Button Rifling Press - Home Built

They are not threaded.
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They are not threaded.
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None of the cheap Chinese made (available on Aliexpress btw) are threaded, The method of attaching a pull rod that I've read about is to grind a taper on the button and silver solder it into a matching socket on a high tensile rod. But if you have the capability to do that, just make your own buttons from scratch. Custom sizes, number of grooves, the possibilities are limitless. Where these push types shine is for making short barrels. I saw a picture of a set up that fits onto about an 8 ton bottle jack. It looked commercially made but haven't found it for sale yet.
 
All right, looks there are at least 2 manufacturers of these since this (nicer) set up is a bit different than the one I saw. Thanks for the link!
 
Not my idea of anything actually usable with any satisfactory results...the pressure required to broach a button thru the barrel blank with that small of a "pusher" would just flex against the new rifling and more or less iron it back out where the shaft contacts it. Taping the rod as we do with "range rods" wouldn't do any good, the pressure required would just smear the tape away between the two metals.
 
the problem arises is the lube ,the pulsing hydraulic pump, and the button should have the push rod with a gear set to assist the twist the button was ground for to achieve a constant twist rate .The pulsing pump will stop and start rifling at every pulse and be evident in the bore

Bevans push rifling machine used a hydraulic pump and to start the button the pressure would go up to 5-600 psi to start (SS/CM)depending on the barrel and button coating stock and once started would continue at the 350 PSI the length of the barrel with no twitching on the gauge and the rod mates with the button and is assisted with a gear set to help maintain proper twist like P.O. Ackley had taught Bevan to do and Bevans machine was similar to Ackleys just smaller foot print

He also used the same machine to pull the button through in the smaller cals 22,17,20

If twitching the gauge happened there is evidence of it in the rifling and would rebore the barrel stock to larger bore and start the process again .
 
It must have been in later years when Ackley was button rifling... I cut rifled a couple of barrels on Ackleys old equipment in Trinidad, Colorado in 66-67. Bill Prator a gunsmithing instructor had it set up at his residence.
 
Years ago I saw one rifled and the button was pulled with a modified winch!
But after about a yr of that he returned to cut rifling, in order to introduce less stress to the barrel!
It was one of the methods tried!
Sst
 
I've seen Ron Smiths gain twist cutting rig he assembled, it's a cut rifling setup that rotates faster towards the end, my understanding is that button cut rifling stretches the barrel to some degree, and the taper towards the end allows it to swell out more at the muzzle than the action, you actually want the opposite to contain the pressure and propel your projectile.

Ron Smith is in his mid 80's in central Alberta, his son will be taking over and is working at the shop part time at present, but that gain twist giving the benefits of a slow twist to lessen back pressure and fast at the end to increase stability is really cool as I see it and makes the most sense in my limited repository of logic.
 
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