Chamfer Revolver Chamber Edges Without Disassembling the Cylinder

The never-say-die revolver is still going strong—especially those compact numbers for defensive purposes. You’ll probably be asked to chamfer the chamber edges to allow easier cartridge alignment. Here’s a simple method I use that usually does not require removing the cylinder from the revolver. This technique resulted from some careful consideration and a good deal of Navy language while I was trying to reassemble the cylinder assembly from a Charter Arms Undercover.

The owner was having trouble reloading the revolver with his semi-wadcutter loads, and asked me to chamfer those sharp edges on the chambers. If you’re not familiar with revolver work, the first thing you need to know is that you never chamfer the extractor. Even minor "smoothing" on an extractor can cause any number of problems, and extractors can be a real pain to obtain, fit, and time. So my advice is leave them alone.

With my technique, only the outside half of the chamber is beveled, which is almost always enough to greatly ease cartridge alignment and allow faster reloading. This usually means that it’s necessary to remove the extractor. This is not a big deal on some revolvers, but others— Colt, Charter Arms, and Ruger, for example—require special tooling (and/or language) to take apart or reassemble.

If you have a beveled chamfering tool (such as one used for muzzle crowning), it’s simple to modify it to operate on revolver cylinders without removing the extractor—usually without removing the cylinder. (See the illustration below.) When altering the chamfering tool, I used a right-hand facing tool in the lathe. The chamfering cutter is chucked in the lathe with the threads wrapped in a lead shim, and the hole in the pointed end supported on alive center in the tailstock.

You’ll need a cylinder-chamber pilot for the cutter. (The bore pilot will not work.) You can buy one or make one from scrap steel, brass, or aluminum like I do. It needs to be an easy but not sloppy fit in the chambers. Remove all oil and other substances from the exposed areas of the cylinder which would trap shavings, insert the piloted tool with the extractor extended, release the (continued on page 21)

extractor, and cut away. Note: On some revolvers with short extractor strokes, it may be necessary to slip the pilot into the chamber, move the tool into position, and then insert the pilot’s stem into the tool. Like many other publishers, we make portions of our customer list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services we believe you may enjoy. Indeed, in all likelihood, we were able to first reach you only because another company graciously permitted us access to its customer list.

If, when we make our list available, you do not want to receive those offers and/or information, please let us know by contacting us at American Gunsmith Opt-Out Program, Norwalk, CT 06854-1631. Please be sure to include your current mailing label. With the cylinder assembly dry, the shavings should not stick—any that do are easily removed. When finished, touch-up blue (if necessary), work some lube back into the cylinder’s moving parts, and it’s good to go.

This nifty modification will allow you to chamfer a revolver in less than 10 minutes—with no disassembly and very little cleanup. From the standpoint of income versus labor, you have to like that! ■ A Word to our Readers About American Gunsmith’s Mailing-List Policy