Question - chamfering cylinder charge holes

[Cotis]

I am interested in chamfering the cylinder holes on several of my stainless .38s/.357s. I would like to know what tools people have used and what they feel is best. Thanks

 

[dfariswheel]

The best method and the one used by most professionals is a 45 degree piloted reamer....

BROWNELLS 45 DEGREE MUZZLE/CYLINDER CHAMFERING CUTTER & BRASS PILOT

Check out BROWNELLS 45 DEGREE MUZZLE/CYLINDER CHAMFERING CUTTER & BRASS PILOT available Online at Brownells Today and many more Reamers & Cutters products are available in our Tools & Cleaning Department.

www.brownells.com

People have done chamfering with un-piloted reamers but that often causes off-center bevels.

Chamber beveling is usually done with the ejector OUT.
Otherwise you damage the ejector ratchet.

 

[a5werkes]

Just an amateur but this is how I do it.
Pretty easy to do. It's a simple hand-driven cylinder chamber chamfering tool with a caliber specific pilot. After the primary chamfering, polishing with a burnishing bob and finalized with a Spyderco ceramic cylindrical polishing tool. Here's a M65-3 treatment. As mentioned, remove the extractor and only use cartridges with expended primers!

 

[Liftrat]

I'll second the Brownell's 45 deg cutter and pilots. Pretty straightforward, use a good cutting oil, some common sense, and don't overdo it.

 

[minconrevo]

Too often, users fail to remove the star before begining work. It only takes a LITTLE bevel to get the job done. A ball end mill, on a hand tool will accomplish whats needed. Like over beveling the forcing cone as well as removing more metal than necessary when squaring the cone, please STOP before overdoing the work.

 

[WR Moore]

Actually, a triangular scraper used to be part of a machinists hand tools. It was used to deburr the edges of holes. That's all I used to break the edges on the chambers. As had already been said: DO NOT CHAMFER THE EXTRACTOR!