I'm interested in learning how to rebarrel and rechamber rifles and eventually turn in to a relatively proficient 'Shadetree' gunsmith. My problem is my "Geek" education, I was playing sports or in science classes in high school and college and have never ran a lathe or a mill. Would signing up at the local trade school to learn to run the equipment be the best way to start? How about contacting a local 'smith to have him teach me (G. Malmborg are you listening ) while paying him some for his time be better? Thanks in advance for any and all information.

I have the very same interest and background. I thought about taking classes at the local community college then going to summer NRA classes in NC. Come on you gunsmiths....how do we get started?

I am a geek (network administrator). I started a rifle project, am using books by Kuhnhasen, Sweeney, and Walsh, talking to a gunsmith friend, and spending a lot of time on this board. This board is the single best source of reliable, useful information I have found on the net to date.

The first time I will attempt something like mounting sights on a barrel, drilling a receiver for scope mounts, etc., I'll use a barrel or receiver that I can afford to lose. -Fred

I STRONGLY reccomend enrollment in a trade school to learn basic machine shop of two reasons------

First off-- Running a machine is only half the equation. The basics of tool design and grinding, how to hold parts, and how to think in a geometric box are all important to any machine work and is common to any work done....Schooling teaches how to think ahead of the problem and to solve glitches that haven't yet appeared.

Second------ Signing up for classes gives you access to machine tools you don't have yet.....it's a LOT cheaper that way.

The basics for the lathe are---- Turning, facing, holding, threading, drilling, and reaming......

Once you learn these and how materials and heat-treat alters speeds and feeds and processes, you'll be on your way to doing good gun work.

1_pointer,

The first step would be to enroll in a trade school to learn the basics of machining, then come see me and I will see what I can do to help you apply what you learned to the gunsmithing trade. For a price of course.


Malm

Thanks for the advice!!! Beings that I'm done with my Master's in June, I'll start looking into the local trade schools. Thanks for the offer Guy, I'll definitely be in touch!

As educators know, different people have different learning strengths; by doing, by watching, by reading, by listening, by doing as a group, etc.

You may learn fastest by taking a course, buying a video, reading a book, or someone coaching while you do it.

Personally I stopped at the gunsmith shop and bought a pound of powder and asked a stupid question. After 20 pounds of powder, I was ready.

The rebarrelling steps:
1) remove old barrel with penetrating oil, action wrench, and barrel vice. If the barrel is rotten, a pipe wrench can be used. If the treads will not come loose with 400 ft pounds of torque and a sledge hammer, then a relief cut in the barrel breech works wonders.
2) true the action [optional]
3) put new barrel in lathe and center [a spider on left side of the lathe is good or could use steady rest method]
4) cut threads [if old receiver has inner stop ring, one may choose to make shoulders mate]
5) cut chamber usually with a reamer for that caliber, but sometimes a boring bar. Push the reamer in .050" at a time, pull out and wash in gas /oil mixture, I use a 2" dial indicator on a magnetic base to keep track of tail stock movement.
6) lap the lugs [optional]
7) headspace
8) cut extractor relief in breech [not required in Mausers]
9) screw barrel into receiver [I do this dozens of times before everything is right] Some put on the treads anti seize, some oil, some grease [what I do], some Lock-Tite.
10) modify stock to accept barrel profile [I use the mill for this]
11) glass bed stock to support new barrel
12) shoot it

I don't have access to the machines required but have some training. What I need to learn is how to do the measuring to ream a chamber and fit it to the action.
What do you guys think of buying a barrel already threaded and short chambered? Is a lathe still necessary to fit the barrel properly?

JBelk, agree 100% about trade school. Not an option for me at this point, so I'll muddle along with a threaded, short-chambered barrel, all the free advice I can cadge, and hope for the best. But I have no illusions that this will make me a gunsmith or a machinist.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JBelk:
[QB]I STRONGLY reccomend enrollment in a trade school to learn basic machine shop of two reasons------

My brother bought a lathe in high school and built a flintlock and made all the parts, even the screws, but he bought the barrel.

Then my brother got a two year degree in machining and welding from a community college.
The main text book he used relevant to gunsmithing was "Machining Fundamentals" by John R Walker.

So everything my brother made on the lathe looked like jewelry and everything I made looked like a Homer Simpson spice rack project.

I got a copy of the above text book used on line.

What really helped me was when I got a grinder with the adjustable side tables and made some fixtures to slide on those side tables. Once I could grind the tool bits right, I started getting nicer looking results on the lathe.

[ 03-09-2003, 20:13: Message edited by: Clark ]

Orland,

Greetings. A lathe will provide you the control you need in finish cutting a chamber. With a lathe and a dial indicator, you can advance the reamer the exact distance needed for proper headspace. In the unlikely event you go a bit too far, The lathe is used to remove metal from the shoulder and breech, allowing the barrel to be turned in to the action a bit further to correct the mistake.

You don't have near this control nor do have this precision while reaming by hand. If you accidentally go too far, you will have to pay someone to set the barrel back to correct the problem. A lathe also provides excellent control while polishing a chamber versus that of a drill motor.

So to answer your question, YES, it is posible to buy a short chambered barrel and hand fit it to the action. You have to be very careful with your measurements and light on the cut.

Good luck,

Malm