[agpurs780i]

Can someone explain to me what is involved in reaming a barrel ?

The reason I'm asking is about the 9mm/38super setups. Could my
Kimber HD Pro 9mm be reamed to fire 38super rounds safely; also
could this be taken 1 step further & reamed to use 9x23 occasionaly.

Also, I'm a big fan of 38supers & CCO's, unfortunenately, no one
makes this setup unless it may be made by one of the custom shops.
I'd like to explore this idea with a Springfield Armory Range Officer
9mm compact, so that I could use both 9mm & 38super without
having to buy a new barrel.

 

[bdavis385]

Yes you could have that done. For the price of the tools you are much better off having a good smith do the work.

 

[Jim Watson]

You stick a reamer in the chamber and twist it until the hole is the size you want. The trick is using good equipment and technique so the result is good.
A major big shop will likely do it in a lathe, but a small operation may hand ream a chamber for a longer cartridge.

The 9mm chamber is tapered, the .38 Super is straight. I know that 9mm chambers have been lengthened to accept .38 Super ammunition, but it is not the best approach. Better to just buy a new barrel.

Strangely enough, the 9x23 Win is tapered the same as 9mm P and its reamer will usually "clean up" the 9mm P chamber. The loads are MUCH hotter but your Kimber should stand them ok.

 

[watercam]

Since both rounds head space on the case mouth and the 38 Super is longer you can not, theoretically, use the same barrel for both cartridges. I have no doubt they will both go bang but your results may be disappointing if not dangerous. Beyond that the two cartridges use different magazines (different cartridge lengths). If you buy another 9mm barrel and re-chamber it to 38 Super and find some Officers length magazines for same you will be in business. Not sure about recoil spring arrangements as my RO Compact (45acp) uses a dual, captive spring cartridge. As the barrels are bull-type from the factory I have no idea whether the 9mm springs will be sufficient for 38 Super energies.

 

[BBBBill]

...I'd like to explore this idea with a Springfield Armory Range Officer 9mm compact, so that I could use both 9mm & 38super without having to buy a new barrel.

Not a real good idea. You really need a separate barrel (and mags) for the 38Super.

 

[DougGuy]

Also, if that is a black oxide barrel, you can forget about reaming it unless you are tooled up in carbide.. If this is the case, just look for another barrel chambered in your caliber of choice.

 

[pistolwrench]

"Also, if that is a black oxide barrel, you can forget about reaming it unless you are tooled up in carbide.. If this is the case, just look for another barrel chambered in your caliber of choice"

Uhhhhhh......no.
Black Oxide is just a form of bluing.

 

[DougGuy]

"Also, if that is a black oxide barrel, you can forget about reaming it unless you are tooled up in carbide.. If this is the case, just look for another barrel chambered in your caliber of choice"

Uhhhhhh......no.
Black Oxide is just a form of bluing.

Nosir, black oxide is the tenifer hot bath heat treatment. You will wipe the flutes right off a Manson reamer and won't TOUCH the throat in a barrel that has been through that bath.

Lots of modern mfgr's use this process or a very similar process.. Springfield, S&W, Walther, CZ, Glock..

 

[watercam]

I am sure he meant Melonite (salt bath nitride) which does make it hard to machine but not impossible. That being said I have an LCR in .38+P with an upper frame that has been flame-cut through the Melonite to a depth of about .020". Did not think that was supposed to happen with salt bath! Thought using 158 gr. cast bullets would keep me out of trouble. Oh well, Ruger says that it is 'normal' so it MUST be!

 

[pistolwrench]

Doug,
Do a quick and simple Google search on 'Black Oxide'.

 

[BBBBill]

Nosir, black oxide is the tenifer hot bath heat treatment. You will wipe the flutes right off a Manson reamer and won't TOUCH the throat in a barrel that has been through that bath.

Lots of modern mfgr's use this process or a very similar process.. Springfield, S&W, Walther, CZ, Glock..

You are mistaken...

 

[Daniel Watters]

I am sure he meant Melonite (salt bath nitride) which does make it hard to machine but not impossible. That being said I have an LCR in .38+P with an upper frame that has been flame-cut through the Melonite to a depth of about .020". Did not think that was supposed to happen with salt bath! Thought using 158 gr. cast bullets would keep me out of trouble. Oh well, Ruger says that it is 'normal' so it MUST be!

FWIW: The frames on the LCR .38 Specials and rimfires are anodized aluminum. Only the .357 and 9mm variants have steel frames.

 

[DougGuy]

You are mistaken...

I'm mistaken?? LOL On which part? The part that trashed the CRAP out of two Manson reamers trying to throat a Springfield XDS barrel or the part about trashing yet a 3rd Manson reamer trying to throat a S&W Shield barrel?

You people that don't do this stuff day in and day out might think tenifer and melonite and Isonite or whatever else the industry calls it can be machined with something less than carbide. <-- THAT is what is mistaken.

The OP asked about reaming a barrel. I cautioned that if the barrel had been heat treated, reaming might not be nearly as easy as some might suggest. No mistaking there.

 

[pistolwrench]

Doug,

Black oxide is NOT salt bath nitriding.

 

[BBBBill]

Black oxide - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_oxide
Tenifer, Melonite, et al - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferritic_nitrocarburizing

 

[Faawrenchbender]

I'm mistaken?? LOL On which part? The part that trashed the CRAP out of two Manson reamers trying to throat a Springfield XDS barrel or the part about trashing yet a 3rd Manson reamer trying to throat a S&W Shield barrel?

You people that don't do this stuff day in and day out might think tenifer and melonite and Isonite or whatever else the industry calls it can be machined with something less than carbide. <-- THAT is what is mistaken.

The OP asked about reaming a barrel. I cautioned that if the barrel had been heat treated, reaming might not be nearly as easy as some might suggest. No mistaking there.

Best to figure out to WHOM you are speaking before you make yourself look more foolish.

As others have tried to tell you, a shiOt load of difference between melonite and plain black oxide finishing.

 

[EvolutionArmory]

I haven't come across a 1911 barrel that a hand reamer couldn't cut.

In the future, I recommend having a separate Google page open and at the ready if you feel the need to question Bill or Chuck, Doug. You can take their word to the bank almost guaranteed.

Black Oxide does not change the heat treat of the metal. Maybe you are thinking Black Nitride, which is pretty darn hard?

 

[watercam]

FWIW: The frames on the LCR .38 Specials and rimfires are anodized aluminum. Only the .357 and 9mm variants have steel frames.

Ahhh, that explains a lot. Is it possible to apply Melonite and the like to aluminum?

 

[NoExpert]

In the future, I recommend having a separate Google page open and at the ready if you feel the need to question Bill or Chuck, Doug. You can take their word to the bank almost guaranteed.

I understand where you are coming from in support of Bill and Chuck. I have never found them to be wrong on this board. On the other hand, they seem perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

Having said all that, I would like to feel that I or anyone else can freely question (in a respectful manner) anyone's comments and get an appropriate response. When it happens with me, I learn, which is why I am here. When others do it, I usually learn from the exchange and therefore benefit.

It seems to me that the purposes of these posts are to find out what one doesn't know, to confirm what one thinks one knows and to help others learn.

 

[EvolutionArmory]

Sure, freely question any and all advice given until you see the truth for yourself. That's wise.

My point is, once the point was made that black oxide is just another name for a salt bluing method, a quick google search would have cemented the facts and saved some bruised egos.