Cutting A Barrel Shorter
08-21-2012, 11:20 AM
#1
Boone & Crockett
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
Cutting A Barrel Shorter
There's no need to pay a gunsmith to shorten a barrel. It's a simple job you can do at home with hand tools.
Here's how I went about it.
The first step was to mark the barrel for the cut. I used a copper tubing cutter to do that. These things are about $8 from Ace Hardware.
It made a nice little shallow groove around the barrel perfectly square to the bore.
Then I used a fine cut six-inch three corner file to carefully deepen the grove., laying the barrel across my lap and rotating it slowly as I filed.
I wanted a groove deep enough to serve as a starting guide for a hack saw blade.
Then I wrapped the barrel with tape to protect it from any slips when I went at it with the hack saw blade.
With the barrel across my lap once again, I began the cut using a new 32 tooth per inch fine cut hack saw blade held in my hand. I could probably have mounted the blade in a handle, but figured I would have more control holding the blade. I started off with very light cuts, rotating the barrel as I went.
Here’s what it looked like after about ten minutes of careful work.
It was going slowly, but nice and even. I could probably have mounted the blade in a handle at this point and proceeded at a faster and easier rate. But I was in no hurry and stuck with the handheld blade. It took longer to get all the way through but I ended up with a nice even cut.
Then I began dressing the face of the muzzle with light strokes of the fine three corner file, making sure to keep the file flat and rotating the barrel as I progressed.
It didn’t take too long to remove all of the lines and scratches left by the saw blade.
I then used 240 grit emery paper backed by a flat piece of aluminum to continue dressing the muzzle flat and smooth, keeping it flat against the muzzle and using a circular motion. I followed the 240 grit paper with a final polish of 400 grit paper.
Once it was flat and smooth I used the 240 grit, then the 400 grit the to slightly chamfer the outside edge, removing the sharp corner.
Then used one-inch squares of 240 grit and 400 grit paper and my thumb to slightly chamfer the inside of the muzzle
The final product was quite satisfactory. I don’t know how a smith could have done any better.
As you can see, I managed to keep everything flat and square.
By the way, I did all of the work sitting on a chair in my man cave.
Here's how I went about it.
The first step was to mark the barrel for the cut. I used a copper tubing cutter to do that. These things are about $8 from Ace Hardware.
It made a nice little shallow groove around the barrel perfectly square to the bore.
Then I used a fine cut six-inch three corner file to carefully deepen the grove., laying the barrel across my lap and rotating it slowly as I filed.
I wanted a groove deep enough to serve as a starting guide for a hack saw blade.
Then I wrapped the barrel with tape to protect it from any slips when I went at it with the hack saw blade.
With the barrel across my lap once again, I began the cut using a new 32 tooth per inch fine cut hack saw blade held in my hand. I could probably have mounted the blade in a handle, but figured I would have more control holding the blade. I started off with very light cuts, rotating the barrel as I went.
Here’s what it looked like after about ten minutes of careful work.
It was going slowly, but nice and even. I could probably have mounted the blade in a handle at this point and proceeded at a faster and easier rate. But I was in no hurry and stuck with the handheld blade. It took longer to get all the way through but I ended up with a nice even cut.
Then I began dressing the face of the muzzle with light strokes of the fine three corner file, making sure to keep the file flat and rotating the barrel as I progressed.
It didn’t take too long to remove all of the lines and scratches left by the saw blade.
I then used 240 grit emery paper backed by a flat piece of aluminum to continue dressing the muzzle flat and smooth, keeping it flat against the muzzle and using a circular motion. I followed the 240 grit paper with a final polish of 400 grit paper.
Once it was flat and smooth I used the 240 grit, then the 400 grit the to slightly chamfer the outside edge, removing the sharp corner.
Then used one-inch squares of 240 grit and 400 grit paper and my thumb to slightly chamfer the inside of the muzzle
The final product was quite satisfactory. I don’t know how a smith could have done any better.
As you can see, I managed to keep everything flat and square.
By the way, I did all of the work sitting on a chair in my man cave.
Last edited by Semisane; 08-11-2018 at 03:47 PM.
