move. I could teach him in a couple hours..The feel for the reamer is a whole different story!
a Allen wrench that fits the chuck screws..Work in pairs 1 and 3 and 2 and 4
Tighten the plus loosen the minus. Work on 1/2 the indicator reading because both sides move. I could teach him in a couple hours..The feel for the reamer is a whole different story!
I'm like clownbuster. Engineer by day and gun worker by night. Countless hours learning the skills myself. There are big differences in the gunsmith, machinest, and engineering careers. My advice to young people is to interview people in their job interests and job shadowing. I've provided this type of information to young kids and believes it helps. I say I would quit my engineering job and be a gunsmith but can't afford the pay cut. 
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eschafer
Well-Known Member
WOW..... quite the thread..... Reminds me of those very select few Journeyman Power Electricians who were protective of their knowledge and tried very hard to confuse and or trick us while we were apprenticing and trying to learn the trade.... Most were willing to teach immediately... Some not... Those who were not, typically ate their lunch alone and constantly seemed as if they were insecure about something.... When really, they too were taught as apprentices at one time by gentleman who were the Journeyman tasked to teach them.... Some things never change... Good luck with your Tikka...
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Mike Dunaway
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2018
- Messages
- 45
Good luck young man. I hope you get some assistance.
SageRatShooter
Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2017
- Messages
- 12
Tbaxi - I've been a member of this forum for years and never post responses because of the useless opinions and non-helpful rants that are pervasive on this site. I'm going to break my rule here because you ask a legitimate question and over half of the responses were unjustified personal attacks on you for asking a simple question. I would make the following suggestions based on my experiences. I found the Darrel Holland gunsmithing series DVD's very helpful you should be able to find them on-line (or something similar) they are dated but thoroughly cover the basics. I rented them from "smart flix" but think this site is shutdown. If time permits watch all the DVD's (after schoolwork is done). Design your rifle project like any engineering assignment parts needed, specs, etc. Keep your first build relatively simple. Follow up with the smith/machinist you've contacted after watching/reading as much as possible and discuss what you have in mind and hopefully he will decide to help. Be willing to compromise on caliber because if the smith has been retired for awhile he may not have the current hottest caliber reamers and ordering one for a single build will significantly drive up the unit cost. You can rent reamers so search on line for some low cost alternatives for reamers and go/nogo gauges. Ask lots of questions. Good luck and hope this helps.
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My 2 cents.
I learned how to build rifles from my wife's late grandfather who at the time was a well known BR smith and shooter. He was in his early 80's when I met him and I started taking an interest in rifles. He was kind enough to let me for a small fee chamber and build my own rifle under his guidance. He was still busy at the time, but I went out on weekends and the odd late night. He basically lived in his shop. My first rifle was a hart barreled 308 Norma. Shot 1/2 MOA or better on regular basis. As time went on I was able to build 4 more rifles in his shop. As I became part of the family my shop time cost went down to helping him with day to day chores. Was never free.
During this time I was obsessed with reading everything I could on rifle building, shooting, ballistics, bedding techniques, chambering techniques, cartridge design, trigger tuning, timing, truing, and stock work. Basically anything to do with a rifle. Some of the old books such as Gunsmithing by Roy Dunlap still contain some very good information that is hard to find online.
Current production DVD's such as the ones named above give you a really good idea as to what needs to be done but as mentioned before the "feel" of doing things such as chambering is only learned by doing it. I've seen some horrible videos on youtube showing a "Professional Gunsmith" reaming a barrel and the thing is screeching and chattering so bad, but he keeps going through the whole chamber job. Would hate to see what that one looks like.
I learned to work a lathe backwards. I first threaded and chambered then learned how to run a lathe doing general lathe work after the fact. After he passed away I was lucky enough to get a job at another shop for $9-10/hr something like that doing basically muzzle brakes, and the odd chamber job along with a bunch of general repair work. I was able to get that because at the time I showed him a rifle I had built which was just as nice as the stuff they were putting out. A few years of working construction during the day then to the gunshop till 9-10 pm and I was able to take in a few things.
After moving to pursue my Doctorate, I no longer had access to the tooling. several years later buying and selling lathes and other machines, I learned what I liked, learned how to better run these machines, and ended up with what I have today. Probably $15-20K in used machines and tooling and I just do this as a hobby for myself now. Not exactly a cheap startup. Granted, you can start with a decent used lathe and some basic tooling. You soon learn what you like, what you don't like, and the capability of your machines. I got into it myself originally to save $$ by doing it myself because I couldn't afford to pay someone else to do it. I've built about 50 custom rifles for myself and a few others so sooner or later it pays off, but takes a while.
You can also learn a lot from some of the more reputable gun builders on many of these forums. Sometimes it takes a while to sift through all the BS, but many of these guys have in the past posted on set-ups, procedures, have decent discussions of various topics, and you can gain a lot from that. Just takes time to find it. Learn who some of these guys are and take all advice with a grain of salt. Every time I read about a certain procedure or set-up, I think about what they are doing. Is it better, just as good, does it make sense to me, or not up to what I feel is the best way to do it. Several ways to chamber a barrel and many of them can produce very accurate rifles.
