Wanna make barrels?

bryan

Bryan Armatys
Jandjauction.com is selling out a barrel maker in Raton NM.
Online bidding
BA
 
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Some interesting stuff there. That would be a fun one to walk around and check out.

Some barrel maker is going to make a haul...

Justin
 
Jandjauction.com is selling out a barrel maker in Raton NM.Online biddingBA
Bryan, is that where K&P barrels were? Never mind, I went to the auction site and used their map. Never went to that part of town.
 
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That appears to be Bo Clerks equipment he is probably more familar to the Schuetzen shooting community and at one point in time he designed and was building Clerke Hi Wall actions. His barrels were considered top of line and Bo was an avid Schuetzen competitor going all the way back to the 70's and he has to be way up there in age if still alive.

JLouis
 
Confused

According to the auction web site the auction is on-line and to start on Feb 1, 2018. However when looking at bids I see some dates going back to Dec 2017. What's up?
 
Wanna make barrels?

I can only imagine the cost of moving some of that equipment.
Much less the freight charges.. I can see some of that equipment winding up in the scrap yard unless someone buys all of it and restarts the company
 
You'd have to sell a LOT of barrels to pay for all of that.

I'm not talking about buying it...well...lock, stock, and barrel. But some of that tooling, such as deep hole drills and reamers, buttons, and the gun barrel quality steel are pretty specific to the barrel making industry. Probably sell for pennies on the dollar.

Interesting is that the highest bid for a machine is on that old Leblond lathe. I'm curious to see what happens with the old barrel making machines.

Justin
 
Wanna make barrels

Bo was a hell of a mechanic. He designed and built the first "chin guns" for the Apache helicopter. While visiting his shop one day he showed me a piece of armor plate from a Russian "Hind" (spelling?) helicopter. He had used it to develop a round for the "chin gun" that would penetrate the Russian armor. He also was making "drop-in" barrels for Butler Creek for Ruger 10-22 rifles.
 
I doubt a reputable barrelmaker would purchase unknown quality barrel steel. Some of the blanks that are rifled could work if the short length didn't bother you or require a long drive. I could use 2 or 3 of the storage cabinets, but they are too far away. The Cincinnati horizontals are great mills, but who uses a horizontal anymore.
 
Equipment

The question I have is this: IF someone wanted to get into barrel making, what would New equipment cost, and is it commercially available? Someone could make tons of money turning this into scrap if they were setup to transport it, but at these prices I'd hate to see that stuff retired. A friend worked there for Bo and his Remington style fitted Savage 308 barrel drills 'me in there at 1000 yards.
It would be nice to see it all sold, building and all, set up and leveled as it is.
BTW, Bo was a character!
BA
 
The question I have is this: IF someone wanted to get into barrel making, what would New equipment cost, and is it commercially available? Someone could make tons of money turning this into scrap if they were setup to transport it, but at these prices I'd hate to see that stuff retired. A friend worked there for Bo and his Remington style fitted Savage 308 barrel drills 'me in there at 1000 yards.
It would be nice to see it all sold, building and all, set up and leveled as it is.
BTW, Bo was a character!
There's new machinery available. There's a place, I believe in Georgia that can produce thousands of barrels per-day. There's a boat load of barrels made everyday that never makes the mainstream media. As for as that machinery for sale, it ain't over till it's over. The sale prices could go either way.

Does anyone in the boutique barrel business actually make their barrels on modern equipment? A gun drill drills the hole, then hone it and pull a broach or cut the rifling. I could see where a new modern hone is desirable, be the rest of the process is pretty much following the drilled hole, and the forming of the rifling is one of the most important. A lot of barrels are made today on military surplus machinery. I'm not a barrel maker and don't want to become one but from what I see displayed, tells me what we may think as trick, really is not. I know I'm somewhat surprised when the barrel makers show what the best barrels in the accuracy world, are made on.

That's just my opinion, and... I could be wrong.
 
The question I have is this: IF someone wanted to get into barrel making, what would New equipment cost, and is it commercially available? Someone could make tons of money turning this into scrap if they were setup to transport it, but at these prices I'd hate to see that stuff retired. A friend worked there for Bo and his Remington style fitted Savage 308 barrel drills 'me in there at 1000 yards.
It would be nice to see it all sold, building and all, set up and leveled as it is.
BTW, Bo was a character!
There's new machinery available. There's a place, I believe in Georgia that can produce thousands of barrels per-day. There's a boat load of barrels made everyday that never makes the mainstream media. As for as that machinery for sale, it ain't over till it's over. The sale prices could go either way.

Does anyone in the boutique barrel business actually make their barrels on modern equipment? A gun drill drills the hole, then hone it and pull a broach or cut the rifling. I could see where a new modern hone is desirable, be the rest of the process is pretty much following the drilled hole, and the forming of the rifling is one of the most important. A lot of barrels are made today on military surplus machinery. I'm not a barrel maker and don't want to become one but from what I see displayed, tells me what we may think as trick, really is not. I know I'm somewhat surprised when the barrel makers show what the best barrels in the accuracy world, are made on.

That's just my opinion, and... I could be wrong.



I believe the Lothar Walther barrels are made in Germany and shipped to a supplier in Cummings, Ga.
 
the question i have is this: If someone wanted to get into barrel making, what would new equipment cost, and is it commercially available?

Does anyone in the boutique barrel business actually make their barrels on modern equipment?

That's just my opinion, and... I could be wrong.



I tried to start out with Pratts but it didn't take me very long to realize that if I was going to compete in today's world that I couldn't do it with yesterday's technology.

Yes... equipment is available... cost is not cheap but the quality and technology is light years ahead of WWII equipment.

Yes...boutique benchrest barrels are made on the most modern equipment available.
 

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I tried to start out with Pratts but it didn't take me very long to realize that if I was going to compete in today's world that I couldn't do it with yesterday's technology.

Yes... equipment is available... cost is not cheap but the quality and technology is light years ahead of WWII equipment.

Yes...boutique benchrest barrels are made on the most modern equipment available.

You are the Mouserfeld receiver mfg?
 
I tried to start out with Pratts but it didn't take me very long to realize that if I was going to compete in today's world that I couldn't do it with yesterday's technology.

Yes... equipment is available... cost is not cheap but the quality and technology is light years ahead of WWII equipment.

Yes...boutique benchrest barrels are made on the most modern equipment available.

UBR experience with ABC barrels says that Anthony's barrels are shooters. I haven't heard of a single klinker yet. I know that my .224 is a good one.

Rick
 
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