the tool bit will chatter. After the barrel is turned to about 3/4 finished, you will need to remove the barrel.
You will then check to see if the bore is straight, and straighten if necessary.
If you have kept a sharp tool and a light feed, it should be straight. You must, after ever pass from now
on the barrel should be checked to see if it is straight. If the barrel has warped, take a lighter pass after
it is straighten.
When you have finish turning the barrel down to within a few thousands of the finish size, set the feed to
the lightest feed. Sharpen the tool bit, hone it very good, and make a finish pass. This should finish the
liner, and it will be ready for inserting into the bored out barrel.
When you start cutting the contour of the shoulder, unless you have a tracer attachment for your lathe,
you will have to cut it by hand. This may sound hard, but with a little practice you will get a perfect
contour. To this, as you get where the contour starts, you will start to back the feed out by hand. With
pass put a little more contour to the shoulder.
Remember to take the shoulder back a little farther than where it should be when finish, as you have to
turn down the shank of the barrel. If the barrel should start to chatter when turning, lay a barrel blank on
the barrel behind the cutter and that will usually stop the chatter.
When you have finish turning the barrel down to within a few thousands of the finish size, set the feed to
the lightest feed. Sharpen the tool bit, hone it very good, and make a finish pass.
ACTUAL TURNING
Now we will take the barrel that you drilled, reamed, and rifled and turn it into a finished rifled barrel. I will
try to cover the process systematically up to the finish. I will assume that this barrel is a 308 caliber.
I will give you instructions for a 24-inch barrel. The first thing to do is cut the barrel to 24 1/2 inches long.
You will need the extra 1/4 inch in truing up each end, and the final finishing of the barrel.
You have the barrel cut to 24 1/2 inches, so now chuck the barrel in the lathe and face off both ends of
the barrel. If the bore has run quite a bit off center, you will need to repeat this process after a few
passes on the O.D.