Coned Muzzles

[nkbj]

Have a general request.
If yall would, please post pictures of your coned muzzles.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

 

[Eric Krewson]

Joe Woods tool, a couple of weeks ago, .54 cal.

After adjusting the sights and bumping up from 80gr of 2F to 85gr. I pulled the high shot and then settled down for the next two, off sandbags, 50 yards. Either the coning or the load adjustment made this rifle shoot better than it ever did before coning. Before coning it cut patches no matter how much a recrowned or polished the muzzle. After coining I could re-shoot the patches that I found on the ground if I wanted to.

The other holes were from initial sight adjustment, turns out the back sight was loose.

 

[Jaegermeister]

.61 cal Joe Woods tool. Just enough to thumb start my .600 round balls.

 

[Dartwick]

Im new to this.

In Jaegermeisters picture hes not talking about the beveled edge(which I would call a crown) or is he?

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

All of mine look just like the picture Eric posted above and I too will only use the bronze tools made by Joe Woods. Be aware that another Vendor makes a generic tapered shaft that you add your caliber-specific jag too, but you are now subject to runout. Runout means the tooling as a whole is not concentric, but eccentric (not in alignment, axially or radially) and that runout can come from the chuck end of the tool, the hole drilled in the tool for the jag, the thread post on the jag, the hole in the jag to accept that steel threaded post, if not from the jag end on a separate jag itself (if not carefully machined).

Runout means your bore could be oval or 'off' when done. Joe woods takes the utmost care to ensure his tool has no runout. Here is what a good barrel (Getz) with a good load (mine) can accomplish with a good coning tool (Woods) job; offhand @ 25-yards for 5-shots.

 

[sleepingbulldog]

Im new to this.

In Jaegermeisters picture hes not talking about the beveled edge(which I would call a crown) or is he?

No, the Joe Woods coning tool produces a very gradual cone that extends a few inches back from the muzzle. It eliminates the need for a short starter.

Mine looks just like the first picture. The lands and grooves are still visible at the muzzle. I’m able to press a patched ball down to flush with the end of the muzzle, with just a firm push of my thumb.

 

[nkbj]

'Preciate the photos so far. I've done a little coning using conical grinding rocks with grit paper held in place by tape and then the paper wrapping around the rock opposite of the direction of rotation. The difficulty of course is in maintaining the axis of the machine being used (for instance a hand held drill) with the center line of the bore. The grit on the paper goes away very quickly as well. And, if you just use grinding rocks then the rock will continually change in shape as it interacts with the surface of the barrel, adding another variable to what you end up dealing with.
Having a cutting tool such as is commonly used to cut the throat into the rifling of a centerfire rifle chamber would definitely be a better mouse trap, cutting the steel and then polishing the new surfaces.

 

[Dartwick]

So another question because I dont know any better.

How would it work if you "cone" was a real cone - sort of like a crown.
If it only went down 3/4" and had a fairly sharp angle cutting at least half the barrel thickness at the muzzle?

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Here is the benefit of coned muzzled gun shown at the 1:30 mark:

 

[nkbj]

So another question because I dont know any better.

How would it work if you "cone" was a real cone - sort of like a crown.
If it only went down 3/4" and had a fairly sharp angle cutting at least half the barrel thickness at the muzzle?

Real good question. Have wondered myself about the best angle and depth.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

I coned my 45 muzzle using a throating reamer for a 45-70 to remove the bulk of the material. Then I used the Joe Woods tool to finish and polish polish it. If I were doing a lot of coning I would have a reamer made for each caliber to speed things up but they are expensive. For just a job or two it wouldn't be cost effective.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I used the Joe Woods coning tool on the rifle in my avatar. I tried but failed to get a good picture of the muzzle afterwards.

I coned it more than Joe recommends. The first 3/8" to 1/2" are now smooth with no rifling. The rifle is a .50 and I'm able to seat a .490 ball in a dry .020" patch below flush with my thumb. I normally shoot a lubed .018" lubed pillow ticking patch.

Accuracy and POI were unaffected.

 

[Sun City]

Offhand ain’t the best way to test a load or a rifle for best performance! I guess some think this is a great way to show that they’ve got hair on their chest! Lordy lordy!

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Has anyone done a before and after at 100?

At 50, some smoothbores can get these groups shown.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I haven't tried my rifle at 100 yards, I can shoot 50 yards at my house but no further, the public 100-yard range is 45 miles away. I go their every now and then for a change of pace.,

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

I coned mine to the point that the rifling just disappeared at the edge of the muzzle.

 

[nkbj]

So here's your average garage sale hose nozzle.
The slope on the sides calculate out as 3.076 degrees to make a total cone angle of a little over six degrees. If the rifling grooves are 20/1000ths deep then to grind them out to the point of disappearing at the muzzle will leave a depth of grinding (axially down the bore) of about 3/8". If it went 50/1000ths instead of 20/1000ths then the depth would be less than an inch. Dang if I can't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Nkbj, the only issue I see, is how to keep it centered in the bore.
Joe Woods tools have a fitted jag specific to caliber.

 

[akroguy]

I coned mine to the point that the rifling just disappeared at the edge of the muzzle.

My .54 GPR muzzle looks much like that after Wood's coning tool was used. I took off maybe a little more metal so it's smooth the last 1/4" or so. It used to be a real patch cutter at the muzzle (and the rifling down the bore was nasty sharp too.....scotchbrite fixed that). It can now load a .530/.017 patch/ball combo without struggle but a .526/.017 is something I want to try to see if loading is easier and grouping stays constant.