doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com reaming fixed chokes

More meatheads mutilating fine old guns! Enough to make me sicker than the lukemia I've got. Chopper

Thanks for the sarcastic reply, Richard. I don't read comic books anymore, and only wanted to know if reamer chatter could loosen ribs. I imagine that in all cases of rib solder joints coming loose, something causes the joint to fail. I suppose that could be anything from poor soldering, tinning, or fluxing to the stresses from firing. I have bored exactly zero chokes, but I would surmise that if "any work" can further loosen already loose ribs, then "any work" can loosen ribs that are not yet loose.

Keith: I thought it was me that worked his ire. I couldn't imagine what I had written to cause such a response. And Chopper, I do resent the 'meathead' response. Please don't start crying now. May I ask that those that rely on criticism alone refrain from posting in my thread. I'm getting very good advice and help here and someone chiming in with moronic posts just ruins it for me.

CTroy;
A bushing placed on the end of the reamer shank of a size to just be an easy sliding fit in the bore would keep the reamer in line. The lead taper on the flutes would center them as they made contact with the cone. I would not see a lead pilot as necessary for this purpose. If it was you would have to make a new one every cut. A good way to fit the bushing is after determining the needed size fit an oversize one to the reamer shank & then set the reamer between centers in a lathe for turning to the needed size.

I have never done it, and don't plan on doing it myself.

But here is a clip of it being done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7YQf6YWLaM

I too, resent your "meathead" remark. I do not consider what I do, to my OWN guns, "mutilating fine, old guns". I am making MY PROPERTY operate the way I want it to. What I do to MY OWN PROPERTY IS none of your damn business. You're welcome to do, or not do whatever you want, to your property. Allow me and others the same courtesy.

I should start off by stating that I strongly agree with Jim in that one can do with one's possessions whatever one wants.

Having clarified that -"butchering" one's Purdey or one's Crescent is only up to oneself- I would like opinions from the experts as to the following method:

Long wooden dowel with a cut at one end where you roll a piece of oiled sand paper (300 grit) and put some paper under it until it fits snugly when you insert it, from the chamber, into the choke area. With the dowel in an electric drill and while wrapping the end of the barrel with a wet cloth to "refrigerate" you go at it with care, adding pieces of paper under the lubricated abrasive.

Comments will be appreciated.

JC

The video by Larry Potterfiedl referenced above, illustrates the method that I use and the straight type of reamers I use(commonly known in the trade as chucking reamers). Whilst good results can be had using the method, I would not attempt to ream 0.015" from a barrel in one reaming as illustrated by Potterfield in reaming the choke of the second barrel. My experience has been that one should ream 2 or 3 thousands of an inch at a time, up to the final 0.015". This, of course calls for a set of reamers numbering 10 or more per bore size of the gun (20 bore, 16 bore, 12 bore and so forth. However, one usually needs to finish the choke reaming with either lapping or honing.

Chucking reamers do not come from the manufacturer with a treaded hole in the back end of the reamer, but are soft enough on that end to allow drilling and tapping the hole using a lathe. Another point is that I have my pilot bushings placed on the reamer shaft with a collar on the reamer T handle shaft where the pilot bushing will not move up from the reamer shaft onto the T handle shaft during the reaming. Never turn the T handle counter clockwise after starting the reaming of a choke. It is a good idea to make up a set of reaming pilot bushings. I keep a 3/4 inch round bar of copper to make up a bushing quickly when I encounter a need for a size that I do not have.

I do not do a great deal of choke reaming, however if I did I would have a reamer manufacturer to make me a set of reamers with a two inch taper section at the front of the reamer with a two inch straight section following the taper.

One should also consider that reaming a choke from full choke to say 1/4 choke or cylinder bore will leave quite a long straight section of choke at the end of the barrel bore. Sometimes as long as 1 1/2 inches. Whilst this is not always an issue, it may become necessary to use a tapered reamer to shorten the long straight section in order to have the desired spread and pattern of shot.

For those of you interested in the art of patterning guns view the " A Look Inside Holland & Holland" video and watch Holland's master- Steve, work his magic with changing the patters and point of impact using ancient lapping methods and crude machinery. I need to ask Holland and Purdey's how many of their new guns are ordered with choke tubes. I suspect that in my life time that the majority of bespoke guns will be ordered with choke tubes and the art that Steve practices will fade into the past.

Chopper I agree with Jim you shouldn't call him a meAthead....some guys juat like screwing up guns.




Hope you feel better Chopper.

Agreed...it's Jims gun to screw up if he wants to.