TC Contender Suggestions?

[HighWall]

I was looking for pictures of a TC Contender barrel set up in a lathe for crowning. I've tried a couple of setups in the 4 jaw with less than notable success. Luckily, I have a barrel to play with which already had some cosmetic issues from the previous owner, so it's no big loss to experiment. I'm a relative newcomer to machine tools, so I have a lot to learn. Mostly, I've seen suggestions to not fool around with Contenders as a novice.

[madman]

Well i have to say for the First time in my Life filled with fooling around BE CAREFUL. My friend Pete just Blew Up his 30-30 Pistol, he was messing around with Powders and had 20 grains of shotgun powder in his pistol when it hand grenaded he still hasnt found the barrel and scope as it flew away into deep snow, Lucky he wasnt hurt, I told him to always stick with loaading guidlines but i guess he considers himseklf a rocket scientist 9hes far from that level but my good friend LOL ) lucky no one died,

[HighWall]

Well i have to say for the First time in my Life filled with fooling around BE CAREFUL. My friend Pete just Blew Up his 30-30 Pistol, he was messing around with Powders and had 20 grains of shotgun powder in his pistol when it hand grenaded he still hasnt found the barrel and scope as it flew away into deep snow, Lucky he wasnt hurt, I told him to always stick with loaading guidlines but i guess he considers himseklf a rocket scientist 9hes far from that level but my good friend LOL ) lucky no one died,

Well. It isn't that kind of fooling around I am interested in. I've been shooting and handloading for a long, long time, although I agree that you can't be too careful. All I'm trying to do it learn how to fixture the barrel in my lathe so I can shorten it and cut a new crown.

[kurt w]

Well sense you did not say how long a barrel it is I will assume it to be 10". Never did one, but if I were to try I think I would use an action truing fixture and set it up the same as an action. http://www.gtrtooling.com/prod05.htm The fixture is just a tube with 4 bolts front and rear to align the bore, a mandrel, or range rod, that just fits the bore with around 2 inches left to stick out the muzzle, 2 indicators one close to the muzzle and the other at the end of the mandrel and adjust till there is as little run out as possible on both indicators. Take light cuts and crown. It will take longer to set up than it will to cut the crown.

[HighWall]

Well sense you did not say how long a barrel it is I will assume it to be 10". Never did one, but if I were to try I think I would use an action truing fixture and set it up the same as an action. http://www.gtrtooling.com/prod05.htm The fixture is just a tube with 4 bolts front and rear to align the bore, a mandrel, or range rod, that just fits the bore with around 2 inches left to stick out the muzzle, 2 indicators one close to the muzzle and the other at the end of the mandrel and adjust till there is as little run out as possible on both indicators. Take light cuts and crown. It will take longer to set up than it will to cut the crown.

10" it is.

[kurt w]

Or use a crown tool, I beleve Brownells has them too.
http://www.pacifictoolandgauge.com/products/reamers/formtools.htm#crown

[HighWall]

Or use a crown tool, I beleve Brownells has them too.
http://www.pacifictoolandgauge.com/products/reamers/formtools.htm#crown


Thanks for the "out of the box" suggestion. I am mostly interested in how to solve the problem of setting up the barrel with breech block attached in a lathe and making it run relatively true and concentric. I tried it, had a hard time with it, so I thought I'd ask some who might know the best way, that's all. Thanks again.

[38_Cal]

Thanks for the "out of the box" suggestion. I am mostly interested in how to solve the problem of setting up the barrel with breech block attached in a lathe and making it run relatively true and concentric. I tried it, had a hard time with it, so I thought I'd ask some who might know the best way, that's all. Thanks again.

By "breechblock" are you referring to the underlug that's welded to the barrel? I recently did a barrel lining job on a practically brand new 14" .357 Maximum Contender that had a badly off center chamber and had a hard time shooting patterns less than 4" at 50 yards. Lined the original barrel with a piece of Douglas barrel, chambered back to the original caliber, and now it shoots about .600" at 50 yards for five shot groups... My lathe is a 11x24" Rockwell, and I had no problem mounting the barrel in the four jaw chuck and indicating to a plug gage in the bore when I went to crown it. I use brass shim stock between the lathe jaws and the barrel to prevent marring it. The underlug fit between the jaws as far back as I could get it, and there was no need to use a steady rest for any part of the operation.

David
Montezuma, IA