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Headspacing a Ballard barrel (Read 1072 times)

jhm Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1855 Location: georgia Joined: Sep 4^th, 2011	Headspacing a Ballard barrel Oct 12^th, 2025 at 9:28am	Print Post
	I am working on installing a barrel on my Storie kit Ballard. Blocks are fitted at the shoulder and tang area but when I screw the barrel in place there is a tapered gap at the block face and barrel end. Is there a short cut to fitting this area? I can blue the block face and screw the barrel into it filing the high spots till it is parallel but not sure if there was another method or easier way. JMH


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ssdave Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1997 Location: Eastern Oregon Joined: Apr 16^th, 2004	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #1 - Oct 12^th, 2025 at 11:41am	Print Post
	I used to square the blocks on rolling blocks by making a threaded bar that screwed into the action instead of the barrel. Drill a hole through the center out of the bar, and face off the breech end square. Make a flat head pin with a stem that goes into the hole and long enough to stick out through the bar enough to put a drill on it. Screw the bar into the action with the pin in it, put lapping compound on the pin head, and close the action. Screw the insert in until the pin face bears on the breech block. The advantage of this is that you can push firmly on the pin, and that will push back on the block, taking out any slack. This will give you a true square face UNDER THRUST, which for accuracy is the critical condition. Use a drill to spin the pin and lap the block face. If it's way out of square, it will mark it so you can file to save lapping time, if it's close, you can just lap it square. The advantage of this is that you can push firmly on the pin using both the threaded insert and force on the drill, to take up any slack in the breech block and mechanism and square the face UNDER THRUST, which is the critical condition for accuracy.


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Chuckster Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2269 Location: Colorado Joined: May 15^th, 2008	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #2 - Oct 12^th, 2025 at 12:53pm	Print Post
	Think this is my version of the gadget Dave is talking about. Chuck


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jhm Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1855 Location: georgia Joined: Sep 4^th, 2011	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #3 - Oct 12^th, 2025 at 10:07pm	Print Post
	I worked on it some more today and have it roughed in so to speak. I will fab up a tool such as yours to finish it. I have some valve lapping compound. Will that work? JMH


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ssdave Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1997 Location: Eastern Oregon Joined: Apr 16^th, 2004	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #4 - Oct 13^th, 2025 at 12:31am	Print Post
	Valve lapping compound is what I've always used. It breaks down fast, but it's cheap and easy to add more. If you're really sophisticated, make a brass face like chucksters, and roll diamond into the brass.


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GT Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2241 Location: Northeast Wyoming Joined: Jun 28^th, 2015	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #5 - Oct 13^th, 2025 at 9:40am	Print Post
	JMH, This isn't conventional but here's how I do it. I make most of the breech blocks for my Ballard builds from scratch so I leave extra material on the face for trueing and fitting. The castings in Rodney's sets have a little material to work with so the same procedure will work. Measure the receiver face to breech block and record those variations. Remove the breech block and mount in a toolmaker's vise and go to the surface plate. Adjust and shim the breech block to get the same readings you had with it in the action. Move the setup to the surface grinder and grind to cleanup. BE SURE you read your mic and dial correct or you will compound your error. Trueing the breech face following this procedure will take about 30 seconds with a lap. My 2¢ Greg

	"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk" T. A. Edison "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 11896 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #6 - Oct 13^th, 2025 at 10:44am	Print Post
	I do it like Greg does except the indicating is done on the surface grinder.

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 11896 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #7 - Oct 13^th, 2025 at 2:20pm	Print Post
	Did you check the tang orientation?

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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GT Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2241 Location: Northeast Wyoming Joined: Jun 28^th, 2015	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #8 - Oct 13^th, 2025 at 4:49pm	Print Post
	westerner wrote on Oct 13^th, 2025 at 10:44am: I do it like Greg does except the indicating is done on the surface grinder. Wes, I double check it with a dial in the grinder but the surface plate is more comfortable to work at in my place - there's a tiny goat trail past the cylindrical and the tool grinder to the surface grinder as it's not used a lot. GT

	"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk" T. A. Edison "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 11896 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #9 - Oct 13^th, 2025 at 4:53pm	Print Post
	I don't have a surface plate but I have rabbit trails...

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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GT Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2241 Location: Northeast Wyoming Joined: Jun 28^th, 2015	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #10 - Oct 13^th, 2025 at 4:56pm	Print Post


	"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk" T. A. Edison "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
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calledflyer Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 3804 Joined: Mar 9^th, 2015	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #11 - Oct 13^th, 2025 at 5:59pm	Print Post
	I really like fried rabbit and goat is way better than most venison. you two are making me hungry.


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westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 11896 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #12 - Oct 13^th, 2025 at 8:25pm	Print Post
	We used to frequent a Mexican restaurant at Tacoma in the 90s, 1990s... Their goat dishes were excellent. They also had a fried fish thing where they deep fried an entire big ole fish and put it on a platter and sat it on the table. We fed off it like pigs using forks. One fish fed me my wife and our daughter. It was excellent and fun. My daughter did not appreciate me plucking the eyeballs out and eating them whole. I just did it for effect. Kind of like chewing gristle. They also had live music where a walking quartet went from table to table playing music. I really miss those times. It was on Pacific avenue near 72nd street.
	« Last Edit: Oct 13^th, 2025 at 8:39pm by westerner »
	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
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KFW Oldtimer Offline Posts: 594 Location: Wyoming Joined: Dec 18^th, 2016	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #13 - Oct 14^th, 2025 at 6:28am	Print Post
	Another post that has gone off the rails by some that can offer no advice to the original question.


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art_ruggiero Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1177 Location: CT Joined: Dec 14^th, 2008	Re: Headspacing a Ballard barrel Reply #14 - Oct 14^th, 2025 at 8:15am	Print Post
	breaks the boredom art


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