Newbie looking for the right lathe for Gunsmithing

[ejmmanning]

I bought the PM1236 and have built quite a few rifles, some used in competition by one of my friends. I made a spider which was not too complicated. If I could go back, would probably buy the 1340-GT but the 1236 is more than capable. Not sure how wide the headstock is on the 1340 but on the 1236, I have been able to do quite a few muzzle brakes without taking the barrel off of the action. This is a huge time saver and don't have to worry about affecting headspace.

Learned basic machining at work but figured out how to build rifles on Youtube. Sounds crazy, but turn away more work than I take in.

What tools did you buy? Why would you go with the 1340-GT now?

thank you

 

[gmalcom]

What tools did you buy? Why would you go with the 1340-GT now?

thank you

For gun work, don't need much. The one thing that I would recommend are a high speed steel threading inserts. Do a lot of threading up to a shoulder and I'm a chicken so run as slow as possible. HSS will provide much cleaner cuts than carbide at slow speeds. Carbide works but end up with kind of a grainy rough finish that I don't like.

I like to use PTG range rods for alignment and of course chamber reamers get expensive. Since I'm only doing work for friends, if they want something chambered in something that I don't have, they get to buy it. I also have the LaBounty bolt fixture for trueing bolts. Will also need some sort of fixturing for receivers. PTG is a good resource for gun related tools and fixtures. My opinion is that if you want decent accuracy out of a Remington 700, you have to true the bolt and receiver. If you're looking for minute of vitals accuracy, probably not necessary.

Also need a few indicators that measure in 10ths. I'm at or under .0002 runout concentric to the bore for any chambering or muzzle work.

Look at Shars for indicators and indicator bases. I would buy better gages if funds are available, but these work. Their version of articulating magnetic bases work really well and easy to use. The bases are a cheaper Noga knock off but work well.

If I could go back, I would buy the 1340, but the 1236 works great. Would like to upgrade to 3 phase on the 1236 some day....

 

[davidpbest]

did you have to make the outboard sider for barrel work?

Making a spider for the 1340 is very straight forward. If you can’t make a spider in a couple of hours, you probably won’t be very good doing gun work either. You can find details, including dimensioned drawing here. The 1340 is a terrific small lathe. A 3-phase motor driven by a VFD will improve consistency of quality surface finishes. A. proximity stop will take the FUD out of threading to a shoulder. And careful selection of carbide inserts can yield high quality threading even at low speeds. If you want to stick with HSS tooling, A.R. Warner makes a line of reasonably priced indexable tooling with HSS inserts to go with them.

 

[Tozguy]

I just want to chamber my own barrels. I

There is a wide range of brands and sizes of lathes that are suitable for barrel work. I agree that a minimum would be 12x36 with a 1.5'' spindle bore. There is a good choice of brands, qualities and features available. Melt in your own personal preferences, space and budget constraints and you still have some interesting choices. You are on the right track by asking the folks here at HM for guidance.
It must be hard to find someone who has not modified or added features to a lathe no matter how carefully that lathe was chosen. Ultimately results are determined more by the operator's skill in running a lathe than by how sophisticated the lathe is.

 

[V35B]

I think you would be pleased with a 1340GT. I got mine last month, and have been happy so far. PM has been good to work with, they are responsive when needed. I have not had a desire to fire up my old lathe since I got the new one all tuned in. David B also has a great plan for the stand, I built one like his with a couple of small mods. When I ran the bar test to get it running true,it was very easy to adjust and level while standing on your feet. I don’t have a pic with the lathe on it.

 

[davidpbest]

I think you would be pleased with a 1340GT. I got mine last month, and have been happy so far. PM has been good to work with, they are responsive when needed. I have not had a desire to fire up my old lathe since I got the new one all tuned in. David B also has a great plan for the stand, I built one like his with a couple of small mods. When I ran the bar test to get it running true,it was very easy to adjust and level while standing on your feet. I don’t have a pic with the lathe on it.

View attachment 351450

Great stand !!!!!! Not so sure about the color though. LOL

 

[ejmmanning]

Making a spider for the 1340 is very straight forward. If you can’t make a spider in a couple of hours, you probably won’t be very good doing gun work either. You can find details, including dimensioned drawing here. The 1340 is a terrific small lathe. A 3-phase motor driven by a VFD will improve consistency of quality surface finishes. A. proximity stop will take the FUD out of threading to a shoulder. And careful selection of carbide inserts can yield high quality threading even at low speeds. If you want to stick with HSS tooling, A.R. Warner makes a line of reasonably priced indexable tooling with HSS inserts to go with them.

David
Who’s depth micrometer do you use? I like to buy the right one once

 

[7milesup]

I think you would be pleased with a 1340GT. I got mine last month, and have been happy so far. PM has been good to work with, they are responsive when needed. I have not had a desire to fire up my old lathe since I got the new one all tuned in. David B also has a great plan for the stand, I built one like his with a couple of small mods. When I ran the bar test to get it running true,it was very easy to adjust and level while standing on your feet. I don’t have a pic with the lathe on it.

View attachment 351450

How wide is that torsion box on your stand? Is it a rectangle tube or a C-channel or?

 

[ejmmanning]

Making a spider for the 1340 is very straight forward. If you can’t make a spider in a couple of hours, you probably won’t be very good doing gun work either. You can find details, including dimensioned drawing here. The 1340 is a terrific small lathe. A 3-phase motor driven by a VFD will improve consistency of quality surface finishes. A. proximity stop will take the FUD out of threading to a shoulder. And careful selection of carbide inserts can yield high quality threading even at low speeds. If you want to stick with HSS tooling, A.R. Warner makes a line of reasonably priced indexable tooling with HSS inserts to go with them.

Do you have plans for a stand?

 

[davidpbest]

David
Who’s depth micrometer do you use? I like to buy the right one once

The indicator I show with the spider is an Interapid 312B-1. Expensive, but reliable and repairable. The Compac 215GA would be another good choice. There are Asian-made clones here but these are not repairable, and if you drop it, it's junk.