Best way to turn down barrels
I have not turned down a Talon barrel since I got my new lathe.
I recall doing a very poor job on a Crosman .22 barrel with the old Stark.
I need some Talon tips before I turn my next barrel..
Steady rest, or live-center etc…
TIA
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How to make a tailstock alignment tool—>
http://www.cartertools.com/tgtest.html
If your just machining down the end of the barrel where the breech slides I use a live center to keep the barrel centered while I tighten the chuck jaws and mount the barrel so its as close to the chuck as I can without hitting my tool post off the spinning chuck while making cuts. I then remove the live center and machine using light cuts.
Towards the end I measure after every cut with calipers and once its machined down close enough I switch to fine grit sandpaper and some oil and polish the last few thousandth’s off the barrel still in the lathe keeping the sandpaper moving along the barrel and then down a grit to the finest I have. Its better to be a little wider than stock breech (Stock is anywhere from .308 to .312 on the ones I measured) than machine down to .308 and then end up at .306 by the time you have a nice smooth surface.
I’ve done it that way several times on several different types of barrels for AF guns – including a .308 centerfire barrel and they are much tougher than airgun barrels and it went well. Plus few LW .25’s and .22’s and never ruined any. With that method I have no problem machining a .25 barrel down to the .308 OD of an AF barrel at the breech which is only a .044″ wall thickness so any issues would defintly show up.
Here’s the .308
and a .25 I did
Rich:
I messed up my first one too.
1 – Never let it get hot. Take light cuts. Use a sharp pointed tool.
2 – If you work between centers, keep loosening up the tailstock center as the barrel warms up. Thermal expansion will bend the barrel as huge forces are developed from center to center.
3 – If you use the center on the muzzel end, you will need to recrown because of the damage from the center.
The biggest problems when cutting long thin barrels (other than heat) are chatter and taper. The follow rest helps with both.
I have cut down 3 barrels so far. Messed up the first one when I let it get hot while it was held tight between centers. It was a .223 barrel for $15 off ebay. It ended up bent.
Second barrel was a .25 LW. It was the first time I used a follow rest and I was surprised that I didnt end up with a lot of taper.
The third barrel was .357 (9 MM) and only 17 inches long, so I didnt need the follow rest.
I drip water on the barrel in between cuts to keep it cool.
The barrels I turned down were a full length reduction in diameter.
Are you just reworking one end?
Mark
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Thanks for the tips. I might do better on the next try. 🙂
My next one is going to be a longer .22 barrel. One of these days,
I’m going to set up my SS for night time varmint control.