chamber end

[turbocat]

as an amateur gunsmith, i just assumed that the stamped, information end of a cyclinder blank was the end to chamber. i was wondering if it made any difference in accuracy if it were chambered from the other end. i know, i have too much time on my hands, but the weather kept me inside today.

[hemiallen]

It does if a gain-twist barrel...lol

[trotterlg]

If the blank is button rifled the rifling slug is pulled from the breach to the muzzle and if cut rifled the tool is also pulled from the breach to the muzzle. Usually the muzzle end is the cleanest as both the tools tend to wander a bit when starting. You may also notice if you have an un-turned blank, that the bore is more centered at the breach end because it is drilled from that end. If it is a turned on center blank then both ends will be centered. Chamber the breach end if you can, if you can't for some reason cut the muzzle back a little before you crown it. If it is not stamped, you can tell the muzzle of a button rifled barrel because you can see where the grooves will bulge out a little where the tool exits the bore on the end of the blank. Larry

[RareBear]

On a barrel that has been air gauged, the big end (larger inside diameter) is stamped. It would probably be bad news to chamber the tight end, a bullet would start bouncing around a bit before leaving the muzzle.

[Eddie Harren]

trotterlg, if it is a Hart barrel the button is pushed through the hole.

[BangPop]

Learn how to slug a barrel and you will quickly see which end needs the chamber. You may also learn which barrel needs to go back to the maker.

[Chuck Miller]

Obviously on a contoured barrel you don't have much choice, or do you. I have a Sako Finnfire that I sent to a well known rimfire smith with what I was told was a Lilja contoured blank, contoured but not chambered. Barrel was unmarked so all I have to go by was what the seller said. The smith called me back and said he slugged it and the only way it was going to shoot was if he chambered the smaller end. What I got back was a rifle that looks like the barrel was installed backwards and it shoots probably as well as any rimfire I've ever owned, including a couple ARA comp guns. I've also sent Kevin Weaver an unturned Shilen blank for my 25-284 and he said he'll determine which end he was going to chamber after he slugged and measured it.

[L Cazador]

I was thinking what Chuck mentioned, how would it work on a contoured barrel? Seems like a straight tapered barrel is the only thing it would work on. For what it's worth years ago I experimented and had a straight barrel chambered from the opposite end because it had a loose bore on one end. It worked out great. A match barrel should have the same dimensions the entire length of the bore IMHO.

[turbocat]

i was hoping someone had personal experience chambering the unstamped end.i always face the stamped end and cut about 1 1/2 inches off of the muzzle end. surely the rest of the barrel would be dimensionally the same. i use the cut-off piece to cut a duplicate of the chamber to use later to start depth measurements. thanks all.

[trotterlg]

I chambered a .17 cal bull barrel for for a 10-22 at the muzzle end so I could do a taper to take out the cut they make at the breach end. Made a .17 FB out of it. Shot just fine, but it may have shot just finer if I had used the proper end. Also, as the button is pulled (or pushed) down the barrel the metal is displaced in one direction which follows the button direction of travel. If you look at a sectioned barrel you can tell which way the button was pulled by how the hone marks are smeared, don't know if this really makes any difference in which direction the bullet would be happiest traveling. Larry