Barrel Help

[kenny s]

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here is mine. bore mirror perfect, tight, and it has the original blue on the bbl. casehardening silver still visible both sides.
the witness marks are perfectly aligned. shoots inside of 1 1/2 inches at 50 yards. battle distance....63 2f, card, 450 greaser.
shoot the Shiloh 40 70 ss now....keep the originals for looking and dreaming....

just for record....and we all like pretty pictures...Ken

[kenny s]

$2150 five years go in case you're wondering.

[Maj. Forrest Smith]

Woody, you might try some teflon tape as a quick and easy fix. It will fill in some of the gap and protect the treads at the same time. You be amazed! Use some with my CPA to protect the treads and I noticed it does make it tighter too.

[Maj. Forrest Smith]

Kenny, you might try some teflon tape as a quick and easy fix. It will fill in some of the gap and protect the treads at the same time. You be amazed! Use some with my CPA to protect the treads and I noticed it does make it tighter too.

[Woody]

I'm not the one with a loose barrel. I also apparently can't get a picture to post anymore.





Woody

[Woody]

In the begining, (late 70's), I didn't know how to load black powder cartridges. After several failed attempts, I obtained smokeless load data from the NRA Dope Bag. Shot it for years that way, until the resurgence of BPCR. Picked up a used Shiloh Long Range Express and learned how to load black for it. That then translated to my other black powder cartridge guns. Last year, I took it to Friendship to plink before one of our silhouette matches. Sighted in on the pigs at 300 meters and started picking them off hand. I have carried it several times for both deer and bear, but have never pulled the trigger while hunting.

Woody

[VenisonRX]

I’ve got shimming material in the mail. Should be here Wednesday so I’ll post how it goes. Never would have thought about copper wire in the threads. What guage wire did you use? Do those rifles have the big wide square threads like a sharps? Just curious how much help the wire or Teflon tape would be in snugging things up. My plan was to figure out the right shim thickness and give it a little bit of torque somewhere in the neighborhood of 35-40lbs with some high temp bearing grease on the threads.

Love the pictures of the carbines! Nowhere near as pretty as mine looks in my hands. Can’t wait to get it back up and running. Would like to have it ready for deer season here in a few weeks. Have you guys slugged your bores? If so what do they come out to? Mine is admittedly a guess at .515. I tried two methods of measuring (wrapping shim stock around it and subtracting out double the width/turning it slowly in the micrometer and using .001 under the highest number) and came up with between .512 and .516. I’ve read .515 was the standard for the relined barrels and with my numbers falling on either side of .515, I’ve been going with that as mine shows no wear. I have the lee 515-450 moulds.

Tom

[VenisonRX]

And since everyone else said it, I got mine for $1600 over the summer so it’s fairly new to me.

[mdeland]

If you will build or have one built for you a, Powley gauge will accurately measure the odd groove barrels. 3-5 or 7 groove rifling. All you need is the gauge, a good mic or caliper and the formula that comes with the gauge. I have the data on how it is built and the calculation formula if needed.
You are right to use steel shim stock to tighten the barrel through the receiver hole. I've done so and if accomplished correctly you will never be able to tell it's shimmed. Make the shim a good bit over size so it will be easily trimmed, fit the barrel hole OD snugly over the threads , torque the barrel up then scribe the shim against the receiver ring with a sharp dry wall knife at a 45 degree angle. Bend the shim stock back and forth and it will break off flush with the barrel shoulder circumference. Use a sharp Swiss V file to trim the break orbit and it will all but disappear. Touch up the shim joint edge with some Oxpho blue and a Q-tip.

[mdeland]

My thread chart says it is 10 tpi so each sixteenth of a turn will draw up 62.5 thousands.This should give you some idea of the shimming thickness you will need. Also don't forget about the compression fit. The shim should be lightly lubed on both sides so it doesn't tear when torqued up.

[Woody]

No specific gauge required. Just strip some multiple strand wire and lay-in a couple and check. Add or subtract as required. I never have slugged the bore. I shoot an old lyman mould that drops a 450 grain flat point at .515 diameter. I don't size, but lube in a lubrasizer. Still using the same DGW brass I bought in the 70's for .50 cents each. Pricey at the time.

Woody

[mdeland]

The reason the shim stock is the best way to do the job is because it makes the loose square threads draw up on themselves over there full length. It also helps them to draw up more evenly on the action hole face, against the barrel shoulder, which should be as square as possible with the action front.

[Woody]

Mike,

I agree that shim stock works and works well, there is more than one way to skin this cat.

Woody

[mdeland]

Yup, true words Woody, it's just that I'm thinking a gun mechanic with much less machine experience than you have would probably have a better chance at success with the shim stock. The copper wire would do the same thing in forcing the loose thread faces together toward the muzzle.
The trouble with square threads is they do not self center as does V threads and rely on radial close tolerance between male and female to keep the bore center line in co-axis with the action hole.

[Woody]

My thought would best be served with a combination of both. Wire to center and provide interference, and shim stock to give a "crush" fit on the face.

Woody