Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Hand-reaming a chamber. Ever done it?

I want to hand-ream the chamber of a Kimber of Oregon Model 82 from .17 Hornet Improved to .17 Hornady Hornet and I want to do it without removing the barrel. Apart from reducing the value of my Kimber, is this a relatively easy task? I assume I'll need a hand reamer holder and gages and otherwise, it should be pretty straight-forward? Yes/No?

You’ll want some kind of bushing setup to keep the reamer straight as it passes through the receiver. On a valuable rifle like that I’d feel much more comfortable pulling the barrel and putting it in the lathe.

I don't have the chamber drawing dimensions of your quoted cartridges..but if ANY cutting portion of the reamer starts cutting before the bore pilot is fully engaged, it is a recipe for disaster. The reamer will drift to where body english sends it. Also, all reamers I am aware of, do not have enough shank to extend through the action...which requires a bushed extension, which introduces even more error. Unscrew the barrel. The reason hand cut K Hornets and 8mm-06's turn out well is the pilot is engaged when cutting begins (in a well designed reamer). With short pilot standard reamers even in those cartridges, the bbl should be removed and the reamer chucked in the tailstock...dead true...no Jacobs bs, a proper collet chuck or indicated 4 jaw.

Thanks guys. Glad I asked.

Why don't you want to remove the barrel? -Al

You are going from an Improved to a standard Hornet? Do you have any idea how much you will have to remove to get it to clean up?

The 17 Hornady Hornet appears to be a variation of the original 17 Ackley. It should be fairly easy to ream by hand since there is little material being removed. This assumes some skill on the part of the person doing the reaming, of course. I'm guessing the idea here is to be able to use factory ammo. GD

The only chambers I've reamed in situ have been in barrels that were short chambered, specifically Criterion barrels for Springfields, that only required a couple thousandths of steel to be removed. A couple twists of the reamer for the extractor-less bolt to close on a Go-gauge. Oh, and a couple .30 barrels that I altered the throats with a 1 1/2degree included angle throating reamer (for specific cast bullet fits). All turned out great because they were securely piloted and intrusion was so minimal that the cutting oil was barely discolored by steel chips.

I wouldn't think of conducting any more reaming than what I described with the barrel in the receiver. Barrel removal is too easy, but I witness a lot of guys who have an almost pathological fear of removing a barrel - it's almost like it's considered Black Magic or something.

I’ve hand reamed a few rifles. The first was a short chambered AR 308. Another was a Mauser 7x57 to 280 - that job was not pretty since I didn’t take into account that the neck on the 7x57 is larger in diameter that the 280. I cleaned up another chamber by hand.

The last was a 375 Whelen AI. The 375 started out as a barrel that was just a plain barrel, not even short chambered. That was way to much work and time!!! I wanted to build a rifle doing as much as I could. I’ve showed it to two gun smiths that said only good things about the chamber job. I’m glad I did one.

I ran a lathe for a side job while going to school. I sold my lathe and sorely miss it. My advice is to take it to a gunsmith unless you have someone who knows what he’s doing looking over your shoulder.

I won’t do another “hand job” except a short chamber, maybe.

"HAND JOB" lolol...biscotti and coffee in nose.

I don't have the tools. I should probably get them.

Sir,
between buying the tools you will need plus a reamer (even if you rent one) and given the opportunity for messing up a chamber you would miles ahead to take it to a gunsmith and have it done properly.
Just a friendly suggestion from someone who has screwed up his share of stuff...
Bill

I've done a couple from 223 to 22-204 and 6x47 Rem to 6mm-204 both work very well.

The only experience I have doing it was on a 35 whelen short-chambered green mountain barrel for a mauser. It wasn't too bad and I would do it again. Definitely don't know about reaming a whole chamber but on a short chambered barrel it wasn't bad at all.

Bill, that would be my advice also..

No way in hell ------

You can get a reamer with an extended pilot.
I use this one for re-chambering 10mm barrels to 40 Super.
But the barrel is out of the gun and chucked in the lathe.

Tony

I laughed so hard I farted

You can hold the reamer in a 3/8 ratchet extension chucked in a cordless drill

Wow! this guy must have held the honor student of the year spot in the garage mechanic class!