AmericanLongRifles Forums

General discussion => Antique Gun Collecting => Topic started by: DaveM on December 23, 2018, 04:25:43 AM

Title: Question for restorers - lengthening round smooth barrel with threaded fitting
Post by: DaveM on December 23, 2018, 04:25:43 AM

Any of you who restore barrel lengths - do you have any tutorial or photos of extending the tapered / round portion of the muzzle end of a barrel using a threaded fitting to add a section of smooth bore barrel - in particular keeping the added section straight compared to the parent section?  thanks for any input

Title: Re: Question for restorers - lengthening round smooth barrel with threaded fitting
Post by: JTR on December 23, 2018, 08:11:55 AM

A piece of cake if you have a lathe!
John

PS, And know how to run it!!

Title: Re: Question for restorers - lengthening round smooth barrel with threaded fitting
Post by: Lucky R A on December 26, 2018, 02:44:43 PM

      I have a machinist friend counterbore the parent barrel, then turn the donor barrel down to a nice slip fit.  Making sure that both the parent barrel and the donor are the same outside diameter, I then chamfer the mating surfaces slightly and run a bead of weld around the joint.  After dressing down the joint and a little aging if is very difficult to find the joint.  Of course such barrels should not be put back into firing use.   It takes some time and work, but a good result can be obtained...
Ron

Title: Re: Question for restorers - lengthening round smooth barrel with threaded fitting
Post by: Eric Krewson on December 26, 2018, 06:09:12 PM

I understand Bobby Hoyt can do it and sleeve the barrel in the process.

Title: Re: Question for restorers - lengthening round smooth barrel with threaded fitting
Post by: 45-110 on December 27, 2018, 04:29:01 PM

what you do and how you stretch a barrel is determined by the barrel thickness and the length of the addition. its a bunch of sequential steps for the lathe work. find yourself a experienced tig welder to join the two, then back into the lathe for the finish boring and turning and polishing. the turned collar works fine for alignment and if it is under bored diameter it can be bored out from the breech taking any offending weld with it. a mandrel could work for tacking things up concentric........but it is easy to get it stuck in place, not good.

Title: Re: Question for restorers - lengthening round smooth barrel with threaded fitting
Post by: DaveM on December 28, 2018, 05:12:59 PM

thanks for the suggestions, I am considering any options.  I had also wondered if there exists a hand tap that has a long "pilot" rod ahead of it to keep it straight with a bore, but I have not seen anything like that.  I based on input I have received I would be leery of hand turning threads anyway as breaking a tap off in the old parent barrel would be a problem!