Can am gunsmith special 50bmg barrels workable?

[matm]

Hey! I bought one of the can am barrels that was the gunsmith special that was short chamber. It mentioned you would need a diamond hone or hardened reamer to fix the chamber. I bought the barrel as a donor for a non 50bmg project and I was wondering how workable these barrels are? Is just the chamber or barrel hardened? And can they be cut and reworked without causing damage to normal barrel working tools.

Just seeing if anyone has experience working with them

Thank you

-mat

 

[buckbrush]

there is a Stelite bushing in the throat of the chamber.

 

[rifleman762]

there is a Stelite bushing in the throat of the chamber.

Are you sure? I thought the stellite chamber was in machine gun barrels, not commercial ones. AFAIK, the nitride coating is 60 HRC which prevents cutting it with tool steel. I also have one of those barrels but I haven't used it for anything.

 

[Evanguy]

I used carbide to cut the chamber off mine and then turned it into a normal size barrel and length then chambered it for 500 jeffery. Went well.

 

[*MALICE*]

Firstly, regular HSS reamers ARE hardened. So I'm assuming they're telling you that you need either a carbide reamer or a diamond coated one. I'm not sure what a 'diamond hone' is supposed to be in this context.

How much did you pay for the barrel?

If it's stellite lined.......i would almost think they we're originally made from repurposed machine gun barrels.

Although the fact that they're 'short chambered' and canam had a problem with the 50 cal uppers and had to replace the barrels makes me wonder if these are take-offs from that.

Trying to reream a stellite liner with a regular HSS reamer will just destroy your reamer

 

[dogzilla]

You will probably smoke a carbide reamer too and you would be looking at major $ to buy one if you even can (I doubt you would get a gunsmith to risk a reamer). We used to us stellite tool bits on the lathes back in the day when carbide was still not that common. As was said if you have the meat, cutting the chamber off and re chambering would be less grief. Although since you said it was for a non bmg project, that may be part of the plan

 

[rifleman762]

I used carbide to cut the chamber off mine and then turned it into a normal size barrel and length then chambered it for 500 jeffery. Went well.

So the nitride in the bore didn't cause problems for an HSS reamer?

I might try to hone the chamber with silicon carbide lapping compound to use it as 50 BMG. Otherwise, a 500 Jeffery on a Mauser 98 would be just the ticket!

 

[rifleman762]

How much did you pay for the barrel?

They were selling for $200. Actually a penny under so I had to buy an AR15 grip for $20 to get free shipping for orders over $200 ;-).

 

[Evanguy]

They were selling for $200. Actually a penny under so I had to buy an AR15 grip for $20 to get free shipping for orders over $200 ;-).

I had to get a pound of tanerite to get over 200$ for free shipping. Although the price is down now. I believe even to 100$

And for mine i cut 6" off the chamber end then used a 13mm carbide endmill to rough out the chamber to the case mouth. I sanded ( not sure what the paper was but its what we use at work for hard stuff) what i could out of the throat area befor i sent my hss reamer in slow and with lots of oil. I havent finished it yet but it worked well and the reamer looks just fine.

 

[matm]

I got mine for $115 with tax and shipping. My plan was to cut it pretty much in half and use it for 510 whisper

 

[propliner]

I got mine for $115 with tax and shipping. My plan was to cut it pretty much in half and use it for 510 whisper

The Whisper should have a tighter twist. It works for the .500 Jeffery though.

 

[rifleman762]

Thanks for the info Evanguy. The price is now only $99.99! I should see if I can hone that chamber to size. If so, it might be worth buying another...

 

[matm]

I was reading most people use a 1:9 if it shoots the same bullet shouldn't there be no issues? Or is it because of the reduced velocity and barrel length

 

[propliner]

I was reading most people use a 1:9 if it shoots the same bullet shouldn't there be no issues? Or is it because of the reduced velocity and barrel length

Are those barrels 1:9? If so, they'll work. I thought they were 1:15.

 

[matm]

Are those barrels 1:9? If so, they'll work. I thought they were 1:15.

They are 1:15 I was just wondering why a 1:15 wouldn't work if its using the same bullets

 

[propliner]

They are 1:15 I was just wondering why a 1:15 wouldn't work if its using the same bullets

The Whisper at half the speed probably won't have the rotational rate for stability. There are formulas out there to figure it out.

 

[matm]

Thank you I'll take a look

 

[fishy]

Just ordered one of these barrels, can anyone comment on what the threads are on the chamber and muzzle ends while I wait for it to show up?

 

[rifleman762]

Off the top of my head... M40x1.5mm on the chamber end and 1"x14 tpi on the muzzle. I think.

 

[fishy]

Barrel arrived today, not sure if ivi 50bmg require a relatively short throat, but a round appears to seat all the way to the shoulder based on wear on the round if I pop it in the chamber. Will need to source headspace gauges and a carbide reamer if I continue with the project, need to determine whether the small amount of unsupported base would be an issue.