New Guy

[20Gun]

Hi to everyone;

 

 New guy here. I started on my RGG gattling gun a few weeks ago. This was going to be my retirement project next year, but with the Coronavirus situation, and having time from work I started early. I\'m having a blast, can\'t wait to retire in my garage for real! I have a question about the barrels, and hoping someone with experience might jump in. I know opinions will vary. I\'m using tubing/liner method. Paul from RGG recommends silver solder I believe. Brownells, and Redmans recommend acraglas. Also mentioned in articles Loctite? Any experience with these methods? Any advise appreciated.  

 

Thanks

20 Gun

[maccrazy2]

If you’re not in a huge hurry I would search eBay and buy some take off barrels and turn them down. The cost is about the same as buying liners, tube, drill and your choice of adhesive.

[20Gun]

I have the tubes cut, and the liners will arrive tomorrow. I briefly looked around prior to ordering. Wasn\'t really much out there. My thought was if it was used, was it shot out?

[Sparky_NY]

I have the tubes cut, and the liners will arrive tomorrow. I briefly looked around prior to ordering. Wasn\'t really much out there. My thought was if it was used, was it shot out?

Depends,   I used ruger 10-22 takeoff barrels on my D&E gun.     The 10-22 is one of the most customized guns ever, people are constantly swapping barrels and there is a steady stream of those takeoffs.     The ones I got were stainless so no finishing was necessary.         You already are well in the direction of tubes with liners which many have used successfully so you should be in good shape.

 

Keep us posted with your progress !

[Larryx]

I also used  Paul Moore\'s suggestion and went with the DOM tubing and liners. I did screw up one of the threads on the barrel, after it already had its liner green locktite\'d in.  With a bit of trepidation I was able to heat the outer tube and after an extended of heating, tapping with an appropriately sized hammer  and rod and re-heating, I was able to slide out the liner and use it in a new DOM tube. Problem with buying 1 replacement liner is you pay almost as much for the shipping as you do for the item. So I want to put on record it is possible to reline the tube/liner barrels once you shoot out the riffling.

[Dave]

Loctite 609, will do what you want. but turning barrels down is the best way.

[20Gun]

I\'ll keep the green locktite in consideration Have you fired it? I called Redmans, talked to the guy that makes the liners. He kind of steered me away from soldering. I asked him about Acraglas, or loctite, he really didn\'t want to commit for liability sake. He would say that Acraglas is used, and has been around a long time.

[Larryx]

I am a long way  away from the point where I can fire anything.I am at the stage where I am completing the rear barrel plate to barrels interface. As the prints are dimensioned,  it is such that the breech end of the barrel is flush with the rear surface of the rear barrel plate.  It is a bit to tricky for me to cut the threads on all 10 barrels so that each is exactly even with the rear barrel plate rear surface. Obviously any deviation there becomes part of the head space setting. Since I can\'t think of another way to do it,  I plan to assemble the barrels etc on the main shaft and machine the whole kaboodle to a single surface. I am extremely open to suggestions from wiser people.

[20Gun]

I don\'t think I\'m wiser by any means. My plan is to turn the barrel shoulder to the exact length. Then take a parting tool and cut a thread relief at the shoulder. Then thread to the thread relief. Should tighten up flush with barrel plate.

[bruski]

I turned one of my barrel plates with the barrels and the front barrel support plate together. I used a shorter temporary shaft center drilled on the rear plate end with a longer spacer tube to hold the front barrel plate closer to the end of the barrels. I chucked up the front barrel plate in the lathe and supported the shaft with the tale stock center. Take a fine cut at low rpm, no problem. I used a chamber reamer to debur the barrels.

 

bruski

[Larryx]

Thanks bruski for the detailed description.

 

I had almost gotten to that point but did not think of the temporary shaft. That makes chucking the assembly much easier. I was thinking of using the actual shaft and had already incorporated an anti-rotation feature ( I am using a round shaft ala Cutter\'s and your  suggestion so the normal anti rotation feature is not there yet.) I always marvel at how helpful you experienced guys are to people like me who actually do not enough to do a project like this!

[bruski]

If you are not using the hex shaft, then you could use some all thread or a long bolt with the spacer tube to separate the plates. Center drill both ends and turn the cluster on centers or chuck the front plate in the lathe and center the rear end with the tale stock.

  The shaft won\'t slip if you snug up the nut good.

 

The round shaft with a cross hole drilled in it for a dowel pin was what we used for the .357 shafts in that build. I didn\'t realize you were using that type of shaft on your RG-G\'s, it should work well for it with about a 3/32 diameter dowel pin and still have enough shaft material to support the cluster. On the .357\'s we have a 1/2 inch or 5/8 diameter shaft with either a 1/8 or a 3/16 diameter dowel pin on mine, I forget now but you get the picture. 

 

bruski

[Larryx]

I am using a 1/2 inch dia shaft because I had a nice piece-available. Per your suggestion I will most likely use a piece of all thread. I was just on my way to my shop when I saw your message. That will save me from having to put threads on the temporary shaft.  I have not yet drilled for the cross pin behind the carrier block ( mine is the 2 piece variety) but will do so once the rear surface of the rear barrel plate is flat. I chased the threads on the barrels turning the die backwards to get all the thread I could and that left several of the barrels proud of the plate. Not much, but enough to screw up the head space adjustment.

[bruski]

Head space that is not equal on each bolt means a lot of fine tuning and numbering each bolt for its own barrel in the end. There are more important things to worry about on test day like magazine feeding problems. :mrgreen: or not.

 

bruski

[Larryx]

Thank you for you help. I did the lathe thing and it worked.

 

I guess I appreciate what is in essence a warning that there is much more adventure to come. Since this is obviously my first journey down this road, I am following the philosophy that every detail is critical if I expect anything to work. Lack of experience does not allow me to recognize which details are nit picking and which will turn into a hard bite on the ?ss. In a more youthful time I worked on teams that designed and built million pound thrust rocket engines and the highest performance jet engines on the planet. Neither gave me the ability to distinguish the wheat from the chaff or the mis-interpreted  or mis-understood tolerance.

[bruski]

The only real issue that some guys had with the RG-G is the clearance in front of the extractor and the rim of the bullets feeding from the magazine. Good control in this area is a must to drop them just right in front of the extractor but not on top of it. A little longer stroke would have been nice.

 

 

 

 bruski

[Larryx]

Thank you for the heads up. I will be especially sensitive to those issues.

[Swarfmonger]

I used Loctite 680 on mine and it worked great! Just make sure everything is thoroughly degreased. Also make sure to get a move on when installing the liner,I was shocked how quickly it sets compared to the typical red and blue Loctite’s.

[bruski]

Thank you for you help. I did the lathe thing and it worked.

 

I guess I appreciate what is in essence a warning that there is much more adventure to come. Since this is obviously my first journey down this road, I am following the philosophy that every detail is critical if I expect anything to work. Lack of experience does not allow me to recognize which details are nit picking and which will turn into a hard bite on the ?ss. In a more youthful time I worked on teams that designed and built million pound thrust rocket engines and the highest performance jet engines on the planet. Neither gave me the ability to distinguish the wheat from the chaff or the mis-interpreted  or mis-understood tolerance.

[bruski]

A million pound thrust rocket engine, wow there must be a very long fuse on that one. :-P

 

bruski