08-27-2012, 11:29 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota
Posts: 3,732
My rifle shoots good after removing the QLA. I used the tubing cutter as described by Semisane to mark the barrel. This evidently works to keep the cut square; my rifle probably wouldn't shoot good if it didn't.
The pictured target was shot at 47 yard before the QLA was removed. The numbered holes were made by a 500g Conical cast by Flounder They scared me so much i shot 3 more times using the 300g Deep Curl, just to see if something wasn't haywire. Those holes are dyed green.
After seeing how them conical shot in the rifle, i cut the QLA off .
Then i tried shooting them 500g conical again using the rifle now without the QLA.
The holes near center were shot at 100 yard. The holes dyed green were shot at 48 yard.
Then just to see if the rifle could still shoot the 300g Deep Curl in a sabot, i shot them at 200 yard a week or two ago. The following target is the result.
Semisane' technique works.
The pictured target was shot at 47 yard before the QLA was removed. The numbered holes were made by a 500g Conical cast by Flounder They scared me so much i shot 3 more times using the 300g Deep Curl, just to see if something wasn't haywire. Those holes are dyed green.
After seeing how them conical shot in the rifle, i cut the QLA off .
Then i tried shooting them 500g conical again using the rifle now without the QLA.
The holes near center were shot at 100 yard. The holes dyed green were shot at 48 yard.
Then just to see if the rifle could still shoot the 300g Deep Curl in a sabot, i shot them at 200 yard a week or two ago. The following target is the result.
Semisane' technique works.
08-14-2021, 07:35 AM
#6
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,746
That's a great job Semi. I forgot about this thread when I did my barrel. The only improvement to make over your process is with the crowning of the bore. A trick I found was to use an appropriately sized cap nut with the proper bolt. Cut the head off the bolt and place the bolt/cap nut into a drill. Apply some polishing compound to the cap nut and work the muzzle. It gives a nice uniform chamfer to the bore without any burrs and doesn't take long to do.
Check mine out here: Cut and crowned
Check mine out here: Cut and crowned
Last edited by bronko22000; 08-14-2021 at 07:40 AM.
08-16-2021, 04:33 AM
#7
Spike
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: NE Nebraska
Posts: 83
This post falls in to the "I wonder if" or maybe "I think" category
What I do know is there exists steel pipe cutters that look and function like the light weight tubing cutter shown in this thread only bigger and sturdier. They are too expensive to just go an pick one up for yourself but a full service plumber probably has one laying around. Most water lines are now run in plastic but there must be some cases steel is still used.
Find a friendly plumber and pay him what he wants/needs and you could save yourself an afternoon of hacksaw blade and turning work on your barrel. With the cutter the cut would be, for sure, square. Polish in a crown and you are done.
What I do know is there exists steel pipe cutters that look and function like the light weight tubing cutter shown in this thread only bigger and sturdier. They are too expensive to just go an pick one up for yourself but a full service plumber probably has one laying around. Most water lines are now run in plastic but there must be some cases steel is still used.
Find a friendly plumber and pay him what he wants/needs and you could save yourself an afternoon of hacksaw blade and turning work on your barrel. With the cutter the cut would be, for sure, square. Polish in a crown and you are done.
Last edited by Olde NE Hunter; 08-17-2021 at 04:17 AM. Reason: clarity
08-19-2021, 08:20 AM
#8
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 12,746
This post falls in to the "I wonder if" or maybe "I think" category
What I do know is there exists steel pipe cutters that look and function like the light weight tubing cutter shown in this thread only bigger and sturdier. They are too expensive to just go an pick one up for yourself but a full service plumber probably has one laying around. Most water lines are now run in plastic but there must be some cases steel is still used.
Find a friendly plumber and pay him what he wants/needs and you could save yourself an afternoon of hacksaw blade and turning work on your barrel. With the cutter the cut would be, for sure, square. Polish in a crown and you are done.
What I do know is there exists steel pipe cutters that look and function like the light weight tubing cutter shown in this thread only bigger and sturdier. They are too expensive to just go an pick one up for yourself but a full service plumber probably has one laying around. Most water lines are now run in plastic but there must be some cases steel is still used.
Find a friendly plumber and pay him what he wants/needs and you could save yourself an afternoon of hacksaw blade and turning work on your barrel. With the cutter the cut would be, for sure, square. Polish in a crown and you are done.