Reamer type for reaming a rifle barrel

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Mike8623

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Got a question for those out there in the know.

I'm gearing up to make a rifle barrel in the next few months. I already have the boring machine and steel. Deep hole drill is pretty well dialed in and I'm thinking about reamers. Eldorado dme talks about chips ahead and chips behind reamers, but not which or why for either one.

Anyone out there with any info or an idea on which one....chips ahead or chips behind.
 
Did you build your own boring machine? Looks real good.
Are you going to pull the button through using the same machine or like many use hydraulics to pull it through?

Very interested in your project.
 
I bought it from a gentleman that is now in a nursing home (James "Doc" Kegel). He doesn't have a real good memory so I'm still figuring it out. It does appear to be very well thought out and built. I believe he did this in the late 90s. I am in the process of changing a few things on it to make it more versatile and able to use it on some parts that were not available to him when he built this. I had thought about cut rifling but now think button rifling is the way by pulling. Will use the machine to pull it. I was just tickled to get this machine. I am going to have a brass plate with his name on it done and attach it.
 
A few more pictures
 

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The machine is still setting on my trailer in the garage. I will have to move it around to the roll up door in my shop to get it in. There is still way to much snow for that to happen yet. It will be another 1-2 months before the snow is gone. It looks like I'll have use a cut rifling head to rifle the barrels ant the machine is made for 6 or 8 groove barrels. Been looking at gun drills and reamers and at 70 my wife still has me on tight budget... I'm thinking it will be July until I have everything I need to start, but even at 70 I'm excited.

The machine did come with a few gun drills, reamers, gallons of cutting oil and a few other items but they are all small bore and I'm a 50 call kinda guy.
 
This should be a great adventure. Buying blanks and having the finish work done is very expensive. My last 30" 308cal Heavy Contour competition barrel ran me right at $850 (Benchmark). Given that I will only get about 3000 rounds that won't last long shooting F-Class TR. Just competitions alone with no practice or load development that works out to about 800 rounds a year. That gives me about 4 years. Higher powered calibers you can cut life expectancy in half.

If you are shooting 50 BMG, I would imagine you wouldn't get much more than 750 rounds, speaking from a competitive point of view that is.

Look forward to see your project progress.
 
You're absolutely right. Small time barrel making has to be a labor of love.

I'm going for the old 50-110 winchester. Eldorado wants roughly 150.00 for a gun drill, 250.00 for a reamer...then there is the barrel steel which I already have and the misc stuff. I've got some bushing bearings and whip guides coming, that is another 100 or so...then I'll have to make a few parts for the machine so it'll work from smallest caliber to the largest.

Currently I'm starting to work up a cutter. I've already made one rough cutter head body and figure it'll take 2 or more attempts before I get it. I'm going to post another post looking for help on the cutter dimensions. Any help would be appreciated. I'll sleep on it tonight and think about it thru the night. I'm far from a machinist and would say at best I'm a novice if that term even works.

You know, you always have to have a dream or you might as well be done. Up here in Montana winter gives you a lot of time to dream. Heck my wife and I had to dig ourselves out of a snowbank this morning so we could get to Church. It is just the two of us and a pair of saint bernards.
 
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Mike8623 said:
You're absolutely right. Small time barrel making has to be a labor of love.

I'm going for the old 50-110 winchester. Eldorado wants roughly 150.00 for a gun drill, 250.00 for a reamer...then there is the barrel steel which I already have and the misc stuff. I've got some bushing bearings and whip guides coming, that is another 100 or so...then I'll have to make a few parts for the machine so it'll work from smallest caliber to the largest.

Currently I'm starting to work up a cutter. I've already made one rough cutter head body and figure it'll take 2 or more attempts before I get it. I'm going to post another post looking for help on the cutter dimensions. Any help would be appreciated. I'll sleep on it tonight and think about it thru the night. I'm far from a machinist and would say at best I'm a novice if that term even works.

You know, you always have to have a dream or you might as well be done. Up here in Montana winter gives you a lot of time to dream. Heck my wife and I had to dig ourselves out of a snowbank this morning so we could get to Church. It is just the two of us and a pair of saint bernards.
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Couldn't agree with you more. We have to have our dreams and it is not always about the finance. If that were the case, I would have never got into competitive shooting. If I was smart, I would sell all my competitive gear and have all the money I would need to buy machines for my shop. But I love shooting. Of course, depending on where we end up in retirement, there may not be any competitive that is near me. So who knows.

I love shooting, even if it is just me competing with me. I love designing and fabricating things. Hope to be able to combine them into a cross hobby where I can support my habits.

I love the old Winchesters. I had a 1940's Win 94 in 30-30 that had to be sold to handle medical bills when my wife and I were first married. would love to find another pre 64. Have thought about 40-70 government. Love the big cartridges.

The more you talk about your project, the more interested I am.

Patrick
 
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