Barrel Lathe

[30-06man]

Hey all. I am taking a gunsmith class now and need to get me a barrel lathe. I was wondering what would be the best one that's not too expensive. Also who sells good gumsmithing tools other than midway usa? where can i buy stuff for gunsmithing?

[gunnut69]

Its difficult to advise you about such things as situations are soooooooo different. I would advise a used American made lathe. The Atlas I bought is fairly easy to find parts for and tooling(!!!!) which is good. It's old and many are found worn to a frazzle..  If you're looking for a move to the professional world the Atlas will likely be too slow, and not accurate/modern enough. A good friend of mine bought a new lathe a few years ago and went with a higher end Jet. He is very satisfied and does excellent work.. Good luck and be safe..

[30-06man]

could you specify the price a little? just for making barrels in a small shop for me

[John Traveler]

Try searching the local Craigslist if you are near a major industrial area.  They are also commonly found on Ebay.

A used 12x36 Atlas/Craftsman lathe in good condition would cost from about US$600 bare bones to more than twice that fully tooled.  Bargains can be found anywhere in those ranges.

Your best chance of finding a suitable machine, fully tooled, and in good condition is to find a hobbyist user that is selling off his equipment.  It's more likely to be kept in good condition and not abused.

There are cautions in buying a used American made lathe.  For one thing, Atlas hasn't made them in over 30 years.  For another, condition is everything in buying a used machine.  You need to study up on what points to inspect in buying used machinery, or bring along a good machinist friend.

An Atlas lathe, used within it's limitations, can do very acceptable barreling and action work comparable to machines costing 3 and 4 times what you would spend on an Atlas..

[trotterlg]

I have an Atlas 6 inch lathe with a bed extension on it that I use for barrel work.  It will get the job done, but it is slow.  I've made up a few custom barrels and stubbed off some Handi rifle barrels and put new barrels on them.  I would look for one of the Atlas 10 inch or 12 inch, they are the same lathe just a different swing.  Expect to spend $500 to a $1,000 for it.  Larry

[30-06man]

sounds like a possible one

[trotterlg]

Not suggesting this one, it is just what you may be looking in type.  The 10 inch and 12 inch are the same lathe with the exception of the swing.  You can do about anythig you want with one, it just takes a little more time.  This one has a quick change gear box, not all of them do, some you set feed rates and threading by changing gears physically, that is how mine works.  There were thousands of these made so parts are found all over the place.  Larry

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