finishing a short-chamber barrel by hand

[bruce drake]

Folks,

I've got two short-chambered barrels that I need to run a finish reamer up into to get proper headspace before I can shoot them. I got them spun on last weekend and found out they are definitely short chambered (unlike the 7.62x39 barrel I had put on in 2007 before I deployed which matched up perfectly with my Turk small ring action.)

For those who have done this before, how much pressure on the finish reamer should I put on it? I don't want the reamer to chatter when I turn it but I would like to know about how much it shoudl take to clean up the chamber. I'm thinking of using the PTG Reamers from Reamerrental.com with their 10" extension T handle so that I don't have to pull the barrels again.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Bruce

[Kuato]

I did a 7mm rem mag for my old boy, on a Mauser action by hand. Shouldn't need alot of pressure. Use a good amount of cutting oil & go slow. Check your headspace often. It took me about an hour to get the headspace just right. I used a JGS reamer & a ratchet.. The rifle shoots MOA easily.. The barrel is an Adams & Benett ..

[codgerville@zianet.com]

I have done three, using Brownell's barrels and Manson reamers. Did two by hand and one in the lathe, because it kept trying to chatter. Didn't take a lot of pressure, about like feeding a drill bit. Used TapMagic for cutting oil.

[redneckdan]

I cut a pilot chambered( about half depth) .308 blank into a .30-284 barrel, took about 8 hrs by hand. 4D products rented me the reamer. Use just enough down ward pressure to prevent chatter. I would take 3 or 4 turns, dump some machining coolant down the reamer to flush the ships, and completely remove the reamer every half an hour or so and really clean the chips out good. Be sure to break the leading edge of the chamber or your cartridges will hang up while feeding.

[smokemjoe]

I do all my by hand, Have done alot of barrels on 03A3s using Gov. new barrels, Seem it is like taking out a burr and the go fits and no go dont, Last week a put a used Win. M1 Barrel on aWin. M1 Garand Action, The no go didnt go, I just made a light pass with the reamer and it showed hardly any metal come out, Then the no go went and the No go field gauge also went. I took off .008 off the shoulder and then all the gauges worked. I buy my barrels Douglas long chambered, then you face some off the front of the barrel to bring it in. Joe