Possible to rent a chamfering cutter?

[FWSixgunner]

I have about four .38/.357 revolvers I'd like to chamfer the charge holes on, but I hate spending money on stuff I can easily DIY.

 

That said, I can't see spending $100 on a Brownells cutter and pilot that I'm not going to need that much.

 

Is there any place to rent a 45-degree cutter/pilot, or a cheaper option?

 

Pacific tool & gauge sells a cutter for quite a bit less, but for some inexplicable reason, doesn't make .38 caliber pilots.

[RevolverJockey]

They don’t get used very often, unfortunately if used wrong they can get dulled or damaged. I have one I seldom use and I think I have pilots for .38 special, and .38 super, maybe 9mm I would have to check. Is this something you have used before?

Lee

[PatJones]

That Pacific Tool cutter is intended to cut chamfers for lathe centers on rifle barrels.

I use a half inch diameter counter sink. No pilot.

https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn/?searchAheadTerm=Counter&searchAhead=true&hdrsrh=true&typahddsp=Countersinks&navid=12106118

[PatJones]

That Pacific Tool cutter is intended to cut chamfers for lathe centers on rifle barrels.

I use a half inch diameter counter sink. No pilot.

https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn/?searchAheadTerm=Counter&searchAhead=true&hdrsrh=true&typahddsp=Countersinks&navid=12106118

To be fair, I do hold it in a milling machine.

[FWSixgunner]

They don’t get used very often, unfortunately if used wrong they can get dulled or damaged. I have one I seldom use and I think I have pilots for .38 special, and .38 super, maybe 9mm I would have to check. Is this something you have used before?
Lee

No, but I have used throat reamers & re-cut forcing cones.

[MWP]

Dremel! 

[PatJones]

Dremel! 

Dremel tools have created a lot of repair work for gunsmiths over the years, me included.

If you're chamfering your own cylinder, remember that the chamfer only needs to be deep enough to clear the edge of the taper crimp on your case. More doesn't add anything to the reload. You just want to keep the edge of the case from hanging up, the round nose bullet does the rest.

I didn't have to touch the cylinder on my 627PC, it was fine from the factory. My 625 needed just a little bit of love.

[Steve RA]

I wouldn't touch it with a Dremel, use one of the cutters like the ones in Pat Jones post!

[FWSixgunner]

12 minutes ago, Steve RA said:

I wouldn't touch it with a Dremel, use one of the cutters like the ones in Pat Jones post!

I wouldn't use a Dremel for anything but bobbing a hammer.

 

I bit the bullet and ordered the Brownells with an extra 10mm pilot.  I figure other revolvers will come along I'll want to use it for.

[Bosshoss]

2 hours ago, PatJones said:

Dremel tools have created a lot of repair work for gunsmiths over the years, me included.

If you're chamfering your own cylinder, remember that the chamfer only needs to be deep enough to clear the edge of the taper crimp on your case. More doesn't add anything to the reload. You just want to keep the edge of the case from hanging up, the round nose bullet does the rest.

I didn't have to touch the cylinder on my 627PC, it was fine from the factory. My 625 needed just a little bit of love.

I have to disagree on the chamfer part. I found the bigger chamfer was faster and more importantly more consistence. The bigger chamfer doesn't just allow for the crimp it also allows for  some wobble between the moonclip and rounds. It also helps with any misalignment if the moonclip isn't put in straight.

 

No one has ever been able to tell me any downsides to a big chamfer.

 

[RevolverJockey]

7 minutes ago, Bosshoss said:

I have to disagree on the chamfer part. I found the bigger chamfer was faster and more importantly more consistence. The bigger chamfer doesn't just allow for the crimp it also allows for  some wobble between the moonclip and rounds. It also helps with any misalignment if the moonclip isn't put in straight.

 

No one has ever been able to tell me any downsides to a big chamfer.

 

 

Unsupported chambers

 

Decreased reliability due to inconsistent moonclip seating

 

Poor lockup and timing due to decreased star bearing surface on unpinned guns. 

