Thinking out loud…

[Judd]

Seems like with the suppressor craze I’m doing more and more short barrels…short being 16-20” barrels. Obviously, for stainless barrels I can easily work around it by making extensions…but carbons flat suck.

I’ve got a Viper fixture and it works but I have a love hate relationship with it and it just adds another step and gets me further away from the headstock. So I’m thinking other options…the last few, I’ve taken to my buddy and had him thread the muzzle and then screw my extension on. He’s got a Haas TL1 and he’s trued his spindle bore and uses rings he’s slides over the barrel that locks on the taper and fits his spindle bore tight. I don’t really want to go through that trouble or deal with a between centers setup.

I have dreams and thoughts of just buying a short head stock lathe, like that little lathe Nez had that he sold before I could tell him I wanted it .

So in just wondering if there is something I’m not thinking about and how y’all handle them?

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I do the muzzle betweeh centers, just buzz some threads on. They dont need to pretty because your gonna cut them off anyhow. When you cut the inch off the muzzle and dial through the head stock

 

[LVLAaron]

I've got a bunch of extensions. For the muzzle end, it's old barrels, tapped/threaded for the common muzzle threads. I have similar extensions for the common tenon threads.

 

[tobnpr]

Obviously, for stainless barrels I can easily work around it by making extensions…but carbons flat suck.

Personally, I don't see a solution for a cf blank other than between centers as there isn't enough to cut off. Why the resistance? It's easy-peasy. Set it up in the steady, cut the muzzle threads and crown it, then flip it around and thread on an extension to chamber it.

For some reason I've never understood, between centers work is nowadays viewed as hackery.
It ain't...

 

[Walt Krafft]

I dont understand what difference the type of steel makes.

 

[Judd]

Resistance is confidence to get it straight in the setup and not damage the carbon. Both are expensive mistakes. But Alex makes a good point… cut on the part we cut off.

Walt…The difference is not the steel makes as much as the steel barrels are typically 28” and the carbon wrapped barrels come real close to finished length. I need 20” minimum to thread a muzzle in my Grizzly gunsmith chuck (and I’m not a huge fan of it). I just prefer the 4 jaw.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

If its too short to fit and you need to screw on an extension to the muzzle, I'll grab the breech in a 4 jaw or 3 jaw even, thrown a center in the muzzle and cut threads on the very end. Take it out screw on extension, chamber in the head stock, cut off the last inch of muzzle with the threads, then screw on breech extension and cut muzzle threads in the headstock. Those first threads dont need to be dialed in. They getting cut off. Probably take you 10- 15 minutes to setup and cut them and they dont need to be anything special.

 

[Walt Krafft]

Ok, carbon fiber not carbon steel. Tap the end and thread on an extension. Done it that way on a bunch of barrels.

 

[mike mccormick]

I dont understand what difference the type of steel makes.

They are referring to carbon fiber wrapped barrels, Walt

 

[LVLAaron]

I'm not home or I'd post a picture, but I built an extension with a split clamp on the end. Imagine a 12 inch round bar with a collar like this built into the end so it can just clamp the barrel

 

[Carl S]

You can fit a outboard spider with eight adjustable bolts.a '11/4' bar,cylindrical ground to true it up with a dead centre.set it to the appropriate length in the head stock so you can push your barrel onto the dead centre. clock the bar true with two clocks.set the other end up in the chuck or four pin spider which ever one you use.

 

[Jonnyofalltrades]

You can fit a outboard spider with eight adjustable bolts.a '11/4' bar,cylindrical ground to true it up with a dead centre.set it to the appropriate length in the head stock so you can push your barrel onto the dead centre. clock the bar true with two clocks.set the other end up in the chuck or four pin spider which ever one you use.

Sorry, you totally lost me half way through.
But then again, I am descriptionally challenged....

 

[BuffaloBill]

Aaron, are you making that to fit the shank end?

 

[LVLAaron]

Aaron, are you making that to fit the shank end?

Unthreaded muzzle end.

 

[Judd]

Okay, this is the out of the box ideas I was looking for…none of which I had thought about.

Alex - just throw a thread on it using centers and then use an extension
A-aron - use an extension that clamps on the barrel
Carl - make an extension with a center in the barrel end

Thanks guys…anyone else?

 

[Sniperhandle]

I use medium strength loctite to keep my barrel extensions from moving around, Then when I'm done I hit with a propane torch to loosen the loctite. I don't know if you are using a flush system or not, I don't have one because I just don't do enough to justify it, So be sure to drill through the extension so oil has a place to escape when you blow the barrel clean. I have a backstop I put at the muzzle end that the oil hits and then drains into a bucket.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

My extensions are old barrels so I can run my oil flush. I torque them on just enough to not move or leak.

 

[Carl S]

Sorry, you totally lost me half way through.
But then again, I am descriptionally challenged....

Basically you have a bar with a dead centre fixed in your head stock.held with the eight pins at the rear.running true.set it at a distance to accommodate your short barrel.once set up you can do multiple short barrels.slide them down the head stock onto the dead centre and set up on the chuck end.