How to ream out barrel

[dkephart]

I am replacing a T/C 54 barrel with a slower twist Green Mountain. Is it possible to turn the T/C barrel into a smooth bore?
If so is it possible to do it myself?

 

I haven't done what you are asking but with some background in toolmaking, I would say it is going to be a real effort if you don't have any tools or experience. The tools to make barrels are somewhat specialized so it's probably easier and cheaper to buy a smoothbore barrel than make one.

 

[robinghewitt]

I got the impression that after the American civil war most everyone brought home a Minie ball rifle, cut the stock back and reamed it out as a shotgun. The world is full of them, can't be that hard to do ::

 

of course it is possible: I have a .62 smoothie that started life as a .58 rifle. I don't know how it was done, but I could probably find out from the guy I got the barrel from....It was common to convert rifles to smoothbores in the old days. :imo:

 

Aye, laddies, I dinna say t'was impossible...I said it would be easier and cheaper to buy another. The frontier gunsmiths reamed barrels like they rifled them - by hand, with light cuts. If I had a great deal of spare time and no machine tools, I would make an adjustable head to hold a small cutter, which could be shimmed out until the rifling was gone.

 

[Randy]

I've done this using a lathe and a 19/32 drill bit which I attached an extention to. First I heated the rear end of the drill bit to remove the hardness. Then I drilled and threaded it for a 1/4 inch rod to screw in the back creating my extension bit. I then chucked the bit in my small lathe with tail stock removed. I laid the barrel on a few blocks of wood to center it with the drill bit. running the lathe slow (500 rpm) and using lots of drilling oil I drilled the barrell a few inches at a time holding the barrel entirely by hand. ( Now this violates many safety regulations but I didn't have any problems) I simply advanced the bit in the chuck to make it longer as I went. By holding the barrel on the wooden blocks and working it back and forth by hand to help remove chips I was able to drill from either end and meet in the middle. I then polished the bore using emery cloth on a jag and finished with steel wool. It was a Cabelas 54 cal to start with and is now a 59 1/2 cal smooth bore.

As stated above I can't reccomend this from a safety stand-point but it worked fine for me and I never felt endangered. I have an easy access stop button which I used a couple times and my lathe is an old one driven with a leather belt which slips under a heavy load. Once the bit caught the barrel and spun it but I easily shut down befor any damage to me or it occurred.

I'm sure a better holding jig could be made and this same approach used.

 

[dkephart]

After considering this for a while and borrowing on some of Horse Doctors information.Here is what I will try.
Will grind the first 3/4" of the bit the diameter between the lands then follow Horse Doctors procedure.
This should give me somewhat of a pilot to help maintain
a true cut.
Thanks for the good information and I will let you know how it works.