I'm looking at getting a couple of reamers and am debating solid pilot vs floating. Has anyone done any exhaustive accuracy tests to see if the floating pilots really offer a more concentric chamber or better accuracy?

I'm planning on a 223 ackley and 22-250 ackley and will likely only cut a few chambers with each reamer. Kinda hard to swallow the extra price of the floater if it isn't a huge improvement.

ah, here's a good debate brewing... solid pilot, floating reamer holder!!

jeffe

IMO, the key is good (read) excellent chip removal. I have no issues with a solid pilot if you have a good muzzle on flush coolant system. If not you're still Okay but you just have to clear chips much more frequently. The issue is an egg shaped chamber and extra rub on the freebore. I always taper ream after chambering to clean all this up.

Since I CNC ream now a lot of the issues go away but getting chips the hell out of there is THE issue to a good chamber aside from a sharp reamer, being on center and the other obvious things.

If you took a picture of my shop you could hardly find a wrench (I know where everyone of them is thou) but you would find the machine and the area around the cut to be spotless. Something about cleanliness and Godliness.

JMHO

The use of live pilots gived one the ability to use 1 body for many calibers. It also allows you to change pilots to reduce the slop between the pilot and the bore. With the solid pilot you're pretty well stuck with what you've got.

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The use of live pilots gived one the ability to use 1 body for many calibers.

Yep I had my wildcat reamer built solid. Then had it changed to floating then used it and neck reamers from 25-416 cal.

There are certainly applications where it may not make much difference whether a person uses a solid or "floating" pilot. (That's assuming he/she keeps everything clean enough to avoid scratches & gouges from chips.) I suspect in many hunting rifle applications, solid pilot reamers used with care will be just fine and they are indeed, as noted, less expensive to boot.

But, when doing benchrest competition quality barreling work, I always like to use a pilot within .0002" of the barrel land diameter. May ultimately not matter but, as the craftsman directly involved, it sure makes me feel better.....

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Originally posted by malm:
The use of live pilots gived one the ability to use 1 body for many calibers. It also allows you to change pilots to reduce the slop between the pilot and the bore. With the solid pilot you're pretty well stuck with what you've got.

Malm

Not being a machinist I am intrigued by your statement, mostly because I never thought of it before.

So, is what you are saying that as long as the body of the caliber your doing is the same diameter and has the same shoulder degree you can take a standard reamer, put a pilot on it to fit the bore exactly, and cut away? Do I understand that correctly? I don't think I have ever seen a "standard" reamer advertized anywhere.


Fritz

What does CNC reaming do for a person that manual reaming does not do? Is there any benefit to it. What lathe do you use for it.

What Malm is saying can be explained thus. Say, for instance, you have a 25-284 finish reamer with a floating pilot. You now want to own or chamber a rifle barrel to the standard 284 or a 6.5-284 or... What you now need to convert that to 6.5-284 is a 6.5 pilot for that reamer. Set up normally and cut the chamber to the correct depth. Next thing you need is a neck and throat reamer for the 6.5. What this is, is a reamer made to cut just the standard neck and throat for the 6.5 cartridge. You then cut the neck and throat area and "voilla" you have a 6.5 x 284 chamber. In simple terms of course. With differing bushhings and neck and throat reamers, the sky is the limit. 270 x 284, 284,30 x 284, 338 x 284, etc etc.

Jim, Malm,
yep.. this is what I did with the AR rounds.. Since then, Tom has bought a 458 AR solid.

the busshing can be bore diameter.. for example, I used to make 708 by a bushed 243 reamer, and throating to 7.

One of my most used reamers is a .264 Win Mag with live pilots. With it and the right neck and throat reamers, the various calibers based on the .338 Mag body are seemingly endless. Same for the '06 style Ackley chambers.

So, theoretically of course, one could chamber for the 25-06, 270, 280, and 30-06 all with the same reamer, and just a throater for each individual caliber??

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Originally posted by 22WRF:
So, theoretically of course, one could chamber for the 25-06, 270, 280, and 30-06 all with the same reamer, and just a throater for each individual caliber??

Why stop there, you can add 338 and 35 to the list.

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25-06, 270, 280, and 30-06

The 25-06, 270 and 30-06, 338-06, 35 Whelen. The 280 shoulder is forward to keep 280 ammo from chambering in the 270. While I guess you could cut the 280 you will get a head a little larger than standard.

Thanks for the comments. Looks like for the wildcats that don't have a common body with other rounds, solid pilot makes sense, and for those that can be used for other loadings, a floater makes sense.

Looks like I need a 223 ackley and 22-250 ackley solid pilot, and a 22 br, 25-284 and 243 win floater with a 6.5, 7, 30 and 35 cal necker/throater to get started, as well as appropriate gauges.

That should get me started

quote:

as well as appropriate gauges.

Normally if you use the same reamer you can use the same go/no go guages.