Anyone ever run a barrel backwards?

[trotterlg]

I have a new Clerke 17 HMR bull barrel I want to use on a 17 Remington fireball project.  It is a total of 20 inches long, it is chambered and has a cut for mounting on a 77-22 at the chamber end.  If I were to turn the chamber end to .550 for the muzzel end I could end up with about a 19 inch barrel, with would probably work out good for a 17 rem fireball.  If I can't do this then I will end up at 17 inches, which may be a little short.  These are supposedly .0001 end to end, so they should not be tapered in the bore.  Please don't give me theories, or something like "my 1st cousin thinks it may work" or something like that, just tell me if you have ever done one backwards and how it worked out.  Larry

[mjbgalt]

the rifling would be the opposite twist, if it's supposed to be a right-hand twist it would then be a left-hand twist when installed backwards.

-Matt

[trotterlg]

Good try Matt, but just turning the barrel around does not change the twist direction, neither does turning a right hand thread nut over make it a left hand thread nut.  Larry

[DalesCarpentry]

Good try Matt, but just turning the barrel around does not change the twist direction, neither does turning a right hand thread nut over make it a left hand thread nut.  Larry

If you had stated this. Good try Matt, but just turning the barrel around does not change the twist direction( but by adding ) neither does turning a right hand thread nut over make it a left hand thread nut. Makes you come off as an ass trying to prove you are smarter than everyone else. Dale

[trotterlg]

Well Dale, not trying to be a jerk, I asked if anyone had done it, not if it would change the twist direction.  It was a serioud gunsmithig question, it just amused me a little that in a gunsmith forum that I would get an answer like that.  Sorry if I offended either Matt or Dale.  I would still like to know if anyone has chambered up a barrel backwards and what their results were.  I asked the question here because I think there are people here that are smarter than I am.  This is a button rifled 17 cal barrel.  Larry

[mjbgalt]

no offense, i knew what he was saying. i guess i was trying to picture it in my mind how the bullet would rotate...got a little backwards i guess.

-Matt

[John Traveler]

Button rifled barrel blanks as they come from the manufacturer are clearly marked as to which is the chamber end and which is the muzzle end.  It is standard practice to cut off the last few inches from the muzzle end in finishing a barrel.  The reason is simple: the button rifling process produces an unacceptable belling or enlargement of the muzzle end of a barrel blank.  The enlargement is not much, but enough to detect during lapping.

The other problem that should concern you is that button rifled barrels are normally rough turned to profile before the rifling, and removing lots of barrel material later will result in enlarging of the bore.  What you are proposing is probably not gonna work out.

I once inadvertently fitted two non-tapered octagon barrels backwards.  They never did shoot to accuracy expectations until I cut them off, reversed the barrel, and refitted to the actions.

[Nobade]

Since it's a Clerke barrel you might want to talk with him on the topic. I recall reading somewhere about him saying how bad an idea it is to turn one around, because the grain/finish goes from breech to muzzle and reversing it will make it foul worse and not shoot properly. I have never tried doing it, figuring they're marked breech and muzzle for a good reason, but have also wondered what would happen.

[SHOOTALL]

The gunsmith i get to do most of my work built a few 22 cheetahs ( 308 case necked to 22 ) he would install the bbl and shoot it for a while ( several 100 ) then remove it turn it end for end and reinstall , said it made them shoot better . alot of work cutting a new chamber and crown , so it must work as they were some fine shooters at well over 4000 fps.
Now its 22-250 AI !

[trotterlg]

I also have heard the grain thing of the button rifled barrels.  It is a curious thing I think.  I got this one new, it has a cut for a 77-22 in the breach, it is a total of 20 inches long, so if I were to totally remove the cut I would end up with a barrel that was about 17 1/2 inches long, if I swap ends and use the breach for the muzzel end I can get a muzzel diameter of .550 after i turn out the cut and about  18 3/4 inches of barrel.  I only paid $40.00 for it at a gun show, they guy had a bunch of them, some fluted and some stainless.  I will have a go at it and see how it works, the price was right. I'll let you know how it works.   Larry