Lathe for general gunsmithing?

[Neutron]

Feels good doesn't it?

Be very careful w/ barrel length & NFA. Don't end up w/ a <16" bbl. Looks like the Mossberg 715T is advertised as 16.25". Looks like you're in the clear to trim a little but I'd double check their spec by measuring before you trim any.

You could also make a new thread protector or use a muzzle device. (If you make your own thread protector, just go buy a good tap. Toolmax (from Suncoast? on ebay) makes excellent ones.)

The barrel measures 18" so I should be good even if I screw up and have to recut the threads. I'm trying to decide if it would be better to use the parting tool to cut off about 1/4" or just cut from the crown and work my way back towards the breech. Or like you suggest, put on a muzzle device of some sort.

 

[smdub]

For 1/4" I'd just turn it off vs parting but thats just me. I think it would be faster.

 

[Neutron]

Yeah that's what I ended up doing. I trimmed it down so that a normal size thread protector would cover all the threads. I also put an 11-degree crown on the barrel and blued the end of the barrel. I think it turned out great and probably better than I expected.

 

[teratos]

Yeah that's what I ended up doing. I trimmed it down so that a normal size thread protector would cover all the threads. I also put an 11-degree crown on the barrel and blued the end of the barrel. I think it turned out great and probably better than I expected.

Looks fantastic!!!

 

[Neutron]

Since this one turned out pretty well I think I'll go ahead and thread the Buckmark barrel which was my original goal. Everything up to now was learning and practicing.

Edit: I won't be threading this barrel after all. It will not fit into my lathe. My head stock is 1 1/2" outside thread but the hole through the head stock is only about 3/4". The Buckmark barrel has a lug where the frame screw goes to hold it to the frame. That lug interferes with the ability to mount it in the chuck. I guess I could mount it in the four jaw chuck and use a live center in the bore to support it but I'm not too comfortable with that option.

 

[Doco Overboard]

My kid has a nice shop with a bunch of machine tools in it. For the life of me I dont know why the hell he doesn't work on some guns more often.
I got him to help me with a barrel today and I told him if he F(**ks it up I was going to kill him lol no wonder he doesn't work on them.
No money in it he said. I told him so the **** what you fricken jerk just hop to it and you finally got a chance to do some real deal stuff today. People need stuff done and need help with things.
So I bought him a quarter pounder when he was finished and we called it even till next time I see him.
Maybe He''ll want to go turkey hunting with me one day and Ill talk him in to buying lunch at Millie's.

 

[Neutron]

Decided to do one more. I had a left over barrel from my Beretta M9-22 since I bought a threaded barrel for it a while ago. As soon as I finished threading I remembered that the threaded barrel from the factory was longer than the standard barrel. It turns out the standard barrel is long enough to thread and there is about a 1/16 " space between the slide and the suppressor. Haven't tried it yet but I think it should work without the slide slamming into the suppressor.

 

[Neutron]

Since this one turned out pretty well I think I'll go ahead and thread the Buckmark barrel which was my original goal. Everything up to now was learning and practicing.

Edit: I won't be threading this barrel after all. It will not fit into my lathe. My head stock is 1 1/2" outside thread but the hole through the head stock is only about 3/4". The Buckmark barrel has a lug where the frame screw goes to hold it to the frame. That lug interferes with the ability to mount it in the chuck. I guess I could mount it in the four jaw chuck and use a live center in the bore to support it but I'm not too comfortable with that option.

Changed my mind again and decided to go ahead with the four-jaw chuck and thread the barrel. It was difficult with the little bump that aligns the front sight being a much harder steel than the barrel. If I had it to do over again I would cut the barrel off behind that bump. It would only shorten the barrel by about 1/2". I still need to touch up the blueing but I wanted to test everything out at the range before doing that. It shoots fine with the suppressor. I stuck a cheap reflex sight on it and was popping clays at 7 yards with ease. Didn't try it at 25 yds. yet but see no reason why it won't be fine. I also had to drill and tap another hole in the barrel for the sight too. I'm finally getting some good use out of my lathe.

 

[smdub]

Looks great!

I use brownells oxpho-blue a lot. I degrease then heat the part w/ a torch to fairly hot (60-100C) and apply w/ a q-tip. The heat really helps it work.

 

[Neutron]

I've got some Birchwood Casey super blue that I've used before and it does a remarkable job. I think the key is to get it very clean before applying the super blue. I usually apply several coats and finish with a heavy application of oil. I let the oil set for 24 hours.