[Boehmerwald]

Ran across this nifty muzzle crowning tool by Dave Manson Co. by accident on UTube. Was so impressed by the demonstration that I ordered one. Got plenty of military rifles, with worn, damaged crowns, that could shoot straighter with this modification. Rather than me blather about it I would check it out at


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b23lfzpZrJ4


Better than the dopey brass slotted screw in the hand drill trick -- which doesn't work anyhow (b/c brass is softer than steel) and much cheaper than buying a lathe or paying a gunsmith a lot to do it on his lathe.

Let me know what you think.

 

[jjk308 In Memoriam RIP]

That's round headed brass screw chucked in an electric drill, covered with valve grinding compound. The soft brass picks up the abrasive particles from the compound. A ball grinder also works well if you can find one that's not too rough.

 

[VinnAY]

I've lapped out, and fixed crowns on many of my rifles with the brass screw and some coarse and then fine and then 0000 steel wool. That's horse pucky to say it doesn't work, certainly no need for some special tool.

 

[Boehmerwald]

QUOTE = That's round headed brass screw chucked in an electric drill, covered with valve grinding compound. The soft brass picks up the abrasive particles from the compound. A ball grinder also works well if you can find one that's not too rough

That's what I said, in short.

A brass screw with lapping, polishing (like ground rouge, Tripoli, etc.), grinding compound, whatever, will not remove much material. And the screw from Lowe's does need to be centered along the axis of the bore, not tilted or nutated around - think about it. Did you see the turnings (shavings) come off with ease in the U Tube by Dave Manson? Why would I apply the Bubba method to my prized guns when I can get this for only $125? I did. It does a professional job.

Watch the U Tube carefully and see how well designed this device is. The multiple - tungsten carbide bladed head is a masterpiece of design. Not to mention the pilot insert that keeps you on-axis.

Call Dave 810-953-0732 and he'll explain it to you. He's very friendly.

Numrich used to sell a sort of ball grinder which was more crude than the Manson tool and I wouldn't be caught dead using it.

One note: This won't make a difference on counterbored rifles such as the Finn 91-30 Mosin Nagants in which the bullet is released before it reaches the end of the bore. I'd also check bore diameter by slugging the muzzle end down just a little bit (not all the way through) or simply take a round and see if it does or does not swallow the bullet end. And, of course, visual inspection for grooves.

 

[Madmo]

I’m and ex-machinist and have a number of carbide counter sinks.
They come in various angles / pitches.
I’ve used them to re-crown barrels.
A good machine file to square the muzzle off; a brass screw, abrasive paper and a light polish and just like new.
With the proper tools and attention to detail, no pilot tool is needed; just a steady hand and let the tools do the work.

 

[AZshooter]

I was distressed to read that the brass screwhead method doesn't work for recutting muzzle crowns.

I've got a buncha' rifles I've recrowned this way over the years. Guess I'll have to go scrap them all. Shame, too, since they all shoot so well.

 

[Madmo]

I don’t think anyone is slamming the tool or how well designed it is.
It is simply that there are cheaper proven methods for re-crowning a barrel.
I like the tool and the price is more than reasonable.
IMHO this is a good product for a lot of folks.
The fact is people have been re-crowning barrels for hundreds of years with simple tools and techniques that work.

 

[VinnAY]

it.

One note: This won't make a difference on counterbored rifles such as the Finn 91-30 Mosin Nagants in which the bullet is released before it reaches the end of the bore. I'd also check bore diameter by slugging the muzzle end down just a little bit (not all the way through) or simply take a round and see if it does or does not swallow the bullet end. And, of course, visual inspection for grooves.

You, Sir, BRILLIANT. I don't think anyone would have known you can't crown a counterbored muzzle, I mean, pure genius you are.

 

[Boehmerwald]

I'm outta here. I thought this U Tube might be of interest, but I guess not. Rather than offer intelligent comments on the tool - the subject of my post, accomplished 'gunsmiths' chose to jump on my tangential mention of brass screws. VinnAy's comment is downright rude. You are all experts hiding behind your computer screens. Adios.

 

[db2044]

There is a difference between cutting a crown and lapping a crown. There are a lot of "crown cutters" , with pilot, for actually cutting or re-cutting a crown.
Brass ball LAPPING tool is about an $8 item you can find on Midway or Brownells.
The LAP is the fine ring from polishing at the juncture where rifling meets the crown and is very important for accuracy in keeping the gas cloud behind the bullet perfectly concentric.
Damage from a nick, rough spot, any defect in the crown can exert uneven gas pressure on one side or the other on the tail of the bullet inducing yaw and pitch.
I LAP every gun I shoot with the ball tool, valve grinding compound and fine red compound, by hand, and in less than a few minutes. It does improve accuracy.
I may touch them up every few months just to keep them bright. It is so effective, I carry the tool and compound in my range box and have done an on the spot fix for other people at the range, sometimes with remarkable improvement in accuracy on an old rifle.
Polishing nicks and gouges out of the remainder of the crown is just as important. Should be bright, shiny, perfectly concentric and smooth. A lot of crowns can be touched up with simple tools and a little compound. Deep nicks or gouges may require re-cutting with a crown cutter.