Would like feedback on my equipment

[Road_Clam]

Hello gents, avid firearms enthusiast , and 20 year CNC vertical mill machinist by trade. Over the past 5 years been building my basement workshop to hopefully enjoy all types of projects post retirement. I'm pretty much self sufficient as I have a deep inventory of shop tools. 11x29 lathe, 4x18 mill , TIG welder , MIG welder , metal bandsaw, torches , and a 3D printer . Very good with CAD and Mastercam . I'm "good" with a lathe , not "great". I'm more proficient on the mill side of machining. Spent the last few months with major upgrades to my lathe, added a 2hp 1500W VFD system, and a DRO system. Just finished fabbing a spindle spider, and modded my steady rest to bearings. i'm quite confident that I have the resources and skills to conquer barrel threading , but my primary concern is do I have the adequate equipment to tackle precision barrel chambering ? Asking the experts to critique my equipment and offer some advice. I have NO problem investing in chambering tooling IF I have adequate equipment. Thanks in advance for your help. Here's pics of my lathe :

 

[guythatbrews]

You've got a nice start. Your lathe is light duty I'm sure you are aware. That doesn't mean you can't do some decent work with it with some practice and patience. Go for it.

Be careful around that spider. You should make a guard for it. Stuff like that will jump out and chew you up if it gets a chance.

 

[Road_Clam]

You've got a nice start. Your lathe is light duty I'm sure you are aware. That doesn't mean you can't do some decent work with it with some practice and patience. Go for it.

Be careful around that spider. You should make a guard for it. Stuff like that will jump out and chew you up if it gets a chance.

I'm actually learning that my lathe is VERY capable of +/- .001 as long as I keep my machine methods with the understanding that this is a hobby lathe. Just patients with light DOC's , i'm keeping the SF's as low as possible to keep the material from getting hot (using air blow as necessary). Definitely finding the sweet spots for speeds and feeds . I'm getting proficient machining with 303 stainless with practice (I get a lot of scrap 303 bars from my work). It's not a dragrace with my lathe, just take my time and have some fun with projects.

 

[BOB-OO]

PRECISION Chambering will require .0002" tolerance, can you hold that? Can you measure it? The rifles won't fail if you can't but your MOA may not be what your looking for. Try it on a piece of 4140 bar stock.

guythatbrews is right, I've watched a 40 year diemaker work what would be miracles to you and me on a rough, loose lathe, but I couldn't do what he did. He knew things about the lathe and how to cover its shortcomings that yielded truly outstanding precision. Its a learning process, do it, fail, try again until you get the results YOU want.

 

[Road_Clam]

PRECISION Chambering will require .0002" tolerance, can you hold that? Can you measure it? The rifles won't fail if you can't but your MOA may not be what your looking for. Try it on a piece of 4140 bar stock.

guythatbrews is right, I've watched a 40 year diemaker work what would be miracles to you and me on a rough, loose lathe, but I couldn't do what he did. He knew things about the lathe and how to cover its shortcomings that yielded truly outstanding precision. Its a learning process, do it, fail, try again until you get the results YOU want.

Can I hold 2 tenths ? Not on my hobby lathe. Can I measure 2 tenths ? Yes. I have access to inspection instruments to measure tenths. I hold +/- a tenth on a daily basis using precision Sunnen hones and surface grinding.

 

[cmccull166]

Congrats Road Clam.
Good luck to you
and always remember if you love what you do you will never have a job.

 

[cyanidekid]

welcome RC. l'm kinda of mixed minds on a number of things here... fist of all, if I owned that lathe, I would keep it a secret and under cover. most certainly not post a pic HERE, lol!
good work can be done with marginal gear, no doubt, but +- .001 isn't anything to brag about. having said that, I don't think chambering requires .0002 tolerances unless you are trying to put 5 rounds through one hole at 200 meters..depends on your expectations.

 

[Road_Clam]

welcome RC. l'm kinda of mixed minds on a number of things here... fist of all, if I owned that lathe, I would keep it a secret and under cover. most certainly not post a pic HERE, lol!
good work can be done with marginal gear, no doubt, but +- .001 isn't anything to brag about. having said that, I don't think chambering requires .0002 tolerances unless you are trying to put 5 rounds through one hole at 200 meters..depends on your expectations.

I'm highly active at a sporting club and i enjoy 600 yd midrange F class shooting. I also enjoy antique black powder long gun shooting. I would really like to learn barrel chambering if not for precision, but for just the knowledge. If i can achieve 1-1/2 moa at 600 yds that would be outstanding.

 

[akajun]

I'm highly active at a sporting club and i enjoy 600 yd midrange F class shooting. I also enjoy antique black powder long gun shooting. I would really like to learn barrel chambering if not for precision, but for just the knowledge. If i can achieve 1-1/2 moa at 600 yds that would be outstanding.

Your large is more than capable of producing a chamber that will shoot sub MOA and win a few matches if you do your part cutting the chamber and reading the wind.
Stick to your proven machine set ups
Indicate the throat and the next 1.5” before it
Pre bore your chamber and use a good quality reamer.

 

[cyanidekid]

I'm highly active at a sporting club and i enjoy 600 yd midrange F class shooting. I also enjoy antique black powder long gun shooting. I would really like to learn barrel chambering if not for precision, but for just the knowledge. If i can achieve 1-1/2 moa at 600 yds that would be outstanding.

well at 600 yards (midrange???) the atmospheric conditions such as wind, mirage, humidity, etc are going to be at least an order of magnitude bigger of a factor than ten thousandths of an inch in the chamber. you could twist the reamer by hand and get good results that would be dwarfed by those other factors.
chamber back from shoulder theoretically could be a pear shaped frankenhorror, if neck is co-axial to bore, you neck resize only, turn your cartridge neck thickness, and clock your cases, and have good crowning, bullet concentricity, base symmetry....

 

[john.k]

You will have no trouble threading and chambering barrels ......back in the day ,many professional gunsmiths had small lathes like a SB 9",and had no trouble doing barrel work and even making their own chamber reamers .........I would be a bit concerned doing welding in a crowded basement ,though .

 

[1yesca]

You will have no trouble threading and chambering barrels ......back in the day ,many professional gunsmiths had small lathes like a SB 9",and had no trouble doing barrel work and even making their own chamber reamers .........I would be a bit concerned doing welding in a crowded basement ,though .

vary good point ol buggy axle pope would have love to have had a lathe like that . if you want a good read check out his bio its a good read . his rifling machine was made from an old lathe . a book a cook dose not make ! you have it or you don't

 

[Road_Clam]

vary good point ol buggy axle pope would have love to have had a lathe like that . if you want a good read check out his bio its a good read . his rifling machine was made from an old lathe . a book a cook dose not make ! you have it or you don't

Can you provide a link to this bio info ? Thanks

 

[1yesca]

Can you provide a link to this bio info ? Thanks

it was from a book i borrowed from a guy about 20 years ago one thing form the book pope had moved to san Francisco set up shop and just before he was set to open the big quake shut him down

 

[1yesca]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1014474111 this mite be the book

San Diego Schutzenguilde