rebarrelling information
Can someone recommend a book or an instructional dvd on correctly removing and installing rifle barrels? I know someone is going to say don't waste your time, take the gun to a gunsmith, but I was a machinist for 5 years, and have a college degree in diesel engine repair, so I'm no dummy, and I don't believe removing and installing a barrel is rocket science, I just need to read or see a procedure and I can do it. Thanks
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hadjii, are you only changing barrels and keeping the same caliber? if you are changing the caliber you need to research the brand and model of your receiver(gun) to assure that it will accept higher pressures of more powerful loads. also the face of your rifle,s bolt may have to be machined to accept a larger shell base. after that is completed the barrel may have to be threaded to fit the thread length of your rifle's receiver. once the barrel is insatalled you will have to purchase some go/no-go(caliber specific) gauges to ensure proper head spacing. if the head spacing is not correct then you will have to purchase a reemer(caliber specific). remove the barrel, place in a lathe and install the reemer on the chuck. unless your familiar with the process then my advice is to not attempt it. i too have five years machine shop experience and i wouldnt even attempt it. i let my gunsmith with thirty five years experience handle the job. there is lot to this process and the proper equipment is a must. if your still wanting more info, then an online search is in order. best! 0 -
Garth, this is my plan, and maybe it's not quite as simple as it sounds. I am planning on buying a used Remington 700 in a magnum caliber, such as 7mm mag, 300 mag, or 338 mag. That way the bolt face will already be correct. I want to take the 6.5 rem mag barrel off of my remington 673, which is a short(too short)action, and put it on the remington 700 that I end up buying. I don't need a high priced custom barrel, as the barrel on the 673 shoots way good enough for hunting. I just want to be able to get the most out of the cartridge. If I had to do any machine work, there's no way I would attempt it. I guess I assumed that if I took a barrel off of one remington rifle, that I could just get me a set of headspace guages and put it back on another remington rifle. A friend of mine has a barrel vise and the receiver tool to do it, and he said I could borrow it. 0 -
buy a barrel vise, an action wrench, and go to it. Tighten barrel in vise, insert action wrench into action with bolt removed, twist wrench, untrhead action from barrel. Reverse process to reinstall a barrel. If you are using an already chambered barrel, you will want to invest in a set of "go no-go" guages to correctly set headspace. Remember to reinstall recoil lug when putting on new barrel. 0 -
hadjii,
Unfortunately with Remingtons, it's not that easy. Remington still has not and will not join the 21st century with machining. Barrels taken off of one Remington will not headspace or come to top dead center when put on another Remington.
While this seems to be a really stupid thing, it does prevent every amateur in the world from switching barrels and creating potentially catastrophic failures and injuries because of a lack of knowledge.
In your situation, there is nothing wrong with taking your barrel off of the M673 and trying to see where it fits on the new magnum action. Chances of it lining up and having the correct headspace are slim to none. If you get close, be sure to remove the firing pin and the ejector from the bolt in order to feel the right headspace. Remember that these barrels are put on tight. The action and the barrel have to properly restrained or they could slip and scar the steel. If you really get after the action and the barrel doesn't budge, you can twist the action... then you're done.
If the headspace is too long, you have to set the shoulder and the inner rings back until you get the right dimensions. This is done on a lathe. If it's too short you need to ream the chamber a little longer. This can be done by hand with the proper tools but mistakes are easy to make.
Please don't be offended if this sounds a little abrupt. Knowing how to machine is one thing. Knowing the proper procedures and measurements is a whole 'nuther ballgame.
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You know what? I think I will just let a gunsmith do it and not have to worry with it. Thanks everybody. I may be no dummy, but guess not quite as smart as I wished I was. Makes me wished I would have went to colorado School of Trades for gunsmithing back in 1981 when I got out of the Army like I had planned to, but somehow got sidetracked, by a woman I think. 0 -
hadjii,
In 25 words or less will you tell me how to trouble-shoot & repair my Cummings engine. Better yet, where can I get a video that will show me everything you know about diesel mechanics, after all it's not "rocket science"
Now that I have totally be-littled your education & training as you did with an equally skilled profession, namely Gunsmith, bear in mind:
If the mechanic does something wrong, you walk!
If the gunsmith does something wrong, you go in for a face trans-plant.
Everything is easy when someone else does it!
Jim0 -
excuse me cussedemgun, but I don't believe i belittled anybody. if you want to learn everything I know, then go down to the auto-parts store, or to the cummings dealer and buy the service manuals. Gunsmithing is no different. If a person has common sense, is mechanically inclined, and you have problem solving skills, then you can do anything you want too. Reading blueprints, understanding tolerances and procedures is all part of that. I can also comprehend what I can and can't do. If I get into something that I can't do, then I just seek out advice of people that have the answers, or I take my mess into someone who can fix my mistakes. I'm not so stupid as to try and shoot a gun that may or may not be safe. I apologize if I offended you, but it really isn't rocket science. If you never tear anything apart, you're never going to figure out how to put anything back together, or understand how anything works. 0 -
You can learn to build rifles, start with a small project and build on it. Just like you started machine parts you did not start on pieces that had ten complex cuts on them, you started on something simple and learned to do more complex work. If you are really intrested find articials on building rife and start reading, pick a project and build it. You're not starting from scratch, the major machine work is done, all you really doing is making sure the barrel has the right size chamber so the bolt will engage the cartridge according to measured specifications.
You can do it!
Emmett0 -
have rebarrelled a number of rimfire & centerfire revolvers & rechambered 22lr rifles to 22 mag using cheaper mill & lathe with no problems....understanding what/why/how is supposed to be done is basic using common sense.. i mean early gun work was done by hand with primitive tools...or you could wait for some govt bureaucrat to do it for you......did you learn any basic plumbing or electrical or service a car????????????..maybe start with simpler project & work up...their are tons of books out there, internet sources & Brownells tech staff is a great service... 0 -
hadjii,
This is one of the better introductory books about barreling rifles:
Illustrated Guide to Barrel Fitting
There are also the Gunsmithing Topics on Brownells website. There is one in particular about headspace gauges. These are in Newsletter format and can be downloaded for printing out:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/GunTech/newsletterarchive.aspx
This is the link to their Instructional Videos:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/GunTech/newsletterarchive.aspx?x=v
AGI has a whole series of videos about gunsmith various firearms and systems.
Best.0
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