Wwyd ?

[Wagonrider]

I have a friend, B.G. Dumi who recently got a barrel back from a barrel maker. It was relined. When he got it back he couldn't wait to get it on the fire arm. So he proceeded to chase the nipple threads because the nipples he had didn't quite seat proper. When doing so , the tap broke off in the bolster. Now B.G. is in a pickle. Should he attempt to drill out the remaining tap himself or should he stop right now and seek a professionals' help? He has been soaking the bolster with Kroil.Heat and a punch have not been fruitfill and he does not want to tear anything up further. B.G. being ever so proud has asked me to post this for him, so if there are any helpful hints or should any of the masterful gunsmiths of this organization wish to quote a price for repair, please feel free to contact him through my P.M. and I will pass all info along to him.

[hp gregory]

before you can drill the tap you would have to heat it red and let it cool to aneal it. taps are harder than drill bits. puting that much heat on a relined barrel may not be such a good thing unless you can submerge enough of the breech in water to keep it cool while you focus the heat on the tap. a wet towel may help. once the tap is soft you can attempt to drill it or you may be able to take a small carbide cutter in a dremel tool and slowly grind it out without harming the threads. the carbide cutter seems to work best since its realy hard to keep a drill straight on a broken tap. i have done a good bit of it but its rather nerve racking and high risk.

hp

[rachbobo]

Forget about drilling through the tap, it is very hard brittle steel His best bet would be to have a pro do it or if he insists do a search for a broken tap remover. Make sure he buys one small enough for the job.

Bill Cheek

Cockade Rifles

[Wagonrider]

Let me rephrase. The barrel is not relined but rather bored out. Don't really know that it matters. Need someone with more knowledge than mine to correct this if at all possible. Just needing some direction and leads to a solution.

[rachbobo]

Unless if he is very handy with tools and such I say again, take it to someone who has experience in that kind of job.
As a mechanic working on bulldozers I have dealt with this situation many many times. Both with large and small broken taps.
Not using a torch, it is too complex to describe in a forum like this.

Bill Cheek
Cockade Rifles

[Wagonrider]

Rachbobo and H.P. thanks for responding. The B.G. Dumi (big dummy) was used tongue in cheek. The fix is over my head so if anybody reading this has the capability and means to correct this goof and are close to Winchester,Va.,please leave a message here or P.M. me. I'm not in a rush to get this done. Just want it done right. Thanks.

[Pat in Virginia]

Wagonrider,

If I had a broken tap in my rifle I would take it to John Meyer, Custom Gunsmithing, Boyce Virginia. He is very experienced and capable. However, he doesn't work miracles (not that I know one is needed here).

John has been in business for many years, knows his stuff, and is well equiped. I have used him for about 20 of those years. His phone number is 540-837-2598. He's just a hop and skip from Winchester down Route 50 toward DC. Give him a call and he will tell you whether he can help you or not. For a while he did the gunsmithing for Taylors; hence he knows about muzzleloaders. That interferred with his main line of business too much so he stopped. If you go to him make sure you get clear directions. His shop isn't well marked, but I will volunteer this much: once you turn off of route 50 going toward Boyce/Berryville at the intersection where McDonalds is, look for a welding shop on the right. I believe his is the next driveway on the right. As you turn off you will see his very small sign hanging up to the right of the drive. Also, be very careful when you leave to be sure no trafic is coming from your right or you may pull out into a car that is passing another car.

If you are interested in contacting John let me know and I'll get the route number of the cross road. I think it is 340, but I don't want to mislead you. I need to verify it. Actually, you could as easily. Just find the road that intersects with 50 and goes through Boyce to Berryville.

I really think JoHn will be able to help you. With harder steel he would just fracture the tap and pull it out in pieces as the tap is very brittle, very hard and consequently very brittle.


Pat



Rachbobo and H.P. thanks for responding. The B.G. Dumi (big dummy) was used tongue in cheek. The fix is over my head so if anybody reading this has the capability and means to correct this goof and are close to Winchester,Va.,please leave a message here or P.M. me. I'm not in a rush to get this done. Just want it done right. Thanks.

[gmkmd]

There is a tool made for removing broken taps. It has fingers that fit into the flutes in the tap so you can unscrew it out.Alternatively, taps are hard and brittle enough that you can often remove them by breaking them into smaller pieces with a few well-placed shots with a center punch. But this only works if your tap is carbon steel. If it is high-speed steel, it doesn't usually work.By the way, for future chasing of nipple threads, you'll probably want to use a bottoming tap. Not saying that is why the tap snapped, just that is the best way to get to the bottom of the threads in a closed-bottom hole.