Button rifling dies

[steelslaver]

I was looking around on Ebay and found some button rifling dies.

I got one for 11.43mm (.450) and another for 32acp. I will play around with some steel and reamers, but, I want to try to make a model 28 barrel into a 45 barrel and a 22lr barrel into a 32 barrel. If they come out slightly under I should be able to lap them some.

Anybody know anything about this. Shows using a hydraulic jack to push them, I have rams and can make fixtures. I know I need to use the on a hole reamed between groove and land diameter and the buttons displace metal to form the rifling. Anyone messed with this stuff? Czan't hurtt to try it I guess.

 

[Kp321]

There is more to rifling than just pushing a button through a hole. To get the proper rifling twist you need some way to turn the button as it progresses.

 

[Ackley1952]

You need to forget this idea until you visit a barrel manufacturing facility. Once a year Shilen has an open house and demonstrates the process. You left out the part of deep hole drilling prior to pulling the button through.

 

[WR Moore]

Way back when I toured the Douglas Barrel plant. The rifling buttons in use were tungsten carbide and were pulled through the barrel blank. Yes, the button has to be turned while pulling and yes, the different rifling twists have different buttons. This last is due to the differing angles of the rifling.

The blanks have a substantial shoulder on the one end to resist the force exerted on the button. I'd doubt you can re-rifle an existing barrel in this manner. Prior to rifling, the blanks were drilled, then honed to produce a specific diameter and surface finish prior to rifling. any blank that didn't get the exact ID and/or surface finish was taken out to the next larger caliber.

As thin as the barrel walls would be on a model 28 barrel, I'd have grave doubts about the button traveling in a straight line. When they rifle barrel blanks, they're much larger in diameter to withstand the forces involved in the drilling, honing and rifling operations. Now, there are places that would, for a price, bore out your barrel and cut rifle it.

Frankly this is a "don't try this at home" sort of thing.

 

[BlueOvalBandit]

A button can be pushed or pulled depending on how its made. You can also make a button that will twist on its own. It all depends on what you bought. Pushing on through you need to make sure your setup is perfectly straight and wont buckle and shoot the out sideways. Probably would not something I would try on an already profiled revolver barrel.

For giggles you can see Douglas' push through setup. They have a gearing set up to change twist rates as well as guides to push the button straight.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrNakx3lStY[/ame]

Skip to around 3:20

or watch Mark Serbu do a comparison with Ukraine and Chinese button in a more garage setup.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG55tsQgQg8[/ame]

 

[steelslaver]

Well I am going to try it at home. I have done some reading on these and they are designed to be pushed through, the button portion turns on its own and turns on the base which is pressed. You do need a precision hole that has been reamed and lapped to push it through. You also need a tapered start. Plus a set up to press squarely. A 10 ton jack is supposed to be sufficient. But think about it. A the area of a .45 hole is .225 x .225 x 3.14 or 0,149 sq inches !0 tons of pressure on that area is 62 tons per sq inch.

Watched a couple videos of it and the results. The problem with a model 28 barrel might be that instead of the button displacing metal it would simply swell the barrel. Oh, well, I have several of them. Plan would be to machine and tap a piece of stock then make the taper in the stock and thread the barre into it to have a starting taper. I would press against the muzzle, but, use a 6" barrel that has the last 1/2 of the muzzle end left undrilled.Then once the button gets to that point cut the undrilled end off.

Ya, I might wreck it, big deal. Yes, I can get one cut to 45, by some one else when eve they get to it. I have 40r 5 45 caliber barrels in my parts pile as well as 26" of blank. Plus, my old man cut rifled several muzzle loader barrels and I believe I could cut one myself. Its not rocket science, just some metal. Not the point. Point is to try something and to LEARN

 

[S&WsRsweet]

I say go for it and post the results if for no other reason than to entertain us less talented curmudgeons that live vicariously through your work lol.

 

[Jaymo]

I say go for it and post the results if for no other reason than to entertain us less talented curmudgeons that live vicariously through your work lol.

Absolutely.
After all: "Can't never could".