Anybody ever made a barrel crown with a file, honing stone, and grit paper?

[VaniB]

This project is intended for a 9mm pistol barrel. I know this is mainly a precision rifle websight......but the question of working with a barrel crown stays the same whether it be for rifle or pistol.

I was thinking I might want to use a dremel cutting wheel to shorten an extra-long barrel that hangs out over an inch past the slide on my 9mm pistol. But the question is IF I COULD FIX THE CROWN WELL ENOUGH so it will still fire good groups. I figured I could then carefully file or use a fine honing stone by hand to take the burs off of those cut edges, and round off the end of the barrel to look very neat and be 99% smooth. Then I intend to use some 400 grit- 600 grit paper wrapped around a wood dowel to really smoothen the new crown edges and remove any remaining tinyl imperfections on the barrel rifling grooves and lands. I would imagine that as long as I leave no burrs or pits in the surface, and the bullet jacket rides over a smooth surface, the accuracy should not be effected. (??) This is a pistol intended for carry, and not used for competitve shooting, and so 2" groups or so at 50 feet will be plenty accurate enough.....if I can get those kinds of groups.



Anybody done this? ......Can I expect decent results?

 

[SET]

Can I expect decent results?

I can appreciate you problem but I believe you really know the answer to your own question.

 

[VaniB]

I'm looking for difinitive input that it can or can't be done. The negative tone in a very brief one sentence reply I just read isn't an authorative reason one way or the other. A crown is normally done with a lathe, but does this mean that a clean exit for the bullet can't be done by hand....or does it? That's why I posted this question.

My thinking is that if the last 1/16" of barrel metal that the bullet passes over is finely honed down a few thousands lower then the surrounding metal, then it should have no negative effect on the 9mm bullet path as it passes over the crown, never contacting any of the metal. It is my understanding that accuracy problems caused by a "bad crown" are normally due to burrs, dents, or pits that disturb the flight of the bullet.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

You'll be fine, get a machinist square and use it to make it as square as you can. When I was a kid I had a wore out k98, it would shoot 8-10" at 100 yards with surplus, I took a drill and counter bored the muzzle a half inch and it shot 5-6" groups, haha.

 

[SET]

I'm looking for difinitive input that it can or can't be done. The negative tone in a very brief one sentence reply I just read isn't an authorative reason one way or the other. A crown is normally done with a lathe, but does this mean that a clean exit for the bullet can't be done by hand....or does it? That's why I posted this question.

I didn't mean it to be negative. I guess it depends on to what degree of precision you wish to have the crown cut in relationship to the bore.

I'll tell you what, if you PM me, I will re-cut your crown properly for only the cost of shipping it to me. Is that fair?

 

[VaniB]

In the last hour I found this you tubevideo which shows a crude recrown method that should suffice for me. I wouldn't doubt if it's true what the young man is saying.......that this method is how it was done in the old days.

While I don't have machinest tools, I've been a tradesman and a hobbiest most of my life so that cutting the barrel to look very neat and square will not be a problem. Again, this project is a 9mm barrel in a carry pistol, so that competition accuracy is not what I'm seeking. I would never attempt to recrown any of my rifles this way. But, I think this crude method will produce a crown on the pistol barrel that will look good and shoot straight enough for my carry purposes.

Zfast, thanks for the encouragement.
Set, it was mighty kind gesture of you in making that offer to me. I'll try this first. Thanks.





[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoSI_O3Oc3w[/youtube]

 

[Preacher]

If you go slow and pay attention to the details, you can do a crown that way on a carry gun..
Concentricity is the name of the game....

 

[Joe C]

Pray tell, what kind of pistol is this?

 

[VaniB]

I've since located a replacement barrel the exact size that I need, and so I will not need to do this operation.

If anybody else ever cares to do this kind of handywork, here's a $9 option that should work for you in case you'd like something better then the crude $2 screwing shown in the above video. (ie; $9 tool VS $2 brass screw)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/45-Degree-Brass-Muzzle-Barrel-Crown-Lapping-Gunsmithing-Tool-pistol-Rifle-/331286773934?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d223b00ae

 

[hunter243sgk]

Manson tool and reamers and Brownells both sell good crowning tools.These are hand tools not the lathe type.If you go to the Manson website they explaine it well.I would spend the extra money and do it right plus you can buy different pilots to do other calibers.I would go with the Manson tool.

 

[butchlambert]

Why wouldn't you use a jigsaw?

 

[tonyb]

Why wouldn't you use a jigsaw?

Or a chainsaw.... probably get the same results! LOL..... Find someone with a lathe, and do it right.

JMHO

Tony.

 

[MDSpencer]

Don't buy the Brownells muzzle crown deal. Try it your way and use a Q-tip to check for burrs in the barrel's muzzle

 

[swd]

When I was a kid I crowned a muzzle loader barrel with a brace and bit and a counter sink. It came out pretty good and shot fine.

 

[watercam]

4-D Products rents muzzle crowning tools for a very reasonable rate. I have done at least 20 crowns with the same tools with good success.

 

[ebb]

The smith that built my first and several other rifles once told me his guns have won national championships in benchrest with crowns cut on a lathe and also with a round headed brass screw. Don't talk down about the screw method it works.