I don't see too many revolver threads here, but I thought I would run this by the group.

Let's say you're set up to rechamber a cylinder on the mill. Once you've got everything indicated in, is there any advantage to using a piloted reamer?

Thanks,
Cannon

Depends on how much material will be removed. The pilot can be helpful to keep tool flex to a minimum when taking a large bite of material, provided the pilot is in the actual bore when the cutting begins.

Thanks. In this case, I'm opening up a 44 mag or 45 Colt cylinder to take a shortened 480 Ruger case. the pilots on the reamer are sized to match the chamber throats. If cutting from the rear, the pilot won't reach the throat until the rear half of the chamber has already been cut.

quote:

Originally posted by Cannon:
Thanks. In this case, I'm opening up a 44 mag or 45 Colt cylinder to take a shortened 480 Ruger case. the pilots on the reamer are sized to match the chamber throats. If cutting from the rear, the pilot won't reach the throat until the rear half of the chamber has already been cut.

As with any chamber, perfect alignment is the goal. For laughs you might dial in on the chambers body and then the throat to see if there is much of an alignment difference between the two. Where the pilot will be in play at some point during the process, if there is a difference, I would set up on the throat and use a boring head and single point tool to bring the body into alignment before introducing the piloted reamer.