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Thread: Sterling Gun Drills

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Sterling Gun Drills

    Anyone know about these? I saw a whole box of them at a flea market still in the plastic tubes and most had the original oil on them. Are they worth anything used? Guy didn't know what they were and I probably could have gotten 20-30 for $50.
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    Boolit Buddy elginrunner's Avatar
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    if memory serves, they will probably be a one flute drill bit for drilling deep holes, probably with a through hole for pressurized cutting fluid.... I'm sure we have some machinist that will know for sure...

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    Boolit Grand Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by elginrunner View Post
    if memory serves, they will probably be a one flute drill bit for drilling deep holes, probably with a through hole for pressurized cutting fluid.... I'm sure we have some machinist that will know for sure...
    I looked them up and that is what they seem to be.
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    Boolit Buddy elginrunner's Avatar
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    When we did work for Dana corporation we made drive shafts. We did gun drilling for lubrication through the part... I guess maybe sterling is just a brand name??

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    If you have the proper machines to run them on they are very valuable. If you don't have high pressure thru the spindle oil flush not so much.

    https://www.sterlinggundrills.com/gun-drills.php
    Last edited by M-Tecs; 03-23-2021 at 07:08 PM.
    2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

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    2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    "Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives? Because if not, there’s absolutely no point."
    – Amber Veal

    "The Highest form of ignorance is when your reject something you don't know anything about".
    - Wayne Dyer

  7. #7
    Boolit Mold
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    Quote Originally Posted by M-Tecs View Post
    If you have the proper machines to run them on the a very valuable. If you don't have high pressure thru the spindle oil flush not so much.

    https://www.sterlinggundrills.com/gun-drills.php
    THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    I've ran hundreds of gun drills over the years, and you need the proper machines. I ran them on CNC mills. This is the mill I ran before retiring. You can see some gun drills in the tool holders on the stand in front of the mill. That whole machine is a CNC mill that cost a little over a million dollars. We machined blocks of tool steel for injection molds. Some of those blocks were 4'x4'x2'. Big and HEAVY!! You loaded them in the left end and the carousel rotated 180 degrees into the machining chamber. There's a door behind me that you could actually walk into the chamber.




  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    I ran set up on several banks of gun drills.... interesting machines! Deep hole drilling machines can bore holes faster than you ever thought possible, and to shocking tolerances, then you can add gun reaming, which was just beginning to be a thing when I left that company.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jonp View Post
    Anyone know about these? I saw a whole box of them at a flea market still in the plastic tubes and most had the original oil on them. Are they worth anything used? Guy didn't know what they were and I probably could have gotten 20-30 for $50.
    https://sterlinggundrills.com/

    If you wanted to pick up the box, and ship them to me, I'd be happy to pay your costs, and add $50 for a profit for you. I have one .375" drill that I found at a swapmeet a few years ago.

    Bill <-- not a machinist, but learning to become one, and doing it as a hobby.

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrounge View Post
    https://sterlinggundrills.com/

    If you wanted to pick up the box, and ship them to me, I'd be happy to pay your costs, and add $50 for a profit for you. I have one .375" drill that I found at a swapmeet a few years ago.

    Bill <-- not a machinist, but learning to become one, and doing it as a hobby.
    If we cruise down there in the near future and they are still there I'll pick them up for you. Price paid + shipping + $50 sounds good to me.
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  11. #11
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    I saw them yesterday. He's been hauling them around for a while. Still in the plastic tubes.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jonp View Post
    If we cruise down there in the near future and they are still there I'll pick them up for you. Price paid + shipping + $50 sounds good to me.
    works for me!

    Bill

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by jsizemore View Post
    I saw them yesterday. He's been hauling them around for a while. Still in the plastic tubes.
    Wonder why no-one wants them? They were in good shape. I guess a flea market isn't the place most who use that type of thing cruise into to buy them
    I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled

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  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master



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    Quote Originally Posted by jonp View Post
    Wonder why no-one wants them? They were in good shape. I guess a flea market isn't the place most who use that type of thing cruise into to buy them
    Without a thru-the-spindle high pressure oil flush they are not usable for most applications. A standard drill press or lathe won't cut it unless they are used to ream and you still will have a chip removal issue.
    Last edited by M-Tecs; 03-28-2021 at 09:28 PM.
    2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    "Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives? Because if not, there’s absolutely no point."
    – Amber Veal

    "The Highest form of ignorance is when your reject something you don't know anything about".
    - Wayne Dyer

  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy
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    And here I thought this was going to be a thread about training with a British subgun...

  16. #16
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    I mentioned them to a few folks that do machining work. No takers. I don't know anybody that does custom barrel production. All of them appear to be 6-12" in length.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master

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    another reason they dont work well in most standard lathes is the long drill takes up to much room to have it and a part in the machine. On most of our machines the beds are 24"-40" between centers. If you dont have a spindle hole big enough for the part then your fighting for room

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