Making a sharps barrel in my lathe.

[homebrew .357]

More pic`s, Homebrew.357.

[Msalm]

That is pretty danged ingenious and keep em coming! I have two riflers, both hand pulled jobs, one with the old wooden guides/drums and the other is a home built sine bar rifler with linear bearings and shafting for ways. Slow twist only on these though.

[redneckalbertan]

Do you push and pull the cutter through the barrel? Or just pull?

[homebrew .357]

Hi, The cutter head is pulled through with the cutter raised from the breech end and down when cutter is returned back to start, so you are only cutting when it is pulled through. Because of slack take up with the gear box and drive train , It`s going back in a different position, so must be down or could stuff up your rifling. When I did this I did not realise I could get a smaller sprocket for a faster twist, but at the time I was only looking at making one gun. I was quite pleased that the new small sprocket gave a twist of 1-18", just what I wanted for this 1874 Sharps and now the barrel is set up and being rifled, the finale length is 27", had to cut off 2" to fit the rifling rod.
O well, it will be a KIWI Sharps carbine, Homebrew.357.

[homebrew .357]

Thought you all would be hanging out for the end results of all this rifling and stuff, yep she`s done ,in the ruff stage, but with a bit of lapping and polishing should be good to go, but have figger out a way to bore out to .450", cast iron lap?, or something like that. Homebrew.357.

[GeorgeGaskill]

Maybe a piloted spiral reamer so it won't catch in the grooves?

[homebrew .357]

Well if I could get one, and just for a one off job,$$$. I will just have to lap it out , make up a brass lap with slot cut across dia at .445" with a small wedge for slot. Fine grinding past and lots of oil, a tap on the wedge to expand lap, keep going to .449" ID, then polish with 1200 grt paper, that's my thinking. Could even get a slight taper in the barrel. . Homebrew.357.

[hammermill]

which ever way you lap it, I would suggest leather rings impregnated with polishing /lapping medium the shoulders should get a work out for sure

[hammermill]

I would vote for a stack of leather washers impregnated with polishing compound and lube going the same direction each time. cut the rings with a punch.??

[GeorgeGaskill]

I think you should stay with a hard lap to control where the lapping occurs. A soft one will end up lapping everywhere.

[homebrew .357]

That's my thinking to, I only want to take .002" off the top of the lands, so something ridged so as not to round off the lands. But once that's done the leather polishing idea sounds good. At the moment I`m lapping the grove bottoms, made up a cast iron bit to fit in where the cutter goes and rubs instead of cutting, Ajax mixed with a bit of oil to clean up the cutter marks . Thanks guys, Homebrew.357.

[homebrew .357]

At the end of the day it pays to keep it simple, so a slot cut in a length of wooden dowel with a bit of 600grt paper and thin plastic packer ,clamped in vicegrips and lathe spinning plenty of fluid, done. Lead slugged it, bore now .457"/.458" taper to the front.
Just have to set up to cut the barrel profile, looking at .800" at the muzzle and 1.120' at the breech. I would like to make octagonal , will just have to work out how to do it. Cheers, Homebrew.357.