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Am I right in thinking that you would use a reamer to shape a rifle chamber to alter a rifles throat dimensions to chamber a wild cat round for instance but the diameter of the bore stays the same for a 6mm cartridge for arguments sake.
So for example you could ream a 6.5x55 rifle to chamber a 6.5x284 cartridge.

Yes, the barrel bore stays the same, specifically the 6.5x55 and 6.5x284 are very close (you may even be able to cram a x55 case in a x285 at a push) If you wanted to re-chamber an x55 to x284 I would say chop the thread off and start again so you loose a couple of inches of barrel length.

Assuming the bore is still OK.

These reamers are they available of the shelf or do the rifle builders make there own.
If you buy a barrel blank in 6mm for instance you get a rifled tube in 6mm right and then the gun smith reams the chamber and cuts the threads to suit the action is that how it works .

Alpha1 wrote:These reamers are they available of the shelf or do the rifle builders make there own.
If you buy a barrel blank in 6mm for instance you get a rifled tube in 6mm right and then the gun smith reams the chamber and cuts the threads to suit the action is that how it works .

Yes, you or the rifle builder gets the blank and chambers, cuts the tennon and fits it to the action and finally gets it proofed. Some rifle builders will have a good spread of reamers, however if you go for an oddball or true wildcat then you will need a reamer building, Pacific Tool and Gage (PTG) are a good source and can take 6-8 weeks to arrive from the USA, they will build you exactly what you ask for.

You do not need a variation or even an FAC to possess an unchambered barrel, it is after all just a tube.

Hmm interesting.

G'wan do it, you know you want to :)

So how much do these barrel blanks cost and these reamers how much are we talking about.
I guess this would be a CNC machine job yes.

The chambering is normally done on a conventional lathe with a 4 jaw chuck and can be expensive as it is quite time consuming. Cost wise it is down to the barrel blank and reamer availability so if you choose to go for say a .338-224 Lapua wildcat (Wild example!) you will need a reamer making:

http://www.pacifictoolandgauge.com/reamers2.htm

Every time I go to a gun shop I find myself looking at factory brass and wondering what I can make from it :)

ovenpaa wrote: Yes, you or the rifle builder gets the blank and chambers, cuts the tennon and fits it to the action and finally gets it proofed. Some rifle builders will have a good spread of reamers, however if you go for an oddball or true wildcat then you will need a reamer building, Pacific Tool and Gage (PTG) are a good source and can take 6-8 weeks to arrive from the USA, they will build you exactly what you ask for.

You do not need a variation or even an FAC to possess an unchambered barrel, it is after all just a tube.

Ovenpaa,
I'm guessing you've used PTG before, was it an easy enough process to order from them?

6-8 weeks was that for a wildcat or an off the shelf reamer?

I'm looking into building a rifle around the 45 winchester magnum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_Winchester_Magnum ) and will need to source a reamer and PTG have them in stock.

Guys,

There is more to ordering a reamer than clicking a button on the PT&G website - like for example FREEBORE!

This is critical, depending on your preferred bullet. Many gunsmiths will buy a reamer with min. freebore and then use a throating reamer to suit the customer's bullet. If you buy an 'off the shelf reamer', it could be short in the freebore and, knowing this and knowing your bullet - what will you ask for?

Then you need to consider neck diameter - if you are building something special - do you really want a standard neck?

Alpha 1 - choose a good gunsmith, tell him what you want, the bullet you intend to shoot and trust him to get it right. It could be cheaper in the long run. If you want your own reamer - to keep - tell your 'smith you'll pay for the reamer. When you need another barrel, you have a nice sharp reamer to your known spec. for him to use.

Incidentally, Fox Firearms have a massive stock of barrel-blanks in all calibres, profiles and lengths.

Vince