 

Now you can’t say no one ever told you the down side of a big chamfer. Lol. 

 

In all seriousness, a good reload is a good reload. A bad one is bad. The chamfer helps some, but it isn’t a fixall. I saw an Open GM at a local match try to insert a fresh mag without removing the existing mag first. No magwell in the world would have corrected that. 

Lee

Edited September 1, 2018 by RevolverJockey

[Bosshoss]

3 hours ago, RevolverJockey said:

 

Unsupported chambers

Huh NO I don't chamfer a 627 any deeper than the factory chamfer  on the extractor star. The place that looks like it was cut off center on the factory star. the 625 and 929 I don't do any deeper than the extractor groove which is less than every 1911 made in the last 100 years.

Decreased reliability due to inconsistent moonclip seating

No again as the moonclips are still supported by the star and again by the cylinder in the triangle area between chambers. 

 

3 hours ago, RevolverJockey said:

 

Poor lockup and timing due to decreased star bearing surface on unpinned guns. 

Once again NO as even chamfered the tips of the star are still full width at the bottom tip of the star and the cylinder is full width where they meet up. Lock up is as good as it was stock. I guess someone could chamfer to deep and screw things up but I have been doing this a long time and I haven't had any problems. BTW timing on a non pinned star gun should be checked with some empty's in the gun as they will give a truer reading even with a stock gun. Even if someone chamfered to deep and did mess up the star/cylinder engagement the gun will still shoot fine as the loaded rounds will help line the star back up.

 

Now you can’t say no one ever told you the down side of a big chamfer. Lol. 

 

In all seriousness, a good reload is a good reload. A bad one is bad. The chamfer helps some, but it isn’t a fixall. I saw an Open GM at a local match try to insert a fresh mag without removing the existing mag first. No magwell in the world would have corrected that. 

Lee

A big chamfer won't make you a better reloader but a more consistence and maybe faster.

A bigger chamfer won't help you when you have a bad reload, no more than a bigger magwell would have helped  the auto shooter you were talking about.

[RevolverJockey]

I appreciate your passion and obvious level of expertise. That being said, when you said no one has ever been able to give you the downside of “big chamfers” I don’t think many people would have assumed you meant barely breaking the edges of the star as it should be done when chamfering correctly. I would define that as “normal chamfers” as opposed to the factory’s “no chamfers” and these being “big chamfers”. Lol. 

Lee

[missed it by that much]

Now that's a chamfer!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[RevolverJockey]

3 minutes ago, missed it by that much said:

Now that's a chamfer!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
 

 

I don’t think he shoots any USPSA, mostly just ICORE and steel, but I would bet most people would recognize the name of the person who owns that wheelgun. 

[alecmc]

I'd run it.

 

 

[jcc7x7]

On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 7:17 PM, RevolverJockey said:

I appreciate your passion and obvious level of expertise. That being said, when you said no one has ever been able to give you the downside of “big chamfers” I don’t think many people would have assumed you meant barely breaking the edges of the star as it should be done when chamfering correctly. I would define that as “normal chamfers” as opposed to the factory’s “no chamfers” and these being “big chamfers”. Lol. 

Lee

I'd run it and like it!  Big smile on this side of the key board!

[Dr. Phil]

Run it!

And besides, the cylinders that BossHoss has done for me aren't quite that chamfered...

[Bosshoss]

On 9/1/2018 at 7:17 PM, RevolverJockey said:

I appreciate your passion and obvious level of expertise. That being said, when you said no one has ever been able to give you the downside of “big chamfers” I don’t think many people would have assumed you meant barely breaking the edges of the star as it should be done when chamfering correctly. I would define that as “normal chamfers” as opposed to the factory’s “no chamfers” and these being “big chamfers”. Lol. 

Lee

Don't see any reason that wouldn't work but looks like crap. To each there own.

https://i.imgur.com/aknyt85.jpg[/img]

Here is a 627 cylinder(that hopefully shows up) that I did. Believe it or not it is NOT chamfered any deeper than the factory chamfer on the extractor. It still supports the moonclip and the bottom of the star and cylinder junction are still full width so the cylinder/star fit is the same as stock.

