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Posted: 3/31/2010 7:49:51 AM EDT
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Seeing that I'm having trouble finding someone to supply me with a complete & ready to install, unchambered barrel, I've decided to go DYI all the way & turn a barrel from a good quality blank.
My reason is that I'm going for a DYI Wildcat that no-one I know of chambers (I'll have to have a reamer made too). I've looked & looked for information all over the place and have all kinds of specifications (torque values, profiles, threads, etc.) but I can't positively answer one question concerning barrel extensions. Are barrel extensions a "One Size Fits All" item? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, that barrel extensions are generic and accept any inspec bolt reguardless of cartridge head opening. But, I am not 100% certain and want to be positively sure before I start ordering parts. thanks in advance for any help/info, MLG |
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Thanks guys, I'll check with them to see if they might offer unchambered barrels. That would make the whole project a bit easier as I don't have a decent lathe & would have to farm out the basic machining steps.
MLG *edited* estimate request sent to both vendors. Thanks again! |
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Quoted:
If it was as easy as you seem to believe it is, the barrel companies would be out of business tomorrow. The trick is to get headspacing, lug pattern and the barrel locator pin to time out within spec. Good luck Digger. Ok, I'm not an AR expert and please correct me if I am completely off track, but I have been lead to beleive that the barrel extension itself takes care of all basic alignments (bolt, ramps, timing pin for receiver and layout for drilling gas port) and that once the extension is torqued on & pinned, the barrel itself should be pretty much ready for installation. I know that I am over simplifying this but all that remains machine wise is threading the muzzle, drilling gas port, chambering & crown. These items are all pretty much basic gunsmithing tasks. I don't see how these steps are really any different on an AR from any other such task. I think I can do it all myself but right now I don't have access to a good lathe. Am I completely missing something and there is a reason that the chamber can't be cut after the extension is screwed on? MLG |
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Cutting exterior threads is the easy part of fitting a barrel extension. Headspacing is the hard part.
I've never heard of anyone offering a short chambered AR barrel, or NO chambered barrel with an extension on it. Bottom line, all this is lathe work - chambering AND headspacing. There is no point in offering a partially completed barrel. Why not buy a blank, extension, and go at it on a friend's lathe? It is pretty simple lathe work once you get an idea of what needs to be done. BTW, what is the wildcat you are thinking of? |
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Quoted:
Cutting exterior threads is the easy part of fitting a barrel extension. Headspacing is the hard part. I've never heard of anyone offering a short chambered AR barrel, or NO chambered barrel with an extension on it. Bottom line, all this is lathe work - chambering AND headspacing. There is no point in offering a partially completed barrel. Why not buy a blank, extension, and go at it on a friend's lathe? It is pretty simple lathe work once you get an idea of what needs to be done. BTW, what is the wildcat you are thinking of? Well, I've got a small lathe/mill with a very short bed that I have used for minor fitting work, crowning and cutting chambers (Mausers & Enfields), but not enough to turn a bbl between centers. I have access to good machinists for a small fee & my next backyard shop is going to be bigger and have a nice little Southbend in it. I have also cut chambers entirely by hand when I did not have the toy lathe. I'm starting the process of putting together a .357 Herrett Rimless in either a 16" or 18" bbl. I plan to use 158gr pistol bullets at around 2400fps if not a little more & just enough throat to chamber the 200gr 358 cal bullets set a little deep to fit a 6.8 mag. It should make a neat little brush gun/hog gun. Plus i have the dies just laying around. |
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Tell me about what your wanting to do.
E Mail me at [email protected] I build abd chamber ar barrels. |
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