Re-contouring a barrel

[3in1hole]

I am looking for a gunsmith to re-contour a SS custom barrel from magnum contour to Remington sporter. I want to send it to someone who has done this before and undertstands the process so that accuracy is not jeopardized.

Recommendations appreciated.

 

[LHSmith]

Re-contouring will actually change the bore and groove diameters, therefore there's no way one can predict it will maintain it's original accuracy level.

 

[Sin_arms]

sell that barrel,or keep it) and get a new one.

 

[fdshuster]

Agree with the above: check what Shilen and other barrel makers think about 're-contouring', after the barrel has been lapped. Any expectations/guarantees about future accuracy are a crap shoot, at best.

 

[alf]

General concensus is not to re-contour a button or hammer forged barrel for the above reasons. A cut rifled barrel should not have stress issues and is fine to re-contour. Alot depends on what your accuracy, or lack there of, requirements are.

Now, you'll get alot of opinions and answers from both sides of the fence. I had a heavy varmint tapered barrel I wanted to do the same thing to, so I called the maker, Gary Schneider, and he recommended to not do it, but would if I insisted. Results after that were my problem. I decided to not take the chance, so I put the money into a new tube.

I would call the maker and decide from there.

 

[Hammack]

As said above. Get another barrel. Anytime you machine the outside of a barrel or tube you will change the inside tolerances.

 

[tenring]

I believe R. W. Hart will do it, but the above responses are correct. You can contact Hart at:

http://www.rwhart.com/

 

[k80skeet]

I wanted to re-contour a heavy target barrel that I brought from Broughton Barrels. I called Tim North,owner) of Broughton Barrels. He said that he could do it but the cost of doing it would exceed the cost of a new barrel as he would have to do all the stress relieving process same as a new barrel. I sold the barrel and bought a new one.

 

[Obtunded]

I agree with Alf. You'd be nuts to try, especially with a hammer forged barrel.

If it's only a factory barrel, just buy an E.R. Shaw or one of the cheap Shilens. Your cost will be similar and the results will be much better I'm sure.

Also, there are issues with making Stainless barrels too thin. Krieger for instance will not make a 30 cal barrel in anything less than a bull contour. I suspect they are ultra conservative, but their prudence is not withou sound basis of fact.

 

[butchlambert]

I've had a couple done without problems. One was a Shilen and the other was an Obermeyer. I pinned them both with a Deltronic pin and could not put a pin in that was .0001 larger than before contouring. You would normally recontour a hunting type barrel and not a competition barrel. I wouldn't take a #7 down to a #1 and mine were done on a CNC contouring lathe with flood coolant.
Who would throw away a free Obermeyer barrel that was 32' long in a Palma taper, not me. I had it contoured to a #4 and I cut the chamber off and some off the muzzle and I will have a nice 30cal. barrel for a hunting rifle. It had about 300 rounds on it.
I don't think you can make a blanket statement that it shouldn't be done.
Butch

 

[msalm]

I think if you re-contoured it with coolant on a contouring lathe as Butch suggested, it may be OK. If then an experienced hand re-lapped it for dimension and,secondary) finish, it would probably shoot just as well or better due to the lapping. You may have to cut 1/2-1' off the muzzle and you might want to set the barrel shoulder back a bit and re-chamber afterwards also. After all that time and effort, hell, just get a new barrel in the contour you want and have it chambered and fit.

 

[Eddie Harren]

I've had Clay Spencer recontour several barrels for me. I have never experienced any of the horrors, that I hear about on this, and other, forums. Every one of the barrels, that he recontoured, shot just fine.