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I have a heavy barreled 308 that has been already been fluted. Can it be turned down to an even lighter contour? Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | ||
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I wouldn't lathe turn it. I'm receiving psychic signals and I am seeing bending and swearing and bad feelings and fedupandpissedoffidness and someone wrapping a barrel around someones neck. Shouldn't be much of a problem to take down in the mill though. Providing you find someone willing to take on such a silly project. Providing it doesn't warp. Set up a steady rest just like you would to flute it with a ball mill and knock the flutes off with an end mill. Once the flutes are knocked off you could final cut your new profile dimension with a 1/2 inch carbide end mill off the X and fourth axis. You could also switch to the lathe at that point and take one, slow, painstaking cleanup cut with a very sharp 35 degree HSS tool. Shouldn't warp it.  HOPEFULLY !When I was a kid. I had the stick. I had the rock. And I had the mud puddle. I am as adept with them today, as I was back then. Lets see today's kids say that about their IPods, IPads and XBoxes in 45 years! Rod Henrickson | |||
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I would try filling the flutes with epoxy and turning it on the lathe. Sharp HSS and take very light cuts. It would also help if you have calloused hands and can muckle onto the barrel as you're turning it down to reduce chatter. If all else fails they make new barrels everyday  | |||
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Yes, turn it down. Be careful and slow; Deal with any warpage. | |||
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I have done two. We have a BIG tracer lathe for barrel contouring and I take about half the cut depth compared to an uninterrupted cut. Just makes a noisy buzz. If the flutes are not completely removed line up on the bottom of the flute so it comes out even. Mark | |||
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What speed, feed and tool geometry do you use? I have always been to frightened to turn them. When I was a kid. I had the stick. I had the rock. And I had the mud puddle. I am as adept with them today, as I was back then. Lets see today's kids say that about their IPods, IPads and XBoxes in 45 years! Rod Henrickson | |||
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Turning at 581 Tools are nearly square to keep the tip from breaking. I only take a 0.005 cut, .01 dia. Otherwise it gets chattering. It works on a heavy barrel but turning the flutes on a skinny one is a recipe for disaster. M | |||
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How much smaller would you like it? Do you want it tapered? ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
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I guess I'm just old and I haven't gotten used to the fact that modern carbide will stand up to interrupted cuts. I've been turning barrels with 55 degree carbide tools pretty much square to the cut with positive rake for the last few years. Actually the geometry is more typically used for aluminum. They seem to work rather well for fighting chatter if you keep the cuts heavy. One of my associates in crime has been using 35 degree diamond shaped tools for turning barrels which he claims are better (less tool press) and I broke down and bought a set of tools for the VCMT style inserts. I haven't tried them for turning barrels yet ( I hate turning barrels), but they are the cats meow for 1018 and other chalky/gummy, buzzard grade, Zimbabwe death steels. When I was a kid. I had the stick. I had the rock. And I had the mud puddle. I am as adept with them today, as I was back then. Lets see today's kids say that about their IPods, IPads and XBoxes in 45 years! Rod Henrickson | |||
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i'd turn fast, light cuts, and carbide #dumptrump opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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I think I would use a tool post grinder or draw file it..I see tiny chips flying all over the place!  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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Why not draw file it till the flutes are flush or nearly flush, then finish it on the lathe? In fact, couldn't you work it down with a file while it's turning? . | |||
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To keep the barrel from flexing during the initial cutting phase you can do half at a time, then reverse and finished the initial metal removal and finally use a tool post grinder, belt sander, draw file, 0.001-3" finishing cuts at higher speeds and less IPM travel to finish. Setting the barrel up in the headstock 3 jaw and holding the other end in the tail stock would also reduce the amount of "stretching from heat" and only having 10-14" cutting surface exposed keeps flexing to a minimum. Luck  | |||
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The steady rest can be used. Make an aluminum bushing (with lots of wall thickness) with a center hole to match where you want the rest. Slide it on, a couple good whacks and turn O.D. to concentric. It isn't a big deal, just take shallow cuts and don't get in a hurry. Mark | |||
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Just chuck the barrel with about half of it hanging out of the chuck. You may want to make a heavy duty cap or plug to use on the live center end to support it. Then turn it with a large shank tool say 1/2 or 5/8 if you have one. Run the RPMs about 2/3 to 1/2 normal. Adjust your feed and cut to give something you can live with in terms of vibration. Use 15 inch or 17 inch lathe if you have one. Yeah it will vibrate and serenade you. Sometimes you can wrap a bungee cord around part of it to dampen the vibration. Sometimes clamping a large vise grip on the back end of the cutting tools helps kill vibration. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Gunsmithing Can an already fluted barrel be turned down?
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