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Threading for a muzzle brake

Kavall

Plastic
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Location
Littleton, CO
Typically I would run the barrel through the head, center from the bore with a dial indicator for the muzzle with a 4 jaw and use a cat's head for the chamber end.

Now, I've got a bead blasted stainless barrel that's too short to run through the head. How do I set this up in a lathe? If I run a steady rest I'll throw marks all over the bead blasted finish. What am I missing? I mentioned this to a machinist who does a lot of muzzle brake work and told me it was simple and then said he wouldn't tell me the solution because no one told him. Personally I'd rather learn from people with the experience than learn by stumbling through it with trial and error.
 
i've used my action truing jig to precision thread muzzles on barrels as short as 12". i dial it in with a range rod the same way as i would through the spindle.

it's not a barrel in this picture but you can see how you could use it exactly the same way as a front and rear spindle spider.

bolttruing1.jpg


edit: another simple idea is to thread a tube to fit the barrel to extend it so it will reach your rear spider.
 
It's a barreled action. I don't want to remove the action for a "simple" muzzle brake job. I know there has to be a way I'm missing. Building a dual cat's head fixture like you did certainly would work for short barrels, and something I might have to steal from you with your permission.

But my problem is it's a 24" barreled action that I don't want to remove the action nor ruin the bead blasted finish on the barrel. How do you thread the muzzle in that situation. I know someone out there's laughing at me right now, this can't be a complicated problem. I'm just failing to look at it in the right direction. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
Soft 4jaw the action. Center drill a piece of stock, and cut a 1.25" bore stub opposite the center drill. Put the stub in the barrel and the tailstock center in the stub.

Won't work if you can't get it between centers or it's a stamped tin receiver.

Not a lot of info to work with and it's bedtime, sooo...good luck and good night:Yawn:

Ben
 
If the barrel is tapered and the front sight is removable, simply bore a sleeve out of aluminum or brass that matches the barrel taper on the inside, with a round OD to run in your steady rest.

Knock it on, do the job, knock it off when you're finished. :willy_nilly:
 
Make a bushing threaded to the barrel tenon, and turned to a tight slip fit in you headstock bore. Let the chamber end "run wild" in the bore and do your work on the muzzle end in the 4 jaw like you normally would. I have several of these for the more common short barrels I am running in to lately.
 
If the barrel is tapered and the front sight is removable, simply bore a sleeve out of aluminum or brass that matches the barrel taper on the inside, with a round OD to run in your steady rest.


Would work fine till you run across one that the bore is a few thou's off center.
 
Would work fine till you run across one that the bore is a few thou's off center.

Then you indicate in on your bore and turn your sleeve OD between centers to adjust, before running on the steady rest.

It's gunsmithing, not rocket science. You guys didn't invent machining, though you've technically been doing it longer than other niches. It's too bad that everything is always such a "big deal" as if being out a few thou actually affected accuracy in the real world. You sight in to the bore, based on where your rounds end up on target. If your rifle is repeatable, it can be made accurate...thousandths not withstanding. :Yawn:
 
Then you indicate in on your bore and turn your sleeve OD between centers to adjust, before running on the steady rest.

It's gunsmithing, not rocket science. You guys didn't invent machining, though you've technically been doing it longer than other niches. It's too bad that everything is always such a "big deal" as if being out a few thou actually affected accuracy in the real world. You sight in to the bore, based on where your rounds end up on target. If your rifle is repeatable, it can be made accurate...thousandths not withstanding.


Excuse me for making the assumption that the man new what he was doing, and for believing a few thousandths off bore will make a difference.

From now on I'll put them on with a die nut and a Cresent wrench. NOT!

Past my bed time, good night.

Ben
 
Grab the rear of the action/barrel in a 4-jaw or faceplate fixture that centers the bore in the lathe. Some fellows use a neet mandrel for this. Use an indicator to ballpark this breech end of the barrel.

Put the muzzle in a live center at the tailstock.

Turn the muzzle to proper major diameter at the tailstock end of your lathe.

Then single-point thread that bad boy right there. Your threading will be coaxial with the bore as a result.

A steadyrest is not needed to do this simple operation.

