Lining a barrel

[marcusb]

I have an old CVA barrel in 50 cal with ok bore and 7/8ths across the flats. I have considered lining it to a smaller caliber and draw filling a swamp or taper to it.

I am curious were liners in roundball twist could be found, or if it would even be cost effective. I am not the type to spend twice to prove myself wrong LOL.

[Jerry V Lape]

I think Track of the wolf and Brownells both have liners.  But if you can't do the lining yourself and if you haven't the milling equipment to do the swamp I think you will be money and huge hours ahead to buy the barrel you want new. 

[marcusb]

That brings up another point, what type of equipment should be used to taper/swamp?

I will be looking a a horizontal and vertical mill next week as well as several lathes

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

The only method I have for swamping a parallel barrel is with files.  It works but is a great deal of work.

As for lining...I have an English rook rifle that has a tapered barrel and a hook-breech.  It was .38 cal. with a fast twist but in desperate condition inside.  So I bought a new 9/16" drill bit, joined it to a length of 1/2" drill rod, and using a lathe, bored the original barrel out.  I then took a brand new .36 cal. GM parallel barrel, and turned it down to just a hair under 9/16", slathered it with epoxy, and slipped it into the original shell.  After dressing off the muzzle, and sighting it in, I have now a wonderfully accurate small game rifle that is a pleasure to shoot.  It is almost impossible to see the joint.

[bgf]

There is someone looking for a CVA barrel in the classifieds, I think; I believe he wanted .45 but the .50 is a lot lighter.  It doesn't make a bad barrel for hunting at all; one of my buddies has used his every season since the 70's (or whenever they came out) on a "mountain rifle".  Also, the oldest CVA barrels are made by Douglas (later ones made in Spain), or so I've been told -- I doubt they are worth a fortune even then, but it is the kind of thing I thought you might want to know.  A new GM barrel costs ~$150, plus some for breech, etc.  I think it would be hard to match the GM barrel on a performance/price basis even if you do everything yourself, unless you just want the experience, which I can understand.

[Long John]

Some while back I recieved a barrel that was made much larger across the flats than I had specified.  I decided to draw file it down to the specified dimensions.  It took me 8 hours of draw filing.  I got he barrel I wanted and based upon yesterday's shooting at the range it is the rifle I wanted too!

I am often perplexed when folks use the time and effort arguement for not doing something.  Granted, some members here are professionals and their time is money.  The time I spend in my little gun-making shop in a corner of the basement is fun-time, learning-time, exploring-time.  I am glad I spent the time to make the rifle I wanted.  All those holes in the middle of that black circle made it doubly worthwhile.

JMC

[doug]

      I have lined a couple of cartridge barrels and drilled the barrels by pulling a series of D bits or spade bits through the barrel.  That way they are sure to follow the bore.  Important to knock the corners off of the back of the bit so that it does not dig in if/when you break it off and have to drive it out backwards (Don't ask how I know).  If my memory is correct I went up in jumps of .030".  I had a bit of trouble breaking the threads on the 5/16 pull rod by trying to drill to far or too fast between cleaning chips.  I secured the liner with a loktite for securing bearing on one and I think soldered the other.   Also lined a couple of 22 barrels by grinding a 22 cal pilot on a 5/16 drill

cheers Doug

[T*O*F]

The only method I have for swamping a parallel barrel is with files.  It works but is a great deal of work.

I don't understand why everyone files them.  I use hollow ground lathe scrapers.  They cut ML barrels like butter and have more control.  Still a lot of work, but not as much as filing.  I've even used an old hunting knife on one 12L14 barrel.

[bob in the woods]

I use an old plane blade as a scraper for barrels. Works really well.

[DutchGramps]

Doug, that's nice use of that old Myford lathe. I suppose you have the long bed one, mine (of 1957 vintage) is only 20" between centres, and has a 14mm headstock, which limits its use, but I succeeded nevertheless in rifling a 9mm pistol barrel on it. Can you send me a detail pic of that set-up on the cross slide?
Regards,
Hans

[marcusb]

Just looked on tracks site for liner, for $200 I could have a fine barrel!

Well theres always tomahawks that need made

[38_Cal]

Here's the place to go for liners:

T.J.'s
3652 Neltner Rd.
Alexandria KY, 41001

859-635-5560

I believe that TOW's liners are from T.J.'s.

David

[Gene Carrell]

Properly installeed, TJ's liners will shoot as well as any barrel; But unless there is a good reason to salvage the old barrel, a new barrel may cost less.

[Daryl]

Cheaper to buy a new barrel, isn't it. Liners are very expensive and mostly used to salvage a valuable antique - to keep the original barrel's outside surface, yet allow shooting it.  .22 liners are cheap, however & different in that respect.

I'd not use a liner - expensive and a LOT of work -  on a cheap ML barrel - it's just not worth it - in my humble opinion, of course.