 

To be fair I guess there are a couple of downsides to this deep a chamfer.

1. MUST use moonclips can no longer shoot individual rounds and I inform the customer of this before I do the chamfer.

2. The legs on  the star are slightly weaker but I have never had any problem with any of them breaking.

 

Well not sure why image isn't showing up have to click link.

Any tips on getting images to show up? Never had any problems when I was using photobucket but imgur isn't working.

Edited September 3, 2018 by Bosshoss

[GMM50]

If you're using round nose bullets then you only need a chamfer to get past any edges that the crimp might leave on the cartridge.

Because that's the only part of the cartridge left to hang up.

 

[swordfish]

5 hours ago, Bosshoss said:

Don't see any reason that wouldn't work but looks like crap. To each there own.

https://i.imgur.com/aknyt85.jpg[/img]

Here is a 627 cylinder(that hopefully shows up) that I did. Believe it or not it is NOT chamfered any deeper than the factory chamfer on the extractor. It still supports the moonclip and the bottom of the star and cylinder junction are still full width so the cylinder/star fit is the same as stock.

 

To be fair I guess there are a couple of downsides to this deep a chamfer.

1. MUST use moonclips can no longer shoot individual rounds and I inform the customer of this before I do the chamfer.

2. The legs on  the star are slightly weaker but I have never had any problem with any of them breaking.

 

Well not sure why image isn't showing up have to click link.

Any tips on getting images to show up? Never had any problems when I was using photobucket but imgur isn't working.

Don't worry, there are those of us in the know that know you know what you're talking about. s#!t back in the day everyone thought weaver stance was the best thing ever. Who cares, people on the Internet are dumb. I'm trying to cut my 929 like you do yours but I haven't had the time, and titanium is a bitch. Mike says to use a dremel but again, no time to practice. Probably gonna use a dremel anyway. I'd send it to you but I shoot too much and don't have a backup.

[Bosshoss]

1 hour ago, GMM50 said:

If you're using round nose bullets then you only need a chamfer to get past any edges that the crimp might leave on the cartridge.

Because that's the only part of the cartridge left to hang up.

 

Very true but IMO the chamfer helps when most when you get the moonclip slightly out of rotation or off to one side or the other.

A small chamfer will work fine if you have a tight moonclip to brass fit and not much wobble and are perfect every time with the alignment.

IMO for the rest of us a bigger chamfer helps when we get it slightly wrong. 

I hated shooting my old 27 with speedloaders years ago it a had big cylinder with only six holes. Had a big flat between the holes i swear it seemed like every third reload the point of the bullets would land on those flats and mess me up. Looking at a model 27 now looks weird with just six holes after working on so many 627/929 with eight holes.

[Bosshoss]

20 minutes ago, swordfish said:

titanium is a bitch. Mike says to use a dremel but again, no time to practice. Probably gonna use a dremel anyway. I'd send it to you but I shoot too much and don't have a backup.

Titanium is a bitch and I hate working with it. I charge $25 extra for a Titanium cylinder chamfer. It is hard on the tooling and I rough it in with a dremel and finish with a cutter which takes more time but less wear on the cutters.

[RevolverJockey]

I thought the ti cylinder I did went ok, but I have only done the one. What I had trouble with was whatever coating was on my 627-4 Super. That stuff was tough as woodpecker lips. I ended up putting it in the mill and using an indexable carbide chamfer tool to get through the coating.

 

 

[Alaskan454]

I will also agree that Ti cylinders are a pain in the ass.  I used a cutter the first time and did it by hand...way too much effort.  Stainless steel cuts much easier.   As always, your mileage may vary, but I ended up doing my last two cylinders with a Dremel.  If you trust your hand skills there is no downside to using the Dremel.  I don't go crazy with mine, but I make sure every edge is broken and deep enough that gravity alone will feed a moonclip.