More barrel questions

[Lzymtlsmth]

Hello all,
New to this forum but not to be shooting/ building/ hunting.
Been reading with interest about “ mistakes “ drilling through a barrel and over deep tendons.
And how it can be unsafe.
Well, after building since many guns I whoopsed a colerain .62 cal. By drilling a lug hole too deep into the bore.
Not throwing it out or making a pistol out of it.
I threaded the hole and ran in a stainless bolt.
I see some are calling this unsafe, how do you know that?
 Have you blown up up a barrel intentionally or just think it might happen. Back in the day Sam Fadala overloaded a ml barrel with 600 gr. Of 3F and a double.50 cal rb. He gave up trying to burst the barrel.
I don’t see how a plugged hole could let loose.
I also don’t think early makers threw out a barrel because of a mishap. Original iron barrel beat around a mandrel and sealed shut.
No disrespect meant to anyone I don’t think there is enough pressure to do anything but push out the ball, and....it’s vented from the touch hole too.

[Hungry Horse]

Please don’t shoot it around sane people, and don’t hang your hat on everything good old Sam recommends.

  Hungry Horse

[Lzymtlsmth]

I don’t see anything more than opinion I’d like to see evidence of failure.
What do you base your conclusion on?
I’ve seen failure in ml barrel when some guys back in the 70’s were experimenting with duplex loads, Red dot & black powder. Not with  only.

[rich pierce]

Logically a well threaded hole into the bore filled with a well-fitted bolt (think breechplug or drum or vent liner) is not unsafe. It is in my mind safer than a hole drilled almost into the bore but leaving a thin wall.

The issue that arises in thinking is that such holes from staples gone wrong are mistakes. This clouds thinking and logic.

The practical issue is that the threaded bolt will likely cause issues loading or leave a spot for crud to accumulate. I’d fresh the barrel afterwards to recut any groove and/or land impacted and shoot it.

[G_T]

A contact between dissimilar conducting materials in a corrosive environment - in this case stainless and presumably carbon steel - results in galvanic corrosion. That leads to failures down the road. There have been engineering "classics" due to forgetting this detail.

Gerald

[Hungry Horse]

My thinking is you have every right to do every stupid thing you can think up, if it just you at risk. But, if someone else is nearby and vulnerable, it not your call.

  Hungry Horse

[oldarcher]

I have never done this, but I have had nightmares about doing so, I always use a marker on the drill bit as well as set the stop  on my mill. I have done other stupid things like milling dovetails on the wrong flat. I am sure this hole in the barrel experience is just around the corner for me, I have made so many other stupid mistakes I can't list them, but I have never considered threading and installing a screw in a through hole in a barrel. I draw the line on that. I don't think that it would blow out as a properly threaded screw is quite strong, we use a clean out screw in a drum and that works. I think that over time and shooting the screw would be weakened by crud left in the barrel. Man up and admit a dumb mistake and cut the barrel up or use it for a pistol, or better yet hang it above your drill press/mill as a reminder to be more careful, as one mistake is bad, two is laughable.

[B.Barker]

If stainless screws are going to cause problems why does everyone use stainless vent liners?

[Mike Lyons]

If stainless screws are going to cause problems why does everyone use stainless vent liners?

[WadePatton]

Hello all...in the day Sam Fadala overloaded a ml barrel ...

Sam Fadala is a source of information, true. 

But not a really good one as I have learned from years more of study on black powder-with many folks who have better knowledge (experience and engineering) than Sam Fadala. They just don't happen to be professional authors. Some of them are professional metallurgists and chemists, etc. with a bent for our hobby. 

[Lzymtlsmth]

If stainless screws are going to cause problems why does everyone use stainless vent liners?

Amen brother, I have used Ampco liners as well with no issues in the breech area which houses the most crud.

[Lzymtlsmth]

My thinking is you have every right to do every stupid thing you can think up, if it just you at risk. But, if someone else is nearby and vulnerable, it not your call.

  Hungry Horse

I resent being called stupid, seems to me you have only your hi horse opinion of what you think would will happen with absolutely no proof of any failure.
That is ignorance.
Bottom line, all you got is your opinion . Pretty thin soup.

[Lzymtlsmth]

Please don’t shoot it around sane people, and don’t hang your hat on everything good old Sam recommends.

  Hungry Horse

Guess you’re the only sane person.

[G_T]

If stainless screws are going to cause problems why does everyone use stainless vent liners?

Well, for one thing, you get to see the condition readily. If there is a problem you'd notice rather quickly. And if you shoot it enough, at some point you'll likely replace it anyway. Besides, it is the barrel which will be corroding not the stainless insert. That could be the threads.

A thread on the bottom of a barrel plugged by a stainless screw where the barrel might not get removed could become a problem before it ever gets noticed. Almost certainly the screw would not be removed to check for corrosion in the barrel!

Perhaps this rather brief page would be of interest: https://www.materials.sandvik/en-us/materials-center/corrosion/wet-corrosion/galvanic-corrosion/

Odds are those stainless inserts (yes, I use them too) increase barrel corrosion rates when dirty.

Gerald

[varsity07840]

This post removed due to modern rifle content which is against our rules.
Dennis

[bptactical]

If, and that's a BIG if I were to attempt to repair such an anomaly I would do this: Tap hole with fine threads such as 8-36 or similar. Turn a threaded stud of similar material accordingly with slightly incomplete threads (easy to do by single pointing on a lathe). You want an interference fit. Tin the stud with HI Force 44 and flux the hole. Turn the threaded stud to just a couple of thousandths shy of the bore or flush.
Heat so the solder flows, allow to cool then trim the stud to the barrel.
Unless this anomaly is right at the crown it will not have a detrimental effect to accuracy.
The biggest challenge is eliminating any burr in the bore. I would try lapping it with a lead slug or pay the money to have it freshed.
I would make it a note to shy away from max loadings on it.

Drill stops are cheap eh?

[Bob Roller]

My thinking is you have every right to do every stupid thing you can think up, if it just you at risk. But, if someone else is nearby and vulnerable, it not your call.

  Hungry Horse

I think HH just nailed the whole question.Also if the barrel can be safely plugged
and rerifled so as not to ruin a patch on a round ball it may work.

Bob Roller

[Bob Roller]

 This post deleted due to modern rifle content which violates our rules.
Dennis

[E.vonAschwege]

Folks - this subject has deteriorated into name calling and well away from its original subject, it is now locked.