DRILLING THE RIFLE BARREL

In this chapter, we will cover the process of making the rifle barrel. By now you know how the tools are
constructed, and have a basic idea of how rifle barrels is made. I will now tell you step by step how to go
about making a rifle barrel.

First, I would start with a 1 1/8 inch x 26-inch long piece of 1350 or stress proof. This steel will drill,
ream, and rifle beautiful, and almost never gives any trouble. The first thing to do is to put this bar in the
lathe, face off one end, and center drills it. On the other end, it is best to face it off also.

Make sure that the end that you center drilled is flat and smooth. After the barrel is faced off, leave it
extended, from the chuck about 6 inches.

If the barrel is sticking from the end of the lathe, make a collar, with four setscrews, so the barrel can be
centered and rigid. At the high speed that the barrel is drilled, the end of the barrel will start to run out
and vibrate.