Gary
 
Grab the rear of the action/barrel in a 4-jaw or faceplate fixture that centers the bore in the lathe. Some fellows use a neet mandrel for this. Use an indicator to ballpark this breech end of the barrel.

Put the muzzle in a live center at the tailstock.

Turn the muzzle to proper major diameter at the tailstock end of your lathe.

Then single-point thread that bad boy right there. Your threading will be coaxial with the bore as a result.

A steadyrest is not needed to do this simple operation.

Gary

First thread a sleeve that will go over your muzzle.Then preform the above,next place your sleeve on the muzzle and turn it concentric use that sleeve for you steady to cut the muzzle remove sleeve / no marks I use blue painters tape to cover entire gun I will indicate off of the action where the barrel screws in. Best Pat
 
Grab the rear of the action/barrel in a 4-jaw or faceplate fixture that centers the bore in the lathe. Some fellows use a neet mandrel for this. Use an indicator to ballpark this breech end of the barrel.

Put the muzzle in a live center at the tailstock.

Turn the muzzle to proper major diameter at the tailstock end of your lathe.

Then single-point thread that bad boy right there. Your threading will be coaxial with the bore as a result.

A steadyrest is not needed to do this simple operation.

Gary

This may not be terribly kind to the very important and very delicate muzzle crown.

Bill
 
This may not be terribly kind to the very important and very delicate muzzle crown.

Bill

I have a group of little plugs that I made up in a 5C collet set in the lathe for just this purpose. They're aluminum, and I made them in 5.56(.22 cal), 6mm(.243), 7mm, .30 cal, .375 cal,and .45 cal.They have a straight section that just barely taps into the bore, and are center drilled on the opposite side from the plug section. I take a dead blow, soft faced hammer, tap the plug into the rifling, grab the action in a 4 jaw with brass shim stock to prevent marring the surface, then run the live center into the center drilled hole in the plug. This way, the crown is protected, I'm centered with the bore, and I can do whatever I want to the od of the barrel. I've single pointed threads for a flash hider or brake, or cut flutes in the od of the barrel if need be. Done this many times. I occasionally have to replace one, because of wear, or different count on the riflings, but it is so simple. I just keep a bit of 3/4 aluminum, splash a little WD40 on them before you install one,and keep all the old ones, as you never know when you might need them again. Never had issue one with the gun not shooting as well as it did before.
Only caveat is take fairly delicate passes when turning the barrel, real heavy passes could(theoretically) push the soft aluminum off the live center, though I've never had it happen.Threading with a single point tool would never push that hard. I really think it would take a wreck to damage a plug, but I tiptoe around on my guns anyway. Treat them like delicate toys when in the machine, seems to be the habit of most machinists and smiths I've seen.
 
Non marring bushing

This is a way to recrown rifle barrels or cut threads on the muzzle without marring the finish. Steve Acker demonstrated this technique in one of his Gunsmithing Videos.
IMG_0203Small.jpg


Fitting a tapered bushing to a barrel is time consuming and it seems that every one is a different taper. The trick is to use auto body putty to attach a bushing that doesn’t have to be an exact fit. A live center is used in the old crown and the outside of the bushing trued up with a light cut. The steady is installed on the bushing and the tailstock moved and the new crown cut. When you are through warm the bushing with a butane torch and tap the bushing off the taper. Some putty will stick to the barrel but it is easy to remove with a small piece of wood or your fingernail. This technique works much easier than the fixtuering alloys that I had used previously.

__________________
 
Hi,

I'm new here but not to machining and guns.

Kavall,

Why not just Magnaport it? Is there any advantage in having the barrel threaded for a break over the Magnaport style??

Jim
 
My idea was always to make two bushings. One that will slip into the chamber with a center on the opposite end, and a small plug ( as mentioned earlier) in the muzzle and and just spin it between centers. Would this work for a barreled action?
 
Like the pic that boucher shows but I use a piece of nylon or delrin. I bore it about .005 to .010 smaller than the place I want it to locate on the barrel than drive it on. Turn O.D. to be concentric with bore. It's not rigid enough for for heavy cuts but works fine in this application. Leaves no marks and absorbs small vibrations, Quick, easy, cheap and reusable.
 








 
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