true-ing up a muzzle

[bob in the woods]

Just for fun, and for information purposes, never assume that precision work was not possible with the tools of the 18th C
The Gunshop at Colonial Williamsburg is by their account, able to maintain barrel internal dimension variances to .0005 inches using the tools of the day. Of course, we are talking about skilled workers, however, shoddy workmanship was never the norm anywhere.

[David Rase]

Not needed but a major convience.  Lathes are multi taskers. Once you get experience running a lathe it is fast.  It will open doors to tasks that could not be done before.   I don't find the set up to be time consuming or tedious.  For me, the lathe is a time saver.  I'd be lost without a lathe.   

The biggest advantage, in my opinion, to using a lathe over a file and a square to true up a muzzle is that the lathe is much easier to find in my shop than the right file and a square.   
David

[Hungry Horse]

Mr. Rase, I now know you could work in my shop just fine. I have nightmares about tool racks with the outline of the tools painted on them. This rather lacks view of how a shop "should look" allows me to think before I grab up a tool, and possibly make an irreversible error. I know there will be plenty of time to think while I'm searching for the  proper tool.

  Hungry Horse

[thecapgunkid]

Well, folks, this one went a lot farther than I thought it would, but what I got out of it was this;

• On round barrels I can stick with a pipe cutter but will need a ROUND bit to true up.
  Good old Larry Potterfield... now I know where to get his bit
  Thank God I am not into this to have to true up an octagon barrel
  A lathe is definitely called for, but unfortunately it is behind a P-51 Mustang on the priorities list.

Have a Merry Christmas and thanks for the wisdom.

Don't shoot yore eye out, kid,

The Capgun Kid

[Smoketown]

Well, folks, this one went a lot farther than I thought it would, but what I got out of it was this;

• On round barrels I can stick with a pipe cutter but will need a ROUND bit to true up.
  Good old Larry Potterfield... now I know where to get his bit
  Thank God I am not into this to have to true up an octagon barrel
  A lathe is definitely called for, but unfortunately it is behind a P-51 Mustang on the priorities list.

As long as your cutter is larger than the greatest dimension of your barrel, you will be fine, octagon or not.

Then again, if it isn't  you would wind up with a counter-bored barrel just like on a current varmint rifle.

Or, you could do like Thompson Center did and take it to an extreme ...

Cheers,
Smoketown
Have a Merry Christmas and thanks for the wisdom.

Don't shoot yore eye out, kid,

The Capgun Kid