357 Max reamer too deep

[Milsurp Junkie]

I bought a cheap 357 Handi-rifle locally. The prior owner used a 357 max reamer on it and cut it a hair too deep. He stated that it does not always fire the primer (1 out of 10 does not fire, but usually fires the second time around). I was wondering if it would be possible to jb-weld or soft solder a bushing to bring the head space to where it needs to be to fire reliably. Otherwise, I would have to find brass that has thicker than normal rims, or possibly seat the prime slightly high (which does not sound great.).

Any ideas on how to tackle this one? I am only out $100 for it, so I could just send it to H&R and get a new 357 barrel on it, along with a 12 gauge as well.

[725]

I suppose you could hang the boolit out to engage the rifling to headspace instead of the rim, but I'd just get a new .357 barrel and a 12 ga.

[williamwaco]

I suppose you could hang the boolit out to engage the rifling to headspace instead of the rim, but I'd just get a new .357 barrel and a 12 ga.

Ditto.

Life is too short to fool around with cobbled up ammo.


.

[Bent Ramrod]

I turned a washer out of shim stock, filed away part of it to clear the extractor and soldered it into the rim seat of an old H&A .38-55 shotgun which was probably chambered for folded-head cases. Solved the headspace problem pretty handily.

If the barrel assembly can stand the heat, your Handi-Rifle could probably be treated the same way. You could even glue the washer in with Loc-Tite. However, the leade would still be a little farther out than it should be so accuracy might be subpar without seating the bullets out.

[rockrat]

I would think a bushing, either JB'd in or use one of the high strength loctites. Then re-cut the rim recess. Shouldn't be too hard a job.

Its what I would do.

[badgeredd]

If it were mine, I'd make up a shim as mentioned above, solder in place (with a high strength solder) and then carefully file out the extractor slot. If your careful and take your time the fix will be permanent and never cause you a problem.

Edd

[dragonrider]

"I suppose you could hang the boolit out to engage the rifling to headspace instead of the rim"
I would give that a try but I can't say it would be completely reliable. Best to get the new barrel.
Now just as a question of possibility, could the barrel be set back by removing and replacing the barrel lug??? Certainly not economicaly feasable but is it possible??? I don't have a handi, do have a TCR-87, not sure of how alike they are.

[wgr]

i would make a 35rem out of it

[Hamish]

"i would make a 35rem out of it"

That's a smaht man there youngstah, mmmmm-hmm.

[Goatwhiskers]

No way to set the barrel back. Pays to be an old gunsmith, the idea of soldering in a steel ring, then recutting the rim seat is an old trick we used to use to correct headspace in shotguns (particularly singles) when it was still worth the money to fix one that was out of whack. Sometimes it was necessary to cut the original seat a little deeper, then do the repair. Good luck with it, the Handi in .357Max is a great little gun as long as it's not on the SB-1 frame and doesn't have the large firing pin. Here endeth the lesson. GW

Edit: by the way your throat is not enough longer to make any difference at all. GW

[Jeff Michel]

No way to set the barrel back. Pays to be an old gunsmith, the idea of soldering in a steel ring, then recutting the rim seat is an old trick we used to use to correct headspace in shotguns (particularly singles) when it was still worth the money to fix one that was out of whack. Sometimes it was necessary to cut the original seat a little deeper, then do the repair. Good luck with it, the Handi in .357Max is a great little gun as long as it's not on the SB-1 frame and doesn't have the large firing pin. Here endeth the lesson. GW

Edit: by the way your throat is not enough longer to make any difference at all. GW

Goat whiskers is correct, replacing rims in shotguns saved a bunch from the scrap heap in my shop. The only thing I would be concerned would be the chamber pressures involved, 12gauge shotguns run 8500 to 12,500 CUP, I'm nowhere near any data, but I'd be confident that you would be crowding 30,000 to 35,000. Most soft solders 4% silver might have a shear/tensile strength sufficient to hold but you will have to remove considerable metal to have adequate bearing surface, Also the steel you use for your replacement chamber ring is a consideration. I'd silver braze it if repair was my only option, but if you are not familiar with soldering, your going to be way ahead getting a new set of barrels from H&R

[Milsurp Junkie]

It is on a SB1 action. I need to double check the firing pin size. I have an SB2 action, but it is in stainless.

[jhrosier]

I would consider just building up the face of the extractor to maintain headspace.
It really won't take too much to hold the case closer to the breechface.
When revolver cylinders are milled for moon clips, only a small area of the original chamber is kept to allow firing without the moon clips.
The extractor should be easy to work on, possibly even without removing it.

Jack

[Goatwhiskers]

The SB-1 receiver is cast iron, not steel as some think. I would at least be very careful to use only mild loads as the working pressure with most pistol powders can be in the 40,000 range according to SAAMI. I won't go into my loads over the 'net, but I use fairly stiff charges of 1680 with my bullet seated kinda far out and have no pressure problems. If you get this barrel repaired I would advise fitting it to your SB-2 frame. Goat

[John Taylor]

The bolt thrust of a modern 12 gauge is a little over 5,000 pounds. The bolt thrust of the 357 max is a little under 5,000 pounds so it should be safe on the SB-1 as long as the firing pin is not the old large type. I would not depend on Loctite or epoxy for this repair. I have never had much luck with epoxy holding and loctite would need a larger area to maintain it's hold. Welding would create a hard spot in the barrel and probably ruin a good chamber reamer trying to clean it up. Might be best to run the rim cut a little deeper, make a bushing and use a good lead free solder ( I use Brownells force 44). If you are careful with the flux you might get by without having to reblue.

[Goatwhiskers]

Re: the effect of flux on blued areas. Paint a coat of White-Out (remember typewriters?) on the area you want to protect, end of problem. Buff it off when you're thru. GW

[Milsurp Junkie]

I was considering soft solder : 96.5 %,Sn, 3% AG, and 0.5% Cu. It is soft, but should hold. What would be the best material to make the bushing out of? Steel, or brass? Brass, it would be easy to use a 38 special cartridge and lathe/file it down prior to soldering it.

[Goatwhiskers]

Use Hi-Force 44, either the regular or hi-temp versions from Brownells. Use steel, in essence you're soldering a washer, not a bushing into the rim recess, then you have to recut the recess to create the correct headspace. GW

[Milsurp Junkie]

Looking it over, there does not seem to be much difference between the lead free 96.5 %,Sn, 3% AG, and 0.5% Cu solder that I have gobs of, and the Hi-Force 44. Both have similar characteristics.

[nanuk]

i would make a 35rem out of it

I'm not sure it is wise to do that on an SB1 frame...