I have not found the LW-50 steel to be that much worse than CM but certainly much harder to work with than 416 stainless. The difficulty of machining may be offset by improved barrel life.
I use a sulphurized cutting oil and cut most of the chamber at normal reaming speeds (90 RPM). For the last couple of cuts, I speed up to 240 rpm. This gives a better finish in the neck and throat. The steel has a tendency to work harden so you don't want to feed too slowly.
LW recommends that the throat be polished. Regards, Bill.

Thx. for the input Bill!

I trided rpm from 20 up to about 140 with no sucsess....... Mabye I�ll try to speed things up if I have a go on another LW-50 barrel!

I useally try to feed the reamer fast enough to get decent chips. But the "feel" when reaming LW-50 didn�t make me whant to put more force on the reamer.......

I useally use a cutting oil called Roccol RTD. It�s great stuff and performs magic when cutting tuff stuff like hardened SS etc. I mabye have to try to get some cutting fluid containing sulphur!

Stefan

Stefan

I have been using Rigid "Dark" premium threading cutting oil for about 10-15 years and have never had a reason to change. I think that Bill Leeper told me that he uses the same. It is available from any distributor that sells Rigid Tool Company products and comes in five gallon pails. Hope this helps. Jerry

Hi Stefan
It is the price you pay for a barrel made of good and real steel. haven't you heard about all these exploding barrels due to using high sulphur free machining steel? i am sure it is easy to machin high cr ,ni steels if you use right tool at right speed. do contact sandvik or seco tools or why not LW for asking for advice.
regards
danny

G. D. Stockinger

I�ll have a look here in Sweden if tha Rigid cutting fluid is avalible, thank�s!

Danny Pay.

I don�t think there is a "risk" involved by useing matchbarrels from Hart, Shilen or any other top of the line barrelmakers. Lots and lots of these matchbarrels are shot with really hot loads and I think there is WERY few incidents with barrels koming apart!

I have tried to get info from Lothar Walther about my troubble involved in cutting the LW-50 but I have not got any replys on my e-mails to them

Turning and threading LW-50 isn�t the big problem. It�s a bit more difficult than on a 416 SS barrel but not inpossible at all! It�s the chamber reaming that�s causing troubble to me.........

Stefan

I recently installed a pre-threaded and pre-chambered LW SS 30-06 barrel on an FN 98 action, so besides adjusting for headspace I didn't have to do much metalwork. I did however handlap the barrel before firing a single shot.
It turned out to be the most accurate rifle I have ever owned; after working up loads I found one near max that groups 5 bullets practically into one hole, measuring about 13 mm at 100 mtr, so less than 0.5 MOA. I am very pleased with such performance!

Stefan-

I would urge you to contact Lothar Walther. I would call Woody, the US Lothar Walther contact. I think he will tell you that speed (higher rpm's) is the key in chambering or turning or cutting LW's steel. More is better. It also sounds like LW has some really state of the art machining equipment. I would even consider sending them the reamer or reamers and let them cut the chambers and do a little follow up polishing if needed.

I have talked with Woody a couple of times and what he has told me is what I am passing on to you. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

Hi Stefan
it is a great difference between LW 50 and 416 , these two kinds of steel are very differnet in composition and do need different kind of tool and naturally cutting speed. the 416 may would work in match barrels with thicK walls but in thin SPORTER barrels it would be hazardous . when i worked in the workshop they only used this kind of steel(416) to produce high volum of low strength screw or things likt that never used for high tensity tool like a gun barrel! i have machined the toughest ss steels what called (syrfasta st�l) it would go if the tool has a different angle of cutting edge. the main problem is LW 50 (17-4 PCH) steel is comming in your hand in hardened and tempered condition and containing more than 4% nickel it woulden't be an easy task why don't you buy them threaded and chambered? isn't it possible to buy them in this condition? i am interesteted to put one of those LW 50 bbls on a custom gun. how much do you pay for such a barrel in SWeden?
regards
danny

Stefan,

Your post is very interesting to me as I just talked to my gunsmith about putting a LWSS barrel on my Ruger #1. He told me he wouldn't do it as he has experienced machining difficulties also. He said "they use some kind of stainless that gives me trouble." At the time I thought he was merely making excuses in order to push his favorite barrel maker.

