ghost95

I thought so too. I just got 4 VZ24's back from the shop. I had the faces squared to the axiss of the bore. Now, do you think that I need to lap the C-ring also?

Thanks for the name of the dye. I'll try and find some here localy. I hope I'm wrong but I could see and feel the crack.

I guess the action wrench could be part of the issue. I haven't had a problem before but that is what I was using. Guess I'll invest in a receiver specific wrench. Thanks for the input.

It was kind of a bummer to find a crack but I'm glad I did. It makes me wonder though, I mean, how many rounds have been put through that rifle with the crack there? If I had not been using this action for a sporter I would have never known there was a crack there. Is it possible to crack the ring removing the barrel. Anyway, I'm thinking of doing a cut-away with this one so I can explain to my friends how a rifle really works and what makes an accurate rifle. They might even understand why a really accurate rifle costs so much. Maybe they'll understand why it feels so much better to build one rather than buy one.

How do you use the gas techinque? Do you just soak it and then watch it dry?

Well, I got my first parer weight today. While removing the rest of the crest from a VZ24 I found a crack in the receiver ring. The crack runs perpendicular to the axis of the bore and is located directly above the primary torque shoulder. It looks like whoever installed the barrel torqued the hell out of it. It took us a lot of torque to get the barrel off. We had to use a long cheater bar along with the barrel vise to get the receiver off. The face of the barrel had an imprint of the primary torque shoulder on it that you could see and feel. If you guys have a real hard time getting the barrel off be sure to check the receiver ring for any cracks. I think there is a chemical that welders use to check for cracks. It's a two part spray that migrates through cracks to make them visible. I don't remember the name but I'm sure someone here does. I'll try and use it on the receivers when I find it.

Ok, another question...Would a 7x14 mini lathe be able to swing a brownells mandrel if a steady rest was used instead of a live/dead center or chuck? I'm really limited on space and trying to wrap my brain around a way to do these projects without buying a bigger house.

Ok, 20" might be to short so at this point it sounds like a a full size machine is the way to go. Now what is considered a full size machine for gunsmithing? Now, I'm just curious because I think we've passed the price point and very limited knowledge I have of lathes. The only reason I was looking was that our local machineist charges a flat fee of $75. I guess that is just for the setup maintanance of tools ect. I understand the expense in running any type of equipment so I'm not put off, just thought I might be able to learn to do some of this myself.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm running into a space problem that's why i was looking for smaller. I'll check out the 9x20's though.

Hi all, I was wondering if a 7x12 or 7x14 lathe would be able to handle receiver work such as truing the receiver ring on a mauser. I thought that since the facing cuts were very light these small machines might work. Any input? Thanks.