barrel blanks and machining them.

[brian923]

i hope you guys,and girls) like questions here, cause i seem to ask a lot. but anyways, i have heard that if you do any machine work to a barrel blank will destroy your accuracy. does this mean that if i get a green mountain barrel blank that is 1.062" thick, that i can not conture or flute it? if this is correct, will threading the end for a comp, or muzzle brake reak havick on accuracy also? i guess i dont understand what is happening to the blank during the machineing prosses.

side note, i kinda like heavy barrels, but was interested in fluteing; because one, it looks cool, and two, to aid in cooling. so, i am not so sure that i would be contureing them unless i find a fitting problem. interested also in making barrel's from blanks for both ar's and bolt action rifles. brian

 

[WayneShaw]

To be safe, ask your barrel maker to send you the blank after it has been stress relieved, do whatever machining you want to it, and send it back for final lapping.

 

[brian923]

a question about lapping.

instead of sending back to manufature, can i use those special purpose lapping bullets as a barrel break in? will this accomplish the same thing? thanks, brian

 

[Preacher]

I'll bet a lot of the custom barrel makers would have a stroke if they knew you were thinking of fireing lapping bullets down one of their barrels.

 

[WayneShaw]

Agreed. Lapping is done by hand, and it is a "feel" thing to know when it's right.

 

[brian923]

ok :,
i dont mean to give any heart attacks here, i just want to learn. which is awsome, because i like to ask questions, and so far no body has treatened me to stop......yet ....thanks for the correction though, i would have probably destroyed my barrel with out even knowing. thanks again, brian.

 

[brian923]

another question....
could i harden the barrel blank and then work on it? i know that this will eat up tooling faster, but will it help keep the bore safe?

 

[Rustystud]

Any modification one does to a rifle barrel causes stress. Once any modification is done the barrel should be stress releived.
Rustystud

 

[brian923]

even in already stress relieved barrels?

 

[Rafael]

Brian;
Yes, even a stress relieved barrel.

The point is that when you do machine work to a barrel you create new stress. A previous stress relieving process does nothing to reduce future stress.

 

[brian923]

thanks guys., brian