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M48TANKER

Honing the chamber

7 posts in this topic

Many times we get questions about extraction and ejection problems. A lot of problems can be cured by cleaning and/or honing the chamber. If done properly this is not going to hurt your chamber and will keep it serviceable for many years to come. Mr. Joe Scott has advocated chamber cleaning and honing time after time in response to these problems.

I've used different combinations of brass brushes, worn emery cloth, and even resorted to a newly purchased finish reamer for one project. In response to one of Joe Scott's posts about the tools being available at online supply houses, I found a place which sells all sorts of "Flex-Hones" .....even some especially made for firearms.

So, here is one place to order your chamber hones: https://www.brushresearch.com/

Not only do they sell hones for firearms but they offer videos of how to use them, and have hones for every other purpose on earth.

I just placed an order for two hones: a 400 grit hone and an 800 grit hone. They aren't particularly cheap but I suspect they will last me many years. This is what the order looked like:

Flex hones.JPG

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Thank You So Much for the information and site I have a problem once in a while i will order the  items you have listed

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I used 12mm hones of 180 and 240 grit.  There is a special honing oil but it usually comes in 5 gal buckets.  Many times I just used running water to keep the stones clean.  Remember you are having to remove most of the chamber wall to get down to bottom of pitting.  Pitting is usually very small and can't be seen.  You will have to push the hone down into the smaller diameter of chamber.  Use 3/8 variable speed drill, move the hone up and down in chamber.  The flex hone cutting carbide balls are mount on the end of steel wire.  Do Not use the hones without inspecting that the wires are not coming out end of the stone balls.  It scratches the chamber badly.  A hone was usually good for two/ three jobs.  Hone about 5 minutes, wash/clean barrel and oil, then test fire.  Repeat as necessary (I have done as many a 7 repeats).  This process will not change headspace.  I have tried reaming to remove pits but it doesn't work and can alter headspace.  I paid about $12-$16 for hones up to 5 years ago.  Wholesale Tools of Tulsa was my source.

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Joe, thanks for the information. I went to Wholesale Tools of Tulsa's web page and found the hones you spoke of. They are much cheaper than the ones sold by "Brush Research"
.com.

Next time I'll order from WTT  and compare the products. Here is the list on WTT's web site showing the 12mm hones: http://www.wttool.com/index/page/category/category_id/13541/#product_listing=%3Fcurrent_page%3D2%26results_per_page%3D20%26order_by%3D%26search_params%3D

cylinder hones.JPG

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metrotps,

Yes, I really like McMaster-Carr too. I've used them for many pounds of rivets for M2HBs, 1919A4's and AKs. Lots of end mills too. Put me in a hardware store and I'll stay for hours. So many toys...so little money!

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