What do you do with your old barrels?

[gaboon]

Tomatoes stakes...

 

[coldboreshot]

ditto on the tomato stake.

 

[RDavies]

Here I have come to an impasse. I have several barrels that have reached the end of their useful life for Fclass. With the cartridges I am now using, and the taper I like for my rifles, rechambering for a shouldered mounting is unlikely. Paying someone to mess with them sounds like a poor investment.

I have always wanted to get a lathe, but now is not the time to spend that kind of money. I'm thinking that I could store them and use them for practice when I get a lathe. Once they get down to the right length from practicing, I think there is enough good, clean rifling to make AR barrels with, or, in some cases, there is enough to make a fun caliber for the Savage.

Has anyone tried shortening a shot-out 30" down to 20" with success? What about turning down the diameter for an AR? I can see how a stress problem could develop.

If the barrels look good and borescope well but just cant shoot and drive me insane, then I polish them up and donate them as prizes to the people who beat me at the next competition.