Advanced Rifling Tips 2
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Situation: I want to rifle a barrel that is considerably shorter than what my rifling bench is set up for and I do not want to make and use a long bushing. OR, If I simply make a longer cutter head to accommodate for the shorter barrel, when the head comes out at the far end of the barrel, it will "whip" and cause the bit to work out which will cause the cutter bit to jam into the end of the barrel. This could also lead to an enlarged slot for the cutter bit and dull the teeth.
Here is an example of a extra long wooden cutter head which works admirably when rifling a short barrel on your long rifling bench. The issue here is that the cutter bit [turnscrew points at the bit] can work loose because the head will "whip" as it leaves the barrel. This is because of the sudden release of pressure that was exerted on the cutter and it's head. This is an issue that must be avoided.
In the following photographs, you will see a barrel being rifled on 6 January, 2010 in real time. These are not "staged" photos, but my own actual work in progress. For those of you who might be interested, I am using hog lard and peanut oil for lubricant. And YES, Ken. The hog lard has turned rancid with age and the resultant effluvia is now permeating the shop and you're asking me if the wife is objecting to what is wafting upstairs? I'll answer that question after I get out of hospital. Let's call this fix the "Tail Stock Stop".
I am rifling a barrel blank that is 40 inches long. My rifler is set up to cut 48 inches. The barrel had been threaded for a breech plug, so a bushing was made and installed on the barrel. A normal wooden cutter head, but extra long, was made to accommodate the short barrel. To have an extra tight fitting cutter bit, I always use Brownell's Acraglas brand of gunsmith's epoxy in the mortise. Good stuff, Maynard. It really helps keep things tight and provides extra strength to that little piece of wood. In this particular situation, I chose to position the cutter bit so that it started cutting close to the end of the smooth bore and very little into the bushing. This slows the process down some what, but it prevents the cutter bit from exiting the bore, but also prevents the teeth from jamming. With the cutter bit in location, a pencil line was scribed across the bed of the rifler at the forward edge of the tail stock.
The pencil line used to locate where the tail stock stop is to be positioned.
Then a small oblong shaped scrap of wood to make the stop body was laid out for two mounting holes 2 inches from the ends.
The holes were drilled to 3/8".
The tail stock body was then placed on and centered over the pencil line.
Two mounting holes were then drilled into the bed of the rifler to a depth of about 1 1/4".
A length of scrap 3/8" ramrod supplied two pegs of suitable length.
The pegs were glued into the stop body. The whole thing cleaned off and dressed up.
The stop placed into the mounting holes just drilled in the base.
Now, the cutter head can only protrude so far out of the barrel and you'll not be walking all the way to Georgia needlessly while rifling.
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