recrouning a barrel

[Kevin Stenberg]

What size of brass screw do I have to get to recroun a 336 35Rem. barrel?
Should I flatten the end of the barrel before it is recround?
Will the same screw be the proper size for a 30 cal. rifle?

 

[fiver]

just be aware that, that method, isn't really a re-crown.
your just taking metal away from the end of the bore/groove to unsquare things, or to take out a nick/rolled over edge, or try to smooth out an unevenness from one side.

the shape of the screw head is what works for you here one that fits a 35 will also work on a 30 just closer to the tip of the screw.
when you get to the ACE you should be able to just eyeball the head diameter you need.
but you'll be looking for something in the 1/4-5/16's bins for a head large enough for the 35 cal.

 

[Brad]

He means a 1/4" bolt, not the head. I hope?

A real crown, like fiver mentioned, means cutting the barrel end flat then finishing the crown properly to break the sharp edge.

There are hand tools out there to do the entire job at home but expect to spend a few bucks. https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...amers-muzzle-crown-refacing-kit-prod7718.aspx

 

[Ian]

If the crown is damaged enough that the muzzle needs refacing, it's beyond the scope of a brass wood screw to re-cut the crown.

Photos?

 

[oscarflytyer]

if it is just a touch up (where you would use the screw method) I recently saw someone say use a marble. Haven't tried it

 

[Pistolero]

I recommend spending a bit of money to do it correctly. Not cheap, but very well made.

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...utters/79-muzzle-crowning-cutter-prod628.aspx

You will also need a proper diameter pilot. Frankly, the pilots are ridiculously expensive, so I make my own
after buying a 30 cal pilot to start. This tool does a superb job, will last for decades of amateur use, a life time tool. IME many
crowns that look perfect are crap and need recutting to get the same angle all the way around.

Typical example. Rem03a3 sporter, crown looked perfect.


Just starting, you can see the asymmetry.


Almost done, sorry that I rotated the bbl position.



Fully cut. It looks smoother in real life than it does this close up. You can see the joggles
as the rifling reaches the super clean edge.


Bill

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

Can anyone say what the average smith for a recrown?

 

[fiver]

I don't think they charge all that much. [35-50$]

Bills pictures are really good at showing the difference and you can see the elliptical he had to remove.
I bet that rifle showed a markable improvement.

 

[Ian]

Wow, Bill, that thing was full wongo. Nice job on the fix, no chatter marks. This stuff is so easy on a lathe with a good, sharp HSS tool that I can't imagine doing a crown any other way now. Turn and polish a pin to indicate off the bore in the 4-jaw, dial in the other end in the spider, and touch off the offending metal. A good smith shouldn't charge much, last one I had done was IIRC 50 bucks maybe ten years ago and he did it in his lathe and lapped the burrs with an angle-matching lap.

 

[Chris]

Those Brownell cutters that Bill mentioned do a great job for those without lathes. Had a friend with one who did several rifles for me. As mentioned the pilot price is nuts, though.

 

[Eutectic]

I like a precision machined crown...... but I don't stop there.....

My father filed his barrels square..... but he was a master with a file! He had made several crowning tools. Different ball bearing sizes brazed to a length of 1/4" rod. I remember watching him lap crowns with an old 'egg beater' drill! Some balls had short stems (1 1/2"?) These he finished the crown by hand.

I do not like a sharp edge on the departure from my lands and grooves. AND the sharpest of tools MAY leave the slightest of edges 'proud'. Hard tough steel (like barrel steel) can be bad for this. What I'm talking about is maybe not visible with the naked eye; maybe like a half thousandth or less lip. This is why I hand lap to finish even the best of machine work.

I've got an old buddy in Wyoming. We built a plant there and he worked for me. He was 19 years old. That was some 35 years ago. Well, he loves guns and reloading. So we have kept contact over the years. He recently built a rifle and consulted with me along the way. He had a stainless Remington Model 7 .243 and he wanted a .358..... He got a Wyoming gunsmith to re-barrel the gun. This smith had a good rep from the long range shooters. A Pac-Nor 5 groove stainless barrel was chosen (1 in 12" twist) He came to visit with the completed gun still unfired. It wanted to shoot..... But every 4 or 5 rounds it spit out a flier. These were Hornady factory loads; but the fliers were like 2" out of a 3/4" group at 100... Both of us shooting it.
It was fouling pretty good. I looked at the crown. It looked perfect. (but was machine cut) We put some copper cutter in the bore, waited a bit, and wiped it out with oil, then dry patches. We were at my shooting bench looking at the crown in bright sunlight with high magnification... My buddy says: "Look at that edge if that groove.... What's that color?" I put on the magnification and looked.... I looked over at my buddy. "Copper." I said short and sweet. The edge of that groove had a burr. A burr so small we didn't see it even under magnification! The copper contrast showed it though. I hand lapped the muzzle for him..... The copper went away; the fliers went away....

I like that marble idea! I might epoxy a short length of 1/4" rod onto one and see what kind of hand lapping tool it makes!

Pete

 

[Chris]

That is a good point about lapping, Pete. Never gave it much thought...it doesn't take much burr to have a bad effect.

 

[Pistolero]

The hell of it is that this is, in my limited experience, a fairly common crown problem.
I have done a number who looked pretty similar. This rifle is a very nice looking sporter,
the person who did it did a fine job on the recontouring, shortening and polishing of the barrel
and action. Bluing is really nice. Good quality old Fajen stock, I think, nice walnut, nicely
fitted, but not great. I glass bedded it, recrowned it and then left it alone. It shoots well
now, plan on working more with cast ....round tuit shortage, permitting.

Bill

 

[oscarflytyer]

I like that marble idea! I might epoxy a short length of 1/4" rod onto one and see what kind of hand lapping tool it makes!

Pete - not tried the marble yet. Just recently heard of it. Have used the brass round head screw YEARS ago on a cut bbl Ruger BH 45 Colt bbl. Worked well. Thing was a tack driver. (have also hand lapped engine valves with an old kid's plastic dart!). I have a Savage 340 in 222 Rem that I think has about 1"-1 1/2" of sewer pipe bbl that is going to need some work. Nothing to loose. May do the manual process 1/2" and marble and see how it goes. I really think it it will take at least an 1" - so if doesn't work out, have a smith/machinist that can do it with the right tool set.

Pls post how the marble works if you do try it!

 

[Pistolero]

Oscar if you want to pull off that bbl and ship it, I can do the end in the lathe for you.

Unique advantate of a Savage, easy to pull bbls.

Bill

 

[oscarflytyer]

Oscar if you want to pull off that bbl and ship it, I can do the end in the lathe for you.

Unique advantate of a Savage, easy to pull bbls.

Bill

Bill - Thanx! and awesome offer. Prob is, I dont think the 340 bbl comes off as easy as the later Savages. I know it has a diff bbl nut - not the notched one that they make the bbl wrench for.

 

[Pistolero]

I noticed that mine has a bbl nut, but never really looked at it with the intent of unscrewing it, just "assumed" -oops!

Bill

 

[Ian]

Gotta make a wrench. Box end wrench, Devcon, and JPW seems to work, or cut some drill rod to grab four of the slots with a 12-pt end wrench. Maybe just a drilled/split piece of hardwood used in a bench vise like barrel vise jaws would do it if you also had an action wrench.