That first 308 Norma hunting rifle I chambered was done with the muzzle in a 3-jaw, steady rest, and the reamer held solid in a Jacobs chuck in the tailstock. I saw barrel after barrel shoot no worse than 1/2 MOA being done that way, tight chambers too! Most of these were hunting rifles. I also saw countless BR accurate rifle too done this way! I don't chamber that way today, but goes to show, different methods work.
I think you are on the right track, finding someone to help you through the process and you will be leaps and bounds in front of someone trying to figure it out on their own. All those little crumbs of information that you get told while working with someone else that knows what they are doing are invaluable and will save you time and money down the road.
I learned how to build rifles from my wife's late grandfather who at the time was a well known BR smith and shooter. He was in his early 80's when I met him and I started taking an interest in rifles. He was kind enough to let me for a small fee chamber and build my own rifle under his guidance. He was still busy at the time, but I went out on weekends and the odd late night. He basically lived in his shop. My first rifle was a hart barreled 308 Norma. Shot 1/2 MOA or better on regular basis. As time went on I was able to build 4 more rifles in his shop. As I became part of the family my shop time cost went down to helping him with day to day chores. Was never free.
During this time I was obsessed with reading everything I could on rifle building, shooting, ballistics, bedding techniques, chambering techniques, cartridge design, trigger tuning, timing, truing, and stock work. Basically anything to do with a rifle. Some of the old books such as Gunsmithing by Roy Dunlap still contain some very good information that is hard to find online.
Current production DVD's such as the ones named above give you a really good idea as to what needs to be done but as mentioned before the "feel" of doing things such as chambering is only learned by doing it. I've seen some horrible videos on youtube showing a "Professional Gunsmith" reaming a barrel and the thing is screeching and chattering so bad, but he keeps going through the whole chamber job. Would hate to see what that one looks like.
I learned to work a lathe backwards. I first threaded and chambered then learned how to run a lathe doing general lathe work after the fact. After he passed away I was lucky enough to get a job at another shop for $9-10/hr something like that doing basically muzzle brakes, and the odd chamber job along with a bunch of general repair work. I was able to get that because at the time I showed him a rifle I had built which was just as nice as the stuff they were putting out. A few years of working construction during the day then to the gunshop till 9-10 pm and I was able to take in a few things.
After moving to pursue my Doctorate, I no longer had access to the tooling. several years later buying and selling lathes and other machines, I learned what I liked, learned how to better run these machines, and ended up with what I have today. Probably $15-20K in used machines and tooling and I just do this as a hobby for myself now. Not exactly a cheap startup. Granted, you can start with a decent used lathe and some basic tooling. You soon learn what you like, what you don't like, and the capability of your machines. I got into it myself originally to save $$ by doing it myself because I couldn't afford to pay someone else to do it. I've built about 50 custom rifles for myself and a few others so sooner or later it pays off, but takes a while.
You can also learn a lot from some of the more reputable gun builders on many of these forums. Sometimes it takes a while to sift through all the BS, but many of these guys have in the past posted on set-ups, procedures, have decent discussions of various topics, and you can gain a lot from that. Just takes time to find it. Learn who some of these guys are and take all advice with a grain of salt. Every time I read about a certain procedure or set-up, I think about what they are doing. Is it better, just as good, does it make sense to me, or not up to what I feel is the best way to do it. Several ways to chamber a barrel and many of them can produce very accurate rifles.
That first 308 Norma hunting rifle I chambered was done with the muzzle in a 3-jaw, steady rest, and the reamer held solid in a Jacobs chuck in the tailstock. I saw barrel after barrel shoot no worse than 1/2 MOA being done that way, tight chambers too! Most of these were hunting rifles. I also saw countless BR accurate rifle too done this way! I don't chamber that way today, but goes to show, different methods work.
I think you are on the right track, finding someone to help you through the process and you will be leaps and bounds in front of someone trying to figure it out on their own. All those little crumbs of information that you get told while working with someone else that knows what they are doing are invaluable and will save you time and money down the road.
iowaelkbum
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2016
- Messages
- 169
This respectful young man could teach some of these naysayers respect the old fashioned way. Just like they learned it back in their day, a mouthful of knuckles when you mouth off to much. Leave this kid alone he is trying to learn and grow.
KyCarl
Well-Known Member
I have 45 years worth of good machinist tools I would love to sell!
Gerstner and Kennedy boxes..Mics..Indicators and a lot of expensive close mics
for grinding..Etalon and Starrett. All top brands very little Japanese stuff! This would completely outfit a Beginner to a Journeyman.
Or trade for a sweet new rifle Colt Snakes Nice 1911's.
Gerstner and Kennedy boxes..Mics..Indicators and a lot of expensive close mics
for grinding..Etalon and Starrett. All top brands very little Japanese stuff! This would completely outfit a Beginner to a Journeyman.
Or trade for a sweet new rifle Colt Snakes Nice 1911's.
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