Machinning a LW .25 cal barrel blank questions…..

Lothar Walther should have them

http://www.lothar-walther.com/114.php

here is a direct link to the air rifle barrels

http://www.lothar-walther.com/454.php

It’s a long topic. Call me if you want, 808-536-3366 x7225.

walt

Nice job, Picudo. Some advice, even though you don’t appear to need any: I wouldn’t chamfer the edges of the bushings, although it looks nice, it only reduces the footprint of the bushing against the extrusion wall, effectively making it a shorter, less stable bushing. I don’t think there would be a functional difference between similar sized straight vs chamfered bushings, but it couldn’t hurt to have a larger footprint.

For crowns, if you have to be concentric, you can run the bbl between centers and take a light cut near the bbl end, which is what I do. This will make a small area near the end that will be concentric. You only need to cut about a 1″ section, just enough to let your steady rest ride in it. Fix the concentric section into your steady, and now you can cut any angle at the end of the barrel and you will be 100% concentric. If you have a nice bbl and can’t mar it by cutting a concentric band near the end, then make a temporary sacrificial collar and press it over the bbl, or fix it by threading it for set screws; run it between centers and cut the collar to be concentric and run the bbl in the steady again with the now concentric collar in the steady. Cut your crown and then remove the collar when done. Remember you cannot replace the collar and expect it to still be concentric, so don’t move it until the job is done. Also, as Voltar said, the piece will heat up and expand, so you need to be careful when running centers. Use lots of cooling fluid when cutting. DON’T stop the job and continue it the next morning, it will have cooled completely and shrunk and you’ll have to reset the centers. Do it all in one go while the temp is stable.

aloha,
walt

Hey Pic’.
You certainly can use it in a lathe but it really isn’t needed. The handle comes off specifically for that purpose.
In reallity, three or four complete “light” turns by hand is all thats required. I’ll then spin it up to speed in my “luxury” lathe and rub any burs or rough edges off with a green scotch bright pad.
I could bugger about with the four jaw or do a straight 90deg cut across the face( and sometimes do ). But for some reason evolution has dicided that 11deg’ is best.
Untill i can prove evolution wrong, I’ll go with the flow.
There’s one for the “creationalists”.

Picudo, for most I use the 90 degree muzzle as that illiminates the need to centralize the bore. I only make facing cuts until dead flat and a good finish. Polishing that with the emery by hand breaks the edges and any I have done this way shoot as well as anything.
Resist the temptation to put the paper into the bore!! 🙂 just the nice bulge your thumb pressure makes works a treat. If desired run the lathe both directions to break all the edges.
Walter…

Picudo, now that is funny!!!
“can you use it in a lathe….?” you are kidding right?

if you have a lathe you won’t be fooling around with a crowning tool.
They are for fellas ‘without’ teh luxury of a lathe!

I like to cut my muzzle(s) at 11 degrees or at 90 degrees. Cut with a very sharp HSS tool from the bore outwards. Minimizes teh burr in the bore.
Dress od and polish with a emery over your thumb and allow the paper to swell into the bore. Push pellets until you like the feel, confirm with a Q-tip that will show you do not have a burr.
Good luck
Walter….
BTW the recessed crowns are one of the poorest methods to finish a barrel. You cannot inspect the muzzle and refinishing it is a chore esp if a front sight is fit to the barrel. I hate them!
Walt

BUY HERE

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=628&title=79\%20MUZZLE%20CROWNING%20CUTTER