re-crown barrel

[mollydodger]

Is it necessary to remove the barrel on a Lugerin order to recut the crown? thanks for all help!!!

[G.T.]

First you need access to a lathe that has a big enough hole in the spindle to accept the receiver, then you need to make a tapered sleeve set to clamp / hold the barrel in the chuck concentrically. Then you clamp it all in a four jaw chuck, or keep clamping and rotating, and clamping and rotating with a three jaw chuck, (lazy mans way!) until you get it zeroed out... Remove the snug fitted rod out of the barrel that you used for the dial indicator and walla!!! Re-cut your crown with what ever tool fits your fancy!! By the time you get this far, you'll definitely know which tool to use... Best to all, til...lat'r....GT

Oops! Almost forgot? You're most certainly going to have to know how to run a big lathe.. (I know, just like a small one!) Or have a good friend that knows what you don't!!!

[mollydodger]

Originally Posted by G.T.

First you need access to a lathe that has a big enough hole in the spindle to accept the receiver, then you need to make a tapered sleeve set to clamp / hold the barrel in the chuck concentrically. Then you clamp it all in a four jaw chuck, or keep clamping and rotating, and clamping and rotating with a three jaw chuck, (lazy mans way!) until you get it zeroed out... Remove the snug fitted rod out of the barrel that you used for the dial indicator and walla!!! Re-cut your crown with what ever tool fits your fancy!! By the time you get this far, you'll definitely know which tool to use... Best to all, til...lat'r....GT

Oops! Almost forgot? You're most certainly going to have to know how to run a big lathe.. (I know, just like a small one!) Or have a good friend that knows what you don't!!!

Thanks for the info. The reason I asked this question is because I was not sure if a lathe with a large enough spindle hole to allow for the receiver would be able to clamp the barrel given its short length. I have run lathes many times over my 65+ years but not large ones. again, thanks for your time and input.

while we are at it, do you know of anyone who can do such a job?

[G.T.]

Hi Molly dodger, You can always do it the shade tree gunsmiths way, use the lathe to cut a chamfer or radius on the end of a (short!) steel rod. Then using a small drill, coat the end of the barrel, or tool, with lapping compound and holding the drill and tooling you just made straight off the end of the barrel, slowly and lightly resurface/recut the crown! It only takes a little and you can track your concentricity by the polish marks and depth...
If you decide to go the lathe route, you will need a boring bar to cut the taper for the aluminum barrel sleeves... It would only need an inch plus to hold for that type of job... you could probably modify a tool to bore with in that short of distance...Good luck, til...lat'r....GT

[sheepherder]

If you have a barrel vise and a Luger receiver wrench, it can be a quick & easy job. The barrel vise insert can even be used in the lathe chuck. The pic below shows a member doing something with a barrel that has been removed from the receiver. The aluminum insert is a two-piece part, and the chuck is a 3-jaw. I assume the member centered the bore before machining.

G.T. has considerable experience in Luger barrel work of this kind.

[G.T.]

Rich has it pictures perfectly!!!!! That is Exactly how you do it, although the "less" lathe you have, the closer to the chuck jaws you want the work to be?... .... Excellent pic Rich! ...til...lat'r...GT

[John Sabato]

How about a photo showing the current condition of your muzzle crown? It may not be as bad as you think...