barrel flats that arn't

[Ric27]

  working with a barrel that has a distinct crown to the flats. Makes leveling the lock panels difficult. I guess I am just wining because have to deal with it as it is but was wandering if this is something that others have been struggling with lately? I have a few barrels and I checked 2 others and one had the same distinct crown and the other was nearly dead flat.. All three barrels are premium, swamped and rifle.  Not mentioning brand please, what's your experience?. 

Ric

[B.Habermehl]

Depending on the barrel maker the flats get sanded on a belt sander to eliminate milling marks. That's where your crown comes from. You either need to eyeball the crown with a square, or you need to draw file a couple of reference points square and flat. BJH

[Ric27]

A belt sander by hand? Really? I'd prefer the milling marks. I looked at the barrel that has the Sq flats and it has been ground smooth as well. He must be using a surface grinder.

[P.W.Berkuta]

If it's a swamped barrel he can't use a surface grinder - they only do parrallel or a straight taper surfaces as far as I remember? May he has a special jig???

[B.Habermehl]

It's really not as primitive as set up as a hand belt sander. The sander I saw operated was a good 5 feet from center to center of the rollers, with a moveable pressure pad. The pressure pad was pressed against the barrel and moved from one end to the other by hand. The sander and barrel are stationary, only the pressure pad moves. This over simplifies the process and set up. Remember we are reproducing a hand made product. I really doubt any original barrel was really square from the top flat to the side flat, or had flats with no crown. BJH

[Acer Saccharum]

I file a little crown on my bbl flats, the top three, anyway. Then I round the corners off. 

It's a pain on the side flats, tho, especially where the lock mates to the barrel. I like to fit that junction so it's waterproof with a tiny film of grease.

Do all your filing before you inlet the barrel.

Tom

[Ric27]

Well like I said I was just wining. In reality will have to go in and round off all those perfect flats on the one barrel that has them. But I am going to relish the time they are flat while I am getting the panels Square. (:

[Mark Elliott]

I get good quality barrels that are both sanded and unsanded.   The flats are always a little off square.   I will draw file both types, it is just a matter of amount.   I always introduce a bit of crown in the process, but take extra pains around the touch hole to make sure that flat is, well, flat.   

[Ric27]

Sounds like a solid method Mark. I just started building rifles again after a 10 yr layoff. I am on my 4th one and has been like starting over.

[Long John]

I always draw-file the whole barrel before letting it into the stock.  I make all 8 flats nice and flat first, from end to end.  Then I round over the corners a little to give the barrel more of a hand-made look.  Then I color the side flats from end to end with a Sharpie (R) marker, or equivalent.  Once the ink is dry I draw file off the ink on the bottom half of the side flats, end to end, only, except right where the lock butts up against the barrel.  This gives me a very slightly tapered side flat to facilitate letting in the barrel.  This is the prep work I do to make the barrel ready to let in.  It doesn't take long but helps get a nice fit.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[KC]

Long John, That's a pretty neat tip.I'm just beginning a pistol build as a step towards doing a rifle. I think I'll give that a try. Do you round over the corners with a file or do the corners get rounded off enough when you sand and polish the barrel prior to finishing?

[flehto]

I only use Rice bbls and have found  a minimum of "crown" on the flats which a little bit of draw filing makes flat. The top bbl flat which I file very flat is key to my drilled holes because this flat is clamped against the permanent jaw of my very accurate vise and determines the path of the drilled holes for the lock bolts, bbl lug holes and RR pipe holes. This allows the holes to be in nearly the same level on both sides of the stock and the width of the forestock moldings is made according to the 1/16 dia. pin holes. Works out well.......Fred

[Mike Brooks]

I'm just finishing up a gun with a Rice barrel and it "had' a slight crown to the flats. I'm used to the opposite. Colerain barrels have hollow flats and alot of machine marks that are a pain in the butt to file out....
 Hoyt's barrels all seem good and flat.

[Ric27]

Sometime I think I get caught up in small matters that are not so important as just moving past little problems. Thanks every one for the informative comments.

[Long John]

KC,

I just use the same file I use for draw-filing to round-over the corners between adjacent flats.  It only takes a few strokes.  I just think it makes the barrel "look" more like the originals.  Some folks like sharp corners, some don't.  Lots of folks have observed that I'm "not very sharp".  I think they are referring to the corners between adjacent flats on the barrel of my rifle-gun.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[Ric27]

My concern about the crown of the flats only relates to using the top flat to establish the parallel lock panels and keeping every thing equal as I start thinning down the forearm out to the muzzle. I always round the corners off quite a bit and age up the gun in general. 

[Stophel]

I draw file the barrel before inletting it.  Will it be perfectly square and flat?  Heck no.  May not have been before I filed it.  Of course, I want it as true as I can get it, but I can't get it perfect, and don't worry about it.  The only spot that really has to be flat, flat, flat, is right where the lock goes.  The rest don't matter so much.  The biggest thing is to not file a "twist" into your flats... particularly your top flat where the sights go!  Absolute perfection in a rifle barrel surface is not really that important... nor that historically accurate for most types of guns!

I think that viewing and handling a bunch of old rifle barrels would be quite eye opening for many people.