I recently picked up a rifle at a show. Here is a link to a description and Pictures.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...3221043/m/8701023752

I am trying to do a chamber casting. I have been unable to knock the casting out. Broke one cleaning rod, couldn’t do it with a 1/4 inch dowel. Melted it out, and sprayed a whiff of mold release in the chamber. (Being a take down gives easy access.)
Poured another casting and use a 5/16 brass rod. Gave serious pounding with a brass hammer from the muzzle end but no soap. Trying to incorporate about an inch beyond the throat. Using generic Cerrosafe from Rotometals. I started trying 10 minutes after pouring and gave up about 30 minutes later.
I have been heating the barrel with an electric heat gun to about 120F before pouring.

Any tricks or suggestions?

I use cerrosafe I got from Brownells and it practically falls out. No mold release. Unless you have a heavily pitted or bulged chamber it should come out easily. Don't cast too much of the rifling.

Sounds like maybe there's a mechanical lock. I'd carefully heat the barrel up again and let it run out. Get it out of there before it expands.

Cerrosafe shrinks during the first 30 minutes of cooling and then at the end of an hour, is EXACTLY chamber size. At the end of 200 hours it will have expanded approximately . 0025". ... Cerrosafe melts between 158° - 190° F.

Any kind of a bulge or pitting, even very fine pitting, can make a cerrosafe cast completely impossible to get out of there, at least in my experience.

Looking at your other post, the German proof marks are all completely consistent with it being chambered for the .318 Westley Richards cartridge, including the 8mm over 60 1/2 mark and 16 G StmG (250 grain metal jacketed bullet) mark. I won't go into the oddities of German bore and groove proof marks here, but you can take a look ->here<- to get a decent intro.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Don't cast too much of the rifling.

Yep .. you may be in the rifling, which you don't need for this ..

I normally make a cast after every chamber job; if I get one that sticks, I start to cuss and the dog heads for the stairs! You either have a ring in the chamber or bad pitting. Only thing you can do is change to a different cartridge or a new barrel if too short for the client.

I got one out,a short one, just a millimeter or two past the shoulder. I think there is minor pitting. Slugged the barrel, it does seem like a 330 caliber groove diameter. The casting measures 0.725 at the web and 0.445 at the shoulder. A bit oversized compared to the cartridge drawings, but closer to the WR.
The casting was heavily frosted, I assume a bit too hot?
I don’t see anything that looks like a ring. Would a ring be obvious?

I have read that polishing a pitted chamber with a fine flex-hone from Brownells can mitigate sticky extraction from minor pitting.

Any thoughts are most appreciated! This is kind of uncharted territory for me. I figure taking it to a smith with a good borescope is a good idea.

I bought the rifle as more of a historical artifact, but it needs to be useable.

.725 !! Please tell us that's a typo. A frosted surface is pretty typical with Cerrosafe.

quote:

Originally posted by bpesteve:
.725 !! Please tell us that's a typo. A frosted surface is pretty typical with Cerrosafe.

Not from my experience, mine all come out nice and smooth/shiny. I think he's got a corroded/rusty chamber

OK, got a casting of just the distal inch or so of the chamber, throat, and a bit of rifling.
Pretty comfortable it is a 318WR. I can see what looks like a deep scratch about a half inch in from the back of the chamber. The 0.4725 at the web may be taken with a grain of salt, it’s what I got but it was late and I was struggling.
The base of the shoulder was 0.445 and the neck 0.36.
I will get the chamber and bore inspected, but at least I know the chambering.

Got it inspected with a good borescope.
The chamber and barrel are pretty seriously pitted.
I’ll see if it shots and extracts come spring. If not, will be entertaining ideas.
It wasn’t apparent just shining a light through it when I bought it. Surprising how such a cosmetically beautiful rifle on the outside can be so ratty on the inside!

Marty:

You should see how shiny and
perfect looking the bore is on
my original Eddystone. THen
look at the alligatoring with
a bore scope.

Unbelievable the difference in views.

I got a Michigan parade rifle that had
never been cleaned. Bore looked like a
rusty water pipe. So bad the guy sawed
6" off the muzzle before he sent it to me.
I let a guy play with it at the range with
hard cast. Used 15gr Red Dot and won, yes
WON every CMP match he shot it in.
Amazing. So don't be too surprised if it
shoots well.

Have fun and good luck,

George