Any of the pros want to test a reamer?

[LVLAaron]

First and foremost, I will not name and shame based on my experience.


I have a carbide reamer. It drives me crazy. It chatters. It grabs. It sounds like drywall screws in a garbage disposal. The cutting edges are very dull, like an insert tooling cutter is.

I have other "common" manufacturers products in carbide that cause me no trouble. I prefer them. I'm very confident in my setup. I have tried the reamer with a barrel stub held snug in a 4 jaw and a rigid holder... same deal. I can kind of make it work with low speed and high/hard feed, but it feels wrong/bad.

Having said all of that... it cuts gorgeous looking chambers, and they don't measure awful. Not great, but not awful - It makes great shooting barrels.

It's a very expensive reamer so I'm interested in feedback from someone with far more experience than me.


If one of the old timers/pros here wants to test it; I'll provide the reamer, a barrel stub, return shipping, and any box of bullets on my shelf.

 

[DaveTooley]

I'll give it a go.

 

[LVLAaron]

Best Christmas present a novice could ask for. I'll DM you.

 

[Darkside]

Use wax paper.
I've heard people have used Crisco.

 

[LVLAaron]

I've used all of the anti-chatter tricks. It should be easier to use than this - I don't want to cut wax paper every 20 thou when other reamers can do nearly a whole chamber with a flush system.

My curiosity here is; is the reamer very difficult to use or am I a dummy

 

[liljoe]

I have 3 or 4 reamers that cut just as you described. They are all made by the same manufacturer.
Joe

 

[Fuj]

Use wax paper.
I've heard people have used Crisco.

I knew an old school German smith that only used lard., and only
finished by hand. Emil Gorenflo.

 

[LVLAaron]

I knew an old school German smith that only used lard., and only
finished by hand. Emil Gorenflo.

That sounds like a really miserable and slow process

 

[Tim Singleton]

I have a carbide roughing reamer. That acts the same way you describe

 

[Walt Krafft]

Good luck Dave. I had one act like that for four chambers. Totally shattered on the fifth.

 

[Kurz]

Good to read that Dave is taking up this challenge. Experience counts!

I've had a couple of expensive reamers act this way but I no longer have them as they got returned and my money back.

 

[jelenko]

is the reamer very difficult to use or am I a dummy

Well... those are not mutually exclusive

 

[DaveTooley]

Good luck Dave. I had one act like that for four chambers. Totally shattered on the fifth.

I had a 17 K Hornet that snapped before I got half the chamber cut. Very very grabby. Small diameter core and very thin flutes.

 

[LVLAaron]

If he shatters it, I wont mind. It's done 20 chambers but I really hate the thing. It's just a saami 308

 

[X Count]

Maybe it's left hand?!

 

[LVLAaron]

I talked to Dave. He suggested that some reamers are made to plow. I put a stub in the lathe, set it to 75 rpm and plowed. Cuts great.

 

[SKWERLZ]

I talked to Dave. He suggested that some reamers are made to plow. I put a stub in the lathe, set it to 75 rpm and plowed. Cuts great.

So a lot like a lot of carbide tooling
Getting after it is better that dancin gingerly on it.
Makes sense.

A friend works at an OEM barrel manufacturer
They use carbide reamers and pressure fed lubricants.
It’s shocking how fast they can turn a blank into a finished barrel.

 

[DaveTooley]

The JGS Carbide reamers I use cut very cleanly, very sharp, almost too sharp at the start.

 

[LVLAaron]

Agree. JGS are cut well. This one certainly is not.

 

[jackieschmidt]

That sounds like a really miserable and slow process

I team all of my chambers by hand. Since ai rough bore the chamber on the same taper as the case, all I am using the reamer for is the final finish and final dimensions.