I need some advice on how to rebarrel a .22 rifle & rechamber also.

I have a good lathe, I have a new Clymer .22 finishing reamer, I have a barrel & I have a JW 15 Norinco action which I want to retube.

I was a Fitter/Machinist 20 years ago & have probably forgotten most of what I was taught.

Can anyone enlighten me as to how do I check the headspace & ream the chamber etc.

The nearest Gunsmith to me is just to far away anyhow & I`d really like to get into this gunsmithing caper myself & build some larger rifles in the future with a view to perhaps take it on as a full time job .

Gunsmithing it seems today is just to much hassle for all but the most devoted & I`d like to try & keep it going for at least myself & those closeby me.

Thanks in advance for any positive help & advice
Morton

There are a few books on the subject, but your proberly better off asking this question on the Gunsmithing forum.

Yep, but the guys there will say [correctly] that there's too much to it, to be fully covered in a text forum.

You would be best to start off with a basic general gunsmithing book - 'Gunsmithing' by Dunlap is as good as any. Dated in some ways,but the basics of the work don't change much. Available from various US online bookshops, Brownells, or Bunduki Books here in Vic. Or Brownells has another book; " The Complete Illustrated Guide to Precision Rifle Barrel Fitting" by Hinnant, which is well spoken of over in Gunsmithing.

BTW, you will want the Brownells print catalogue anyway, if you get at all serious. Many of the specialist tools for gunsmithing just aren't available in Oz. Even basic stuff like thread taps [at an affordable price, anyway]. And it's free, if you add it to an order. US$10 on its own.

Once you have the basics sorted, the forum guys are very helpful in clarification of the finer points.

Though you have the reamer, you will also need a set of headspace gauges ['go' & 'no go' as a minimum]. See here for examples. The critical headspace dimension in a .22RF is the rim thickness, so you may be able to make up a set, rather than buying them.

Oh, and something else: you would need to have a firearm dealer's licence, before you are legally allowed to do work on other people's guns. Even working on your own can be a grey area - a shooters licence in NSW does not specifically authorise repair work, only possession and use.

Bakes,

My apologies, you`re right I should have listed this one on the gunsmithing forum.


Gadge,

Thanks for the heads up on the licencing side of things. That was a detail I wasn`t completely sure about.

Cheers Morton

No need to apologise mate. You can ask anything here. Its just there are some gunsmiths that hang around there.

Check Brownells I read an article they had online a couple months on relining a 22 rifle.

Good luck

Morton3,

You also need to be mindful that, under the current bulls*%t gunlaws, you are guilty of an offence if you do gunsmithing work, particularly barrelwork, without a dealer's licence.

oh, I should have read Gadge's reply as he already covered this point but to elaborate on what he said, yes, it is an offence in NSW.

Yeah Bwanabob,

The laws are just wonderful aren`t they !

Cheers Morton