Counterboring a barrel...easily done or rare work?

Re crowning isn't a big deal, I'm not sure what you mean by counterbored, though. But then again, i'm not a gunsmith.:)

Reliable Arms on Fraser can sure do it, Dennis Sorenson in Victoria (Guntech) just cut off a muzzle brake and recrowned a rifle for me, was back in my hands in about 3 days...
 
Not sure if this is easily done or not. My biggest concern would be that the barrel is defined by the portion with rifling in Canada. Counterboring a 18.5" rifle an inch and a half would only give it a 17" length, regardless of its external appearance.

It would be much easier, and probably cheaper, to cut and re-crown the barrel.
 
Counterboring is pretty easily done, especially to that sort of a depth. The ease or complexity of it comes down to the reciever, and whether or not you need to pull the barrel from it, if that can be easily done or not, or if someone has a four jaw chuck on a lathe which will mean not having to remove a reciever etc.... To recrown you will need either a drill bit with the correct profile, or a scaper that will fit. All in all, pretty easy.
 
Good to know, guys...but about that legal issue, is that the case? I have a thread going in the legalese forum on this possibility and so far the impression I get is that counterboring does not affect the legal length of the barrel.

Thanks for the tip on Guntech, Gatehouse, might hit him up.
 
I'm no legal expert, but I do believe that this is the exact reason that 'smiths can no longer solder on an extension to an existing barrel to make it comply. Logic would dictate this is the same kind of situation. However, we all know what happens when you try and mix logic with Ottawa.
 
A inch and a half is a lot. Counterbores are usually much less than that. You may want to consider rebarreling. However, counterboring is not a big deal for a lathe and a skilled machinist.
The problem is you'd have to take it to a smithy due to the idiot PAL requirements for a business. Anybody who touches a firearm has to have one and the shop has to be licenced to work on firearms. So you can't just take the barreled action to a machine shop like we did in the old days.
The twits have decided that a barrel must be rifled. The Criminal Code doesn't say that though. All it says it that a barrel is measured from the crown to the end of the chamber but not including a flash hider or muzzle brake. There's no mention of rifling at all.
 
misanthropist said:
Good to know, guys...but about that legal issue, is that the case?
Click to expand...

Legally it is 100% acceptable. The law views the barrel as what it was made with in effect, though you can get it shortened...blah blah blah. The rifling has zero legal impact, as if it did it would be pretty hard on any smoothbores legal status. The barrel can best be viewed as the continous metal tube attached to a reciever and containing the chamber, as long as the outside is one piece you could counterbore the whole thing if you wanted to. Adding to the barrel, with an extension or brake does NOT make the barrel longer, as it is not considered and integral part of the barrel, but an addition.
Bare in mind there are a lot of Mosin Nagants floating around Canada with counter-bored barrels on them.
 
Consider a Mini-14, for example, with a bulge near the muzzle. The barrel is at the minimum for non-restricted status. You cannot cut and crown it, without the length dropping below the magic 18 1/2" limit. Counterboring would be a viable option for salvaging the barrel.
 
Last winter I counterbored a 35 Brown-Whelan barrel then angle bored holes for muzzle brake. It changed point of impact but not accuracy. Got a bit louder. My grandson 12 shoots full loads from this now with 250 gr. bullets. I borrowed the reamer from a friend in the US. Apparently it's a routine deal. Mark
 
I used a Bridgeport mill with a dividing head. I'm no engineer but I wonder if one couldn't just drill the holes at 90 degrees, I did them facing rear @ 60. Made it a p.i.a to get holes started. Reamed it back about 1 3/4, and lapped the crown a bit. Kind of magnaporting only more holes. Mark
 
I've been counterboring barrels back past bulges for many years using a piloted reamer. It works just fine. There is no legal issue. Regards, Bill.
 
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