Barrel Crowning

[lgwatson]

I need to get a barrel crowned. A gunsmith told me it could be done without removing the barrel. Is this correct and the best way to do it?

 

[David Conder]

Not for me

 

[Bob in WI]

I need to get a barrel crowned. A gunsmith told me it could be done without removing the barrel. Is this correct and the best way to do it?

I have done this and it can be done on a lathe that has a spindle tube with an inside diameter big enough so the barrel can be indicated by use of range rod and 2 spiders (1 inboard, 1 outboard) and headstock short enough so that the action is basically just spinning along for the ride and not interfering with anything.
Above is the best way I know of to ensure the crown is cut true to the bore.
If your barrel is relatively short it may need to be pulled. Just depends on the lathe being used.

 

[CCM]

If his lathe headstock is short enough, the barrel won't need removed. I can go down to 19" without pulling a barrel.

 

[ELR LVR]

I need to get a barrel crowned. A gunsmith told me it could be done without removing the barrel. Is this correct and the best way to do it?

It can also be done by chucking the action in and indicating on the OD of the action
(Using brass or copper shims to protect from the jaws)
Not saying this is the best way
Removing the barrel is of course best
Just saying it CAN be done this way
-----------------------------------------------
In my opinion any angle error 3 feet away from the action will be very minimal... since the muzzle bore centerline itself will be inline with the chuck bore centerline
-----------------------------------------------
As long as he gets the Bore at the muzzle end dialed in concentric, and not off center, is most important for even distribution of high velocity gases exiting behind the bullet
-----------------------------------------------
Your Smith may also have a way to "Turn Between Centers" while still leaving your action attached to barrel
This would be ideal actually

 

[Walt Krafft]

Certainly not the "best" way, or normal way I do it. But I was pressed for time before leaving for a match. Had just mounted a scope on my xtc rifle, shot a few to get a zero, and decided to shoot some standing practice. The balance was all messed up, way too nose heavy. Went to the shop and sawed the 30 inch barrel to 24. Crowned it with a sharp countersink in a pistol drill. Shot several cleans at 300 and 600 yards that weekend. As long as the crown is sharp and free of burrs you will be ok most of the time.

 

[LVLAaron]

It's possible. But 'it depends'

 

[ELR LVR]

I need to get a barrel crowned. A gunsmith told me it could be done without removing the barrel. Is this correct and the best way to do it?

My Bad
Just read Bob in Wi post more in depth, He is correct
Actually this is the way I like to work on barrels, with a spider on the rear and indicating both ends
I never really thought about it with an action on because we indicate inside the bore and would be hard to reach inside the bore with the action still attached, maybe will work with a range rod long enough?
But after reading his post
If your barrel is long enough (I need over 22 inches) to fit between the rear spider and the chuck
then yes, it can easily be done without removing the action
---------------
And then Brownells also sells a crowning kit that looks like it can be done by a hand crank tool
And read this on one of its reviews
"I use to use my south bend lathe and a 4 jaw chuck. and had to take the gun apart to do it. charged 1 hour labor and always took me two.With this it is done in 5 minutes!!WORTH the money !!Will be buying more adapters asap to do more."
------------Maybe your Smith has one of these tools?

 

[lgwatson]

Thank you all for the input.

 

[jwv2001]

I need to get a barrel crowned. A gunsmith told me it could be done without removing the barrel. Is this correct and the best way to do it?

Why do you need to get the barrel crowned? I think most of the answers so far about the best way to crown a barrel are coming from the fact of rifle building.
The way you are approaching this is, that there is some damage to the crown that needs to be repaired.
I think the best way would be to remove the barrel. Not the cheapest way. If you a have lot of confidence in the smith, then follow his advice.

 

[William Vogel]

If it’s something like a 700 or clone of a 700 then it’s soo easy to unscrew the barrel. There’s no easier way to indicate the barrel but by itself only, I wouldn’t do it any other way. Trying to leave the action in place would just cause more time to indicate. I would never trust using a three jaw chuck to be center concentric unless it’s a huge lathe and I think most would agree that they are only within thousandths. I indicate down to 10ths and it’s fast with only the barrel. I leave the scope rail on the action and the scope goes back on within zero. Brownells sells a kit to dress a crown but if the whole crown needs modification the rifle barrel should be unscrewed.

