Using the Manson Precision Barrel-Crowning Tools

The most valuable commodity in any gunsmith shop is something you can’t buy, borrow, or steal. What is it? It’s time. No matter how you try, you’ll never get more than 24 hours in a day. Since most of us still like to take the time to eat, sleep, and spend a little time with the family, that leaves even fewer hours in our shop. Time Equals Money All of us who want to be successful have had to learn to use our time efficiently.

Whether it’s finishing stocks, polishing metal, or installing a recoil pad, by necessity we’ve had to develop techniques and procedures to work faster and smarter. We’ve also learned that tools that save us time are often the best tools we can own. Sure, we all have limited budgets and sometimes the least expensive tool is all we can afford. But the initial price is not always the best indicator of the value of a tool. What will a tool do to broaden the range of services we can offer?

How much income can it produce? And how much time will it save? Those are perhaps the most important questions we should ask when considering anew tool. Dave Manson at Manson Precision Reamers probably understands the needs of gunsmiths as well as anyone. Dave started out working for Max Clymer at Clymer Reamers and basically ended up running the place. Eventually Max sold out and Dave decided it was time to open his own business’M anson Precision Reamers.

Over the years, Dave has established a well-deserved reputation for innovation. I don’t know of any other reamer manufacturer that has developed as many new tools designed to make the gunsmith’s life easier. These range from tool sets for truing the Remington 700 receiver (without a lathe), to a variety of tools for working on single-action revolvers (including line-reaming cylinders). Recently, I had the opportunity to give Dave Manson’s Muzzle Crown Refacing Tool Kit an extensive workout.

This tooling allows the user to cut or recut a precision crown on any rifle or pistol barrel without having to use a lathe. Design Eliminates Chatter Sure, there are other hand crowning tools on the market; but, in my opinion, none offers the precision and reliability that you get with this set. One of the problems with other tooling is "chatter." With hand crowning, tool chatter is most often caused by the tool moving away or up from the face of the muzzle.

Hand pressure is just not enough to keep a cutter firmly and consistently engaged. Another contributing factor is the design of the fixed-blade cutters found on these hand tools. Generally, you’ll have only four to six evenly spaced blades. When one moves "up," they all move up, and this leads to a rippled surface that’s produced by chatter. The Manson tool uses a very different approach. Instead of blades,

Manson’s tool uses small carbide inserts approximately .150 inch wide by .500 inch long that are actually small files. Rather than tearing metal from the crown, this tool literally files the metal away. This makes for a much smoother, even finish. I would even go so far as to say it may be impossible for it to chatter. In the five or six months I’ve been using this tool, I’ve not had a bit of trouble with chatter. The second innovative feature is the use of expandable pilots to guide the cutter.

Unlike other tools that use solid pilots of a specific diameter, Manson’s expandable pilots allow for a perfect, totally stable fit in barrels that may vary in bore diameter by several thousandths. By the way, the pilots are attached to a nylon brush that serves several functions. First, the brush helps to remove any foreign material as the pilot is inserted into the bore. It also prevents the pilot from falling down into the barrel as it is adjusted and positioned.

And finally, it brushes away any metal particles that might have fallen into the bore during the crowning process as the pilot is removed. The crowning tool kit is offered in a variety of combinations ranging from a basic tool with just two adjustable pilots of your choice to a "master" kit. The master kit includes an 11-degree cutter, a 0- or 90-degree cutter, a 45degree deburring cutter, a driver, assorted wrenches, as well as a setup gauge, cleaning brush, case, and instruction booklet.

Using the Tool Setup and use of the tool is quite simple. Begin by checking to make sure the gun is unloaded. While you could use this tool without securing the firearm in a vise, doing so will make the job easier. Next, select the appropriate pilot. In the instruction booklet, Manson has thoughtfully provided an extensive listing of calibers/bore sizes along with identification of the appropriate pilot. Place the pilot in the muzzle to a depth that corresponds to the length of the pilot wrench.

The wrench does double duty as both a means of expanding the pilot in the bore and ensuring that the shank of the pilot projects far enough above the bore to guide the cutter. After applying a drop or two of cutting fluid to each of the three carbide inserts, the cutter is placed face down over the projecting shaft of the pilot. Next the driver is placed over the hex-drive nut on the cutter.

The driver incorporates a springloaded hand piece which you simply push down with your left hand while turning the handle of the driver with your right hand in a clockwise direction. This spring-loaded feature ensures that you have enough’but not too much’pressure on the cutter. You just turn the crank until you’ve cut as much or as little as needed. I generally make about 10 turns, then remove the driver and cutter to clean the chips and lubricate the inserts.

Actually, "chips" is probably not the most accurate term for the cuttings. As the crown is formed, the carbide inserts turn out strands of metal that are almost hair-like, leaving a smooth, even finish. After using the flat face cutter, I follow up with the 11-degree cutter. This recesses the bore slightly for Left top: A pilot is shown positioned here in a .303 British rifle barrel prior to recrowning.

Left bottom: The 90-degree cutter has been placed over the shank of the pilot and rests on the muzzle of the barrel.

For size comparison, one of the carbide cutters has been removed from the cutter and placed on a penny. further protection of the critical transition point between the bore and the face of the muzzle. After that, I use the 45-degree deburring or chamfering cutter to evenly break the outside edge of the muzzle face. More often than not, I can crown a rifle barrel in 15 to 20 minutes with this tooling.

Shotgun Barrel Facing Tool Not long after buying my first crowning tool, I called Dave to ask if he had a similar tool for shotguns. He did and I quickly ordered one. The basic cutter arrangement on the shotgun tool is the same and uses the same carbide inserts. However, the pilot arrangement is a bit different. The tool works on all gauges using standard 2-inch brass pilots which are also used with Manson’s screw-in choke tooling.

These pilots are available in a variety of diameters and a blank pilot is also available for custom fitting. The driver is also different. The shotgun tool incorporates a rubber-coated handle much like a screwdriver handle. It works well, although I couldn’t help but remember a crowning tool I had years ago that turned more easily with a speed wrench. I decided to see if I could modify the Manson Shotgun Facing Tool to use a speed wrench.

Since the handle of this tool was The rubber handle allows for hand turning of the shotgun tool. just threaded on, I unscrewed it and discovered the shank had a 5/16-inch x 18 thread. It was a simple matter to install two ordinary nuts and then grab a 1/2-inch socket. I then searched through my tool chest and found a speed wrench, which I plugged into the socket. I could then turn the shotgun version of the tool more quickly and easily.

If you get one of these tools, I suggest you set it up for a speed wrench; you’ll be glad you did. Conclusions These are high-quality tools and they’re not cheap. The rifle and pistol tool sets run from $295 on up to $650. The shotgun tool set sells for $90 without the 2-inch pilot bushings. The bushings are $10 each. Though the initial cost is substantial, when you start thinking about the time you save with these tools, you might see the cost in a very different light.

After using these tools, I think of all the time I spent cleaning up "chatter" after using other hand tools. I also think of the time I save by not having to pull the barrel from a revolver, for example, in order to crown it on my lathe. And then there’s the setup time when using the lathe. Sure, these tools won’t pay for themselves overnight, but they’ll definitely save me enough time to cover the cost in a reasonably short period.

For me, these tools are just one more way to work more efficiently, faster, and may be even a little smarter. I

07 VENDOR ROSTER (coming directly from Belvoir)