How I crown a barrel.

[CWLONGSHOT]

I appreciate the short barrel for some calibers. I have also pruned barrels seeking accuracy. Changing harmonics.

I was asked to show how I go about it.

CW

 

[wquiles]

That is how I did my Ruger S/A barrel. Slow and always moving. I wish I had your video handy when I was learning how to do this

 

[Snakeoil]

Nice vid, CW. May I add that another reason for oscillating the lap as you demonstrate, is also to prevent grooving the lap and ruining it.

You can make laps like that with a file and a drill press or even a hand drill held in a vise. It does not have to be a full ball end. A 3/8" rod with a radiused end will work on a small caliber like .22 or 6mm. If you need to do a .45, you can bump up to a larger rod/bolt. Nice thing about a bolt, is the head gives you the size without suffering the cost of something like a piece of 1/2 brass rod.

CW, you need some soft jaws for that vise.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Good morning!

Yes, great thoughts!! 100% a convex shape is all thats needed!! I do need padded jaws! Its a cheapo vice but works well I need to make soft inserts.

 

[Snakeoil]

Here is a simple solution for soft jaws. The cutout fits over the center arm of the vise and keeps the jaws in place. I have made them from 1/2" rock maple with leather faces for holding barrels and other polished surfaces. But my standards are 1/4" luan or old panelling, and 1/4" aluminum. What I love about this design is you just drop them in place and they stay put. You can cut out a new pair on a bandsaw in about 2 minutes. You could also make them from thin HDPE, Lexan, or anything else you have hanging around the shop. Only thing I would not use is soft pine because it splits too easily if you clamp down hard on something narrow. The luan is my favorite. All my vises have at least 1 pair of luan soft jaws.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Thank you!! I guess I have a project for this rainy Thursday!!

 

[Snakeoil]

Thank you!! I guess I have a project for this rainy Thursday!!

What I suggest, CW, is you make a cardboard template for each vise. The softjaws should be flush with the 3 outside edges of the vise jaws because any part that sticks up or out to the side will break sooner than later anyway. You will need to make new ones every so often and being able to flop the template on the material and trace out a new one to be cut on the bandsaw is much easier than trying to use the old beat-up jaw to trace a new one. Punch a hole in them and hang them on a hook by the vise they fit or wherever you keep things like this.

You will love these. Share the idea with your buddies. This is one of those elegance in simplicity ideas that for some reason never occur to folks. These work great for holding a screw tightly in a vise without damaging the threads so you can carefully tap a buggered up slot back into shape with a small ballpeen hammer.

 

[jsizemore]

Have you tried a brass acorn nut?

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Have you tried a brass acorn nut?

I dont see why it wouldn't work threaded onto a threaded rod as a shank ta get into the chuck.

 

[seagiant1]

Hi,
Soft Jaws made with rubber and aluminum plate...

Makes you able to hold Guns for cleaning and smithing.

I have since, squared and cleaned these jaw inserts but needed them at the time asap.

 

[Tomme boy]

Tonight I took my TC System 1 50 cal barrel to the lathe and parted off the QLA. This gun always shot ok at best with conicals. I was looking down the barrel and noticed the QLA was not concentric with the bore. This is what a lot of people suggest that this is why they don't like conicals. It shoots sabot really well. And the fix is to cut it off or run a sub base wad. Not just a felt wad but basically a sabot with no petals. MMP makes them and I just don't want to have to stock something else that may not be available much longer.

So my lathe did not have enough clearance to fit the barrel through the chuck to do this the right way. So I chucked it up with the muzzle in the 3 jaw. I made a little V block so the rest of the barrel would not just be flinging around unsupported. And I have to run the speeds below 350 rpm so not too bad. This stainless actually cut off way easier than some of the steel I have been using for swage dies. Maybe its the gummy carbon steel???

Had to make a brass carriage type bolt to do the crown. Took some paper towels and made a plug so nothing gets down the barrel. I have 4 different lapping compounds. I did not do a really deep crown like CW did but it looks good.

Now to just get to the range to test it. Took me a while to find the sabot I used to use to hunt with. Now that I have them again I can compare the difference between before and now. And to test the conicals that I have on hand. The best it has shot with these is 4" or so at 100 yds.
QLA will only shoot sabots. Everything else is like shooting a smooth bore. And the common thing was this QLA muzzle. It will be interesting to see if it works.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Good luck TB!!

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I just noticed, This video has blown up with nearly 30k views.

Sometimes no figuring what might catch someones eye...

CW

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

Would it be a good idea to put some kind of a plug in the bore to keep any particles of lapping compound or metal filings out of the bore?
And after you were done crowning the barrel. Push the plug out of the barrel from the chamber end.

 

[462]

Would it be a good idea to put some kind of a plug in the bore to keep any particles of lapping compound or metal filings out of the bore?
And after you were done crowning the barrel. Push the plug out of the barrel from the chamber end.

That's exactly what I did, Kevin, when re-crowning the Swede.

Stuffed a couple patches in from the breach end, compressed them against my thumb for a tight fit, did the re-crowning, then pushed them out from the breach end.

 

[RicinYakima]

Thought everyone did that?

 

[Tomme boy]

Foam ear plugs work perfect for that.