Turning a Mauser Barrel to a Differnet Contour

[StrawHat]

Are there any problems associated with turning the Mauser barrel down to a smaller contour? I have a short barreled Swede that I would like to turn into a lightweight hunting rifle. It is accurate but a lot heavier than I envision for a stalking rifle.

[skeettx]

Use a follower rest, and go slow, do not heat up the barrel in turning.
Will you be using an offset for a taper?.
Use an insert in the barrel bore for the center to ride on.

[nhrifle]

Provided the lathe is set up well, you take your time, and don't make the barrel unsafe by making it too thin, shouldn't be any problems. Take light cuts with sharp tools and keep it cool while cutting to prevent warpage, and be sure to use a follow rest to keep the barrel from flexing.

[gnoahhh]

I did that trick twice- took baby cuts with lots of cutting oil flow, follower rest, etc., and re-cut the crowns afterward. One gun would put the first shot out of a cold bore smack dead on. Second shot 2" high, third shot 2" higher, until the fifth shot would be off the top of the paper. The other gun shot groups about twice the size of those out of the barrel before it was re-contoured. One Swedish Mauser, the other a Spanish Mauser. I don't think I'll ever try it again, although I'll admit to knowing of others whose tapering jobs were successful. Better to just buy a cheap "house brand" barrel from a supplier and spin it on, IMO.

[country gent]

A good shatrp HSS cobalt bit sharpened and honed would be recomended here. I would run rpms on the slow side and feed on the heavier side taking small passes and working the barrel down slowly. The issue will be with stress, whats already in the barrel from manufacturing and what is induced from turning. I would work slow between centers. Keep well coated with cutting oil ( Black sulfar oil is best. If you use a follower rest keep it well lubed also. Small cuts of .005-.010 with a truly sharp tool of the right geometry correct feeds and speeds all will make a big diffrence. The trick will be not to induce stresses into the barrel. Also Keep in mind any heat and the barrel gets longer when turning between centers this causes the part to bow and not turn true.

[StrawHat]

Thank you for the information. I apologize, I have no intention of doing the work myself, I was asking to see if there were any problems such as mentioned in Post #4. I am not looking for bench rest accuracy. This will be used as a hunting rifle so 3 shot groups will be sufficinet to test. After that, all field positions.

Now, to find someone who CAN do the work!

[skeettx]

Plenty of good machinists in NE Ohio
Do not limit yourself to a "Gunsmith"
Mike

[bob208]

never saw a mauser barrel shoot good after being truned. saw quite a few who tried it.

[nanuk]

can someone explain to me how a follower rest works with a taper?

I am envisioning the rest being locked into a specific distance from the cutting tool, and therefore could not cut a taper, as the rest and tool would jam up tight.


on a straight bar, I can envision the follower riding on the cylinder, but a tapered bar???? I can't wrap my mind around it.

[skeettx]

pneumatic rest

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general/there-lathe-has-follower-rest-allow-taper-turning-148914/

[gnoahhh]

I forgot to mention a machinist buddy who altered a Swede milsurp barrel by milling the rear portion into an octagon shape, leaving the step(s) in place forward. He claims it shot well, and admittedly it looked pretty cool, but I was a little leery about his removing that much steel in that area of the barrel.

[John Taylor]

I gave my idea of an offset center to Pacific Tool and Gage and they redesigned it a bit and put them on the market https://shop.pacifictoolandgauge.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=2019&zenid=1rtiphgdsonkpvrigbc2d8t127.. This is an adjustable offset live center for turning tapers in a lathe. The first one I made was about 12 years ago from someone ell's design using a boring bar head for a milling machine and a ball baring welded to a stud for the center.
I use a steady rest for any barrels that are long enough to flex away from the cutter. Turn half the barrel and move the steady rest then turn the other half.

[M-Tecs]

pneumatic rest

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general/there-lathe-has-follower-rest-allow-taper-turning-148914/


I have used Hydraulic follower rests with great results but I always thought a pneumatic follower design would have too much compression issues to work well. Looks like I was wrong. Seems I now have a new project. Thanks for the links.

[StrawHat]

A good bit of information and I enjoyed reading what has been posted. Not being a machinist, some of it was beyond my ken but mostly understood.

I grabbed the old Swede and looked at it. It is one of the early rifle imported into the country by Interarmco and is marked G33/55, an imaginary designation. The barrel is 18" long and the stock is just a slighly sporterized military one.


...It is accurate but a lot heavier than I envision for a stalking rifle...

It feels clunky in the hand BUT when I put it on the scale, it only weighs 6 pounds, without scope or sights. Not sure if I need to pare down the barrel as it is already a good weight. I think a bit of judicious wood working will get me a better handling rifle. I would prefer a longer barrel but first the woodwork. If I decide a longer barrel is necessary, I can have a longer one installed.

Sure wish Bishop or Fajen were still around. A nice lightweight stock in walnut or plain maple would look good on this.

[skeettx]

http://www.ramlinestocks.com/ramlinestocks.html#Mauser

[StrawHat]

http://www.ramlinestocks.com/ramlinestocks.html#Mauser

skeettx, thank you for the suggestion. I am a blued steel and walnut kind of guy but may try out something like that if there is a weight saving reason.

[skeettx]

Me too!!!! , but have a FEW that are synthetic, a FEW that serve a specific purpose
Weigh your present stock and then check on the weight of the syn stock

[leadman]

I had a beat up swedish 6.5 so finished the sporterizing of it. I shortened the barrel to about 20", shaved down the outside of the stock a little, and drilled some large holes in the stock under the buttplate. The forearm has a nasty gash in it so I shortened it also.
Drilled and tapped it for a scope and forged the bolt handle. Don't remember the finished weight but it was a good carrying gun and shot well.
I did take a couple of elk with it and it performed well.