technetium-99m Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I've seen a few guns that have had the barrel cut off to be even with the bushing and then a crown put on them to recess into the bushing a small amount. I'm assuming a lathe is the best way to do this but I was wondering if the bulk of the material were removed if something like Brownell's 79 degree crowning tool would work. I'm looking at the one with the replaceable pilots to match bore diameter. What say you all? Go for it or don't touch it since you don't have a lathe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
want2race Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 That tool chatters and the finished product will look like ish. Turned by hand or faster, it didn't matter for me. Basically I couldn't get it to cut smooth. Flush the barrel by hand with files. I used a dremel (gasp!) and a round ball stone to break the edge of the crown. This was on the Hacksaw 2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Hello: It is a 10 minute job in a lathe and will be perfect with no chatter marks Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markcic Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 (edited) I'm not sure about the process they use but Cameron's does a great job of it. Edited November 22, 2011 by markcic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
want2race Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Of course it's a quickie job with a lathe. That's like cheating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okshootist Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I've used the 79 degree cutter on revolver barrels with excellent results. I use a tight fitting pilot, lots of cutting fluid and clean the chips out frequently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technetium-99m Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 That tool chatters and the finished product will look like ish. Turned by hand or faster, it didn't matter for me. Basically I couldn't get it to cut smooth. Flush the barrel by hand with files. I used a dremel (gasp!) and a round ball stone to break the edge of the crown. This was on the Hacksaw 2011. Thanks for the advice Shaun. You don't know how much I idolize you for the hacksaw 1911. That gun inspired me to put my own stuff together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technetium-99m Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 I've used the 79 degree cutter on revolver barrels with excellent results. I use a tight fitting pilot, lots of cutting fluid and clean the chips out frequently. Are you turning it by hand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I used an 11degree cutter from Brownell's a few times. (I guess they are calling it a 79d cutter now). I cut a G24 barrel down to G35 length. (about the same as the amount of material cut off in Shaun's avatar) Cut it off a bit proud, using a sawzall, keeping it lubed up as I cut. Then, trued it up with files. Then crowned it using the cutter. I wasn't going for a mirror finish, I wanted it to shoot. It did/does. I looks good enough too. It I wanted to further dress it up, I try to finish it up with a ball. I hand turned mine. On the pilot. I ordered a caliber specific brass pilot from Brownells. Needing a 0.400, I got something that was >0.450. I don't know if I got the wrong one, or if it was designed to be fit/turned down. If the latter...well, if I had a lathe to turn it down, I would have used that in the first place. So, I had to chuck the brass pilot up in a drill, then mount the drill in my vice...and work the pilot down to the proper size. Somebody probably has a ruined barrel that you could use to practice on. Go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick_L Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Might consider having a look around here: http://www.mansonreamers.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKSNIPER Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Man you guys ROCK! I read the Sir Hacksaw stuff a while back and spoke to my gunsmith buddy who practically fell through the speaker when I told him you cut off the barrel with a sawzall. "HE cut it with WHAT?!" If you have a buddy with a smithy machine that machine should be smooth and accurate enough to put a crown on the barrel. I know little about gunsmithing....VERY little. WHen bringing my latest weapons problem to the armorer (whether in THe Corps or the P.D.) I would say : "Look ..I don't know whats wrong with it...I didn't invent the MFer I just shoot it. If I knew enough to know what was wrong with it then I would of already fixed the fudging thing instead of standing here with parts in my paws." I DO know enough to know that Flex is right in that the parts don't have to look pretty to shoot well. Savage rifles shoot like a house on fire.... and their bores look like crap compared to some out there. Years ago they started having problems with accuracy. They brought back someone who knew his stuff who told them : "You want these rifles to shoot ? Turn off that expensive machine you have polishing the bores." They did and the accuracy returned. Looks like crap when you look down the bore but the darn things shoot better than the rifleman holding them. Tech...a local machine shop should be able to sell you some lathe time to do this. Ask your car wrenching buddies where the place is that your local auto mechanic goes to get stuff machined. The crown can be crucial because if its done canted or off center it CAN affect the accuracy of the weapon. At MOST pistol distances its probably not going to be a super big deal but for those few long shots you want to make? It MIGHT be a big deal. JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike cyrwus Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 a crowning tool will not work, thats a lot of material. Plus, youre going to have a hell of a time polishing it without a lathe to turn it; all the while keeping stuff concentric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technetium-99m Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 I was going to remove the bulk of the material with a mill and just use the tool to dress the crown. I hate to say this but I'm not overly concerned with how it looks. Since it will be covered with cerakote. Plus the muzzles of my 1911's are always coated with fine layer of fouling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
want2race Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 (edited) Well CRAP, you have a MILL? Clamp up the barrel, center tool head on bore, then use the cutter. If the work and the tool are held firm, it should not chatter. I tried using it by hand and with a 10" drill press. Took me FOREVER to get the chatter marks out. Turn the tool very slow, the slowest speed on my drill press is like 500rpm. Edited November 22, 2011 by want2race Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I've got a buddy that cuts (long) barrels back all the time. He likes a stiffer barrel (shorter is stiffer). He like to cut them off an inch at a time and test fire as he goes. He finds a sweet spot in length/stiffness. He shoots for accuracy, and hits what he shoots at. (In fact, he is one of the guys shooting pistols at 1,000y) To clean up crowns, he just uses a chamfer/deburring tool (like you'd use on rifle brass). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wide45 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 If you don't care how it looks, why do it? It's not going to make it shoot better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technetium-99m Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 If you don't care how it looks, why do it? It's not going to make it shoot better. My poor wording again. I like the look very much, I can live with a tool mark or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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