[Afy]

I seem to have a 6mm BR barrel with no throat.

Am hitting the rifling right about 2.33 inches. So was thinking about getting a PTG Hand Throater and increasing the throat.

Now I have never throated a barrel, and do not have expert gunsmithing experience or tools.

I can switch a barrel on a Savage, or mount a scope or switch the stock. That is about it...

[antony35]

what do you mean by Hand throating a barrel . i dont know what it is . and what is throating , please give information

[jim in Anchorage]

What gun, and who fitted the barrel?

[Jim Watson]

What will this do for you?
I had one lengthened - I am too timid to attack my Krieger with a hand reamer - and now wonder if I was smart. I could have left it alone and "chased the throat" to maintain a constant jump or jam as it eroded with use.

[Afy]

Throats will erode with use. That is normal.

I have an LW barrel, fitted on a Savage F10. Unfortunately the throat has me hitting the lands at 3.320, while I would like somewhere around 3.4XX to load the VLD's long, and maximise shell capacity.

PTG has hand throater's which could be used to theoretically fix this. The tools are about £138 + shipping per caliber. And before I do invest in it, wanted to know how easy it might be.

[krs]

This is a throating reamer - a throater, right? Specific to a caliber.

If so it can be driven by hand, best with a clamping T-handle. Lots of cutting oil and turn only one way - any backward turn will dull the reamer, possibly ruin the chamber.. there's a real danger of making a mess of it, and I wouldn't recommend that a person of little machining or gunsmithing experience begin with this task. There's a barrel to be lost.

The trick is devising a way to measure exactly your progress. Generally, thousandths are removed very quickly so over enthusiastic use could easily deepen the throat far beyond your intention. So great care, slow procedure, and considerable thinking and you should be alright.

Don't skimp on the oil - you want a high sulfur content oil specifically formulated for the purpose. Your used motor oil won't be the one.

[Jim K]

Easy to do with care, but the cost of the tool makes it tough to justify for a single job. Did a gunsmith fit the barrel in the first place? If so, I would take it back to him and see what he can do at hopefully less cost to you. He might have another chamber reamer with a longer throat.

Those chambering reamers are made with a short throat because that is what most users of that caliber seem to want.

Hi, Antony35,

If you haven't figured it out, the throat is the part of the barrel just ahead of where the case neck fits, and it is normally cut by the chamering reamer. A short throat allows a short distance before the rifling begins, where a long throat allows a longer distance. Some folks like a short throat, with the bullet contacting the rifling, because it usually gives more accuracy, but it also limits the shape and loading of the bullet.

If a barrel is short throated, and a longer throat is wanted, there is a special tool, separate from the chambering reamer, which can be used to cut the throat deeper. Since it is inserted and operated by hand, it is called a hand throater, as opposed to being used in a lathe or other machine. With care and patience, it can do a good job, but it is a bit tricky to use.

HTH

Jim

[Howard Roark]

I've throated chambers before, the last was an 8mm. The guy had a few thousand loaded rounds that were too long to chamber without jamming into the lands causing high pressure. He didn't want to seat the bullet back on all those rounds so I reamed the throat forward so he had .015 jump. Problem solved.

I didn't hand turn the reamer. If the reamer isn't pulled back perfectly while still in motion it will leave cut marks in the throat. I know guys that have practiced hand reaming and inspecting with a bore scope to get the technique down. Using a lathe under power eliminates these problems. So little material is removed that there is no "feel". The use of proper indicators is imperitive.