Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Barrel thread question

So sitting here scheming...
A short chambered Rem barrel has the same TPI as a Ruger.
The diameter is just 1/16" larger on a Rem. Anyone try, or have thoughts on knocking down the Rem threads, then re-sharpening for the Ruger?

Absolutely no problem for someone that knows a bit about machining; turn down the shank and pick up any remaining thread and finish to fit.

Very good, thank you

maybe use a heavy recoil lug..

I see problems. Rem barrel has a counterbore about .150" deep which will have to be removed to work in a Ruger. Rem uses a recoil lug. Ruger does not. Will barrel shoulder have to be remachined? Probably.

RAN

Yeah one more thing to consider. In order to "re-sharpen" the threads as you mentioned, someone very skilled in machining would need to be able to "chase" the threads. i.e. when the lathe is engaged to thread it must be at the EXACT right timing otherwise you'll cut new threads. Without going into a detailed description that only someone experienced with a lathe would understand....I would not advise trying it. Why would you want to put a Rem barrel on a Ruger anyway?

If the "Smith" can't pick up a thread. ...don't let him touch it.

This.

Any smith should be able to take a rem take off and fit it up to a ruger with no issues.

It almost sounds like the OP is asking if this a do it yourself project, it definitely is not unless you own a lathe.

It don't take a helluva lot of skill to pick up that thread, besides, most of it will be gone when he turns it to the correctr diameter.

EddyBo and Jim,
I guess an experts advice is not wanted.

Butch,
Your advice is always welcome. I admire you guys who can do it for a living and not pull your hair out. It is a great hobby I just do not have the mentality to do it for a living.

Measure the major snd minor thread diameter, then you will know how much is left after turning down the rem barrel . Seems like alot to go thru to utilize a used barrel. I have done such.

Remington factory barrels taper really quick, but you may have enough left to set the tenon back and extend the threads after cutting of the bolt nose recess for the Remington Bolt. Unless you can't afford a new barrel blank , why waste the time and money going with a used barrel from a Remington for your Ruger?

.150 should leave plenty of shank for a shoulder on a 1 inch tennon, but you hit on the real crux of the matter, why do it? Unless you own a lathe and can do it yourself, or have a buddy that will do it for a six pack seems like a lot to pay to build a franken gun. I have done such stuff for buddies and will admit that they usually shoot very very well, but it would not be cost effective if I were not doing it gratis.

I have re-fitted a ton of factory take-off barrels and have often had to struggle to understand why. Often, it is just because the barrel looks pretty good and the owner can't bear to throw it out. Occasionally the work involved is well beyond what one might consider to be reasonable. I am no better than anyone else in this regard. I am presently shooting a FN Mauser with a 6.5x55 barrel. This barrel was originally fitted to a 1908 DWM Mauser. It was the re-threaded and fitted to a push feed Model 70. Then the tenon was sleeved and threaded for another Mauser.
I recently sleeved and re-threaded a Winchester Model 70 barrel which was chambered in 300 Win Mag. The customer wanted it fitted to his Mauser, set back, and chambered for the 308 Norma. Sound like more trouble than it's worth? Could be but that's what he wanted and it worked out nicely in the end.
For whatever reason, adapting barrels to actions other than that for which they were manufactured has always been popular. This is why I have had occasion to fit Winchesters to Mausers, Mausers to Enfields, Savages to Winchesters and the list goes on. I've made money and enjoyed making the customers happy so it's OK by me. GD

Tell'um gd

To clean this up a bit... the original question arose about a short chambered barrel, meaning brand new; there was a sale not worth passing up. This is farming country, there is a lathe in almost every building here.

Lathes everywhere + new barrels, cheaper than my sister = Rem barrels on Rugers.

Greydog, have you ever fitted a pre-64 model 70 barrel to a push-feed model 70? If so, are there any pitfalls that I need to know about? I have a good .375 Weatherby barrel that I may want to use.

Sure. The first thing you want to do is face off the breech end of the barrel so that you have about .135" protrusion of the gauge. Then you cut the shoulder to give you your headspace zero minus .002". In other words, you cut so that you will have .002" head clearance. This will be taken up by compression when you tighten the barrel and you will end up with a net zero clearance. After cutting the shoulder, you will pick up the thread and extend it to the shoulder. You will end up with a gap where the original relief cut was but this is of no real consequence.
Now, if you want the sights to register or if the barrel has an integral lug, you will have to cut to orient the sights and/or lug and will have to ream the chamber. If you want to avoid reaming, you will have to remove the lug (if one exists)and/or the sights and fit the barrel as described. GD

In that case, go for it. It is not that difficult and is a good hobby.