He did say there were smiths in some of the southern states that would install a LW barrel competently.

30 Caliber Mag Fan

Sending my 6 PPC match reamer off to Germany to have LW chamber a barrel with it? I don�t thik so

I�m sure the people at Lothar Walther are skilled people but my reamers that I use to make chamberings in my, and my friends, BR barrels stayes in my shop!

Danny Pay.

I still have have a hard time to belive that Hart, Shilen and all the other big manufacturers of good match barrels make their barrels out of steel that make them likley to explode every now and then......... Many of the good match barrles is made out of 416 and I haven�t heard about that many blow ups due to low strength 416 steel, but I mabye have missed something here

The fact that the barrel I ordered for my bench rifle came out just about as expencive as a Hart or a Shilen here in Swe. makes me a bit calm about getting another one...... The barrel was a heavy profile (can�t remember the name of the profile) SS mach barrel with something LW calles "additional match threatment". What that treatment is all about beats me but I suppose it have something to do with extra care when lapping the bore.

I would guess that a threaded and chambred LWSS match barrel would cost something 6-7000 SEK. I would probably work well enough on a sporer/hunting rifle but benchrest is another thing.

A few words about the barrel I put on my rifle.

The break in of the LW barrel was quite different to all the ss barrels I have used on my BR rifles in the past. It picked up lots of copper fouling and after about 30 shots tru it it still fouled like it was no tomorrow Most SS match barrels from the major companies stops fouling after 10-15 shots tru them. The LW barrel was not a great shooter within benchrest standards. I got lots of flyers and irregular results. I attended some small local matches with it and after about 150 shots thru it it started to show better results but still far from my best barrels. I agg about .35" with it at 100 m on a good day and thats pretty good if you rule out the BR crowd You would need a .20"-.25" agg to be in the ballpark here in Sweden on most of the matches.

Something to remember is that this is just ONE LW barrel, next one could be a hummer that shoots in the .1" all day! Every barrelmaker have different performance on eatch and every barrel, no matter the brand. I�m not trying to throw dirt on LW I�m just a bit conserned about getting my reamers to cut well in their SS barrels

Stefan

Use "TAP MAGIC" It's the best product available for cutting, threading, turning SS.

Hi Stefan!!

You can try to mix RTD liquid and Mobilmet(Dortan) 50/50!!

Have you had these bad foulings with theire CrMo barrels or just this one SS barrel, In my oppinion the LW Barrel bore is too smooth. I�m having fouling problem with the latest LW CrMo barrel!!

Concrat with the HV 200 and 100

Hall.

All the Cr Mo barrels I have put on rifles have been for hunting rifles and none of them have been mine. I put one on my friends rifle (9,3X64) and I got the impression from him that it fouls equally to any other standard Cr Mo barrel from Sako etc.


Mobilmet?........ That�s something I never heard of? This is sometimes a bit of troubble here in Sweden, lots of the stuff people buy in a convenient store or at the closest gasstation in US (for ex.) is unheard of here in Sweden

Suff like Kroil, Tap Magic, Marine Tex etc. is stuff we only hear about and can�t buy here in Sweden

Stefan

Hi Stefan!!

Mobilmet(Mobil) 766 is distributed by Esso in Sweden, Mobilmet 766 is replacing the Esso Dortan N37 which I have been using, It is very good on heavy steel and titan. It seems to do magic when you mix it with Roccol RTD Liquid 50/50, this mix makes a good chamber!!

Forget about the Marine Tex you can buy Devcon or Wencone(Danish made)in Sweden

Best regards
Tungur knivur

Stefan!!

This is little late but you can check out these tips at Bs page!!

BlackStar Gunsmith tips

Regards
Halld�r