 

[DaveTooley]

I need to put a post up in the gunsmithing section about a quick and clean way to run a barrel/barreled action in a steady rest.
I agree with Walt there is too much emphasis put on having a "perfect" crown. It's been proven many times that close, clean and burr free is all that's need. YMMV

 

[Jonnyofalltrades]

For a light touch-up there is nothing wrong with the old fashioned brass lap.

Using a few different crowning techniques and then inspecting with the borescope has been very educational for me.
I no longer use fine emery after the final pass because of the obvious wallowing it caused.

 

[K22]

My smith does it without removing the barrel. He has 30+ years of gunsmithing experience.

In regard to your question, I guess it depends on how much confidence you have in the competency of your smith. Mine has a long-proven track record so I feel confident in his work.

One point I may add, many years ago I thought I had a crown problem. When he inspected my rifle, he concluded that it was not the crown, but it was the bedding or lack thereof that was causing my problem of obtaining the consistent performance I desired.

For this reason, I leave the gunsmithing to him, an expert, and the shooting to me.

 

[WSnyder]

I need to put a post up in the gunsmithing section about a quick and clean way to run a barrel/barreled action in a steady rest.

That’d be great. I have my own methods I’ve used, it’s not that hard. With the current trend of people wanting short barrels for suppressor use it’s common that a barrel or barreled action won’t fit in the headstock so you have to figure how to do it in the steady. A combination of tight fitting action mandrel’s and bushings for the muzzle end get it done for a barreled action. If you’re threading the muzzle no bushing is needed. Howa Mini’s are getting popular so I made an action mandrel just for them so chopping and re-threading are pretty quick without removing the barrel. Suppressor alignment issues have not been a problem.

 

[danny]

It can also be done by chucking the action in and indicating on the OD of the action
(Using brass or copper shims to protect from the jaws)
Not saying this is the best way
Removing the barrel is of course best
Just saying it CAN be done this way
-----------------------------------------------
In my opinion any angle error 3 feet away from the action will be very minimal... since the muzzle bore centerline itself will be inline with the chuck bore centerline
-----------------------------------------------
As long as he gets the Bore at the muzzle end dialed in concentric, and not off center, is most important for even distribution of high velocity gases exiting behind the bullet
-----------------------------------------------
Your Smith may also have a way to "Turn Between Centers" while still leaving your action attached to barrel
This would be ideal actually

What about using a lathe with a spindle bore big enough for the receiver, chucking on the barrel shank (I could put an M14 receiver in a spindle bore), or, chucking on a receiver, then indicating the muzzle in with the biggest diameter gauge pin that will fit?

Danny

 

[ELR LVR]

What about using a lathe with a spindle bore big enough for the receiver, chucking on the barrel shank (I could put an M14 receiver in a spindle bore), or, chucking on a receiver, then indicating the muzzle in with the biggest diameter gauge pin that will fit?

Danny

Oh, well then,
If you have a spindle that big sure
Most home use hobbyist guys don't go over 1.5" due to the cost of the lathe that would have that large of a spindle through hole.

 

[William Vogel]

I just don’t see the problem with unscrewing the barrel. Maybe it’s got really pretty blueing and if that’s the case, I surely wouldn’t put it in a steady rest.

 

[Stumpy1]

One way to get the job done is using the Manson tool -works a treat, and does a nice job.

Muzzle Crowning Tool Kit | Manson Precision Reamers

Category: <span>Muzzle Crowning Tool Kit</span>

mansonreamers.com

Frank

 

[shoot4fun]

I need to get a barrel crowned. A gunsmith told me it could be done without removing the barrel. Is this correct and the best way to do it?

I bought a NIB R700 in 243 one time quite a while back. It was the most poorly shooting rifle I have ever owned. After expending well over 100 rounds of ammo, bedding with Marine Tex and pillars and swapping the scope out twice a buddy found a microscopic nick in the crown right on a land. He had one of the Sinclair hand tools mentioned above and it turned an 8" gun into a tack driver that I wore the barrel out on.