PRESENTATION

Drilling
The first operation in producing a gun barrel is drilling a
deep hole using a round bar. In this stage, however, the
drilling procedure does not entirely produce a smooth
surface that is enough for a finished bore, nor does it
finish the required diameter tolerance for the intended
bore diameter of the barrel. Hence, follow up procedures
need to be performed. Reaming The drilling operation is
followed by reaming, which is done to smooth the
surface left by the drill.
 Reaming

The drilling operation is followed by reaming, which is done to

smooth the surface left by the drill.
 Cut Rifling
After drilling and reaming, the barrel is now ready for the
rifling procedures. The oldest known method of rifling is
the hook rifling method, in which the cutter is pulled
through each groove in the barrel. After making the cut in
each groove, the cutter is adjusted and then pulled
through each groove again. This process is repeated until
the desired depth of the groove is obtained.
 Hook
This is a cutting tool that has a hook shape and only cuts
one groove at a time.
Scraping
This uses a cutting tool that cuts two opposing
grooves at one time.
Broach Gang
This is a tool with a series of cutting edges of
slightly increasing height. It is used to cut the spiral
grooves in a barrel. All grooves are cut with a single
pass of the broach.
 Single Broach
This is a non-adjustable rifling cutter that simultaneously
cuts all of the grooves, and is used in a series of increasing
dimensions until the desired groove depth is achieved.
Button
This is a hardened metal plug with a rifled cross
section configuration. It is pushed or pulled
through a drilled and reamed barrel with the aim of
cold forming the spiral grooves to the desired
depth and twist.
Swage
This is an internal mandrel with a rifling
configuration that forms rifling in the barrel by
means of external hammering. This is also known as
"hammer forging."
Lead Lapping

Lead lapping is used to improve the surface finish

of the barrel.
 OTHER METHODS OF RIFLING
Other methods of rifling, such as electrolytic and gas cutting, exist and are used to a
very limited extent. A report on the use of electrochemical machining for the
production of rifling in barrels appeared in the journal of the Association of Firearms
and Tool Mark Examiners (De France and Van Arsadale, 2003). After rifling, the barrel
is given a final smoothing. The most frequently used method for this stage of the
process are lead lapping and ball burnishing. In lead lapping, a lead plug with the
same diameter as the bore is repeatedly pulled through the rifling while it is washed
through with a fine abrasive. The fineness of the abrasive is increased as the barrel
becomes progressively smoother. This is the most commonly used method because
it gives a satisfactory finish. Meanwhile, ball burnishing is used for high-quality rifles
and consists of repeatedly pushing a steel ball bearing, which has the same size as
the barrel. This flattens out any irregularities in the bore, leaving a mirror-like finish.
Very high-quality weapons and military rifles, in which the bores are subjected to
very high temperatures, can also have the bore chromium-plated. This process
results in a very hard, mirror-like surface that is very resistant to corrosion, metal
fouling, and bore wear.