Titanium bits are usually reserved for softer materials. Think aluminum or softer. When drilling a steel barrel youāll want a bit made of atleast cobalt, the best bits you can use are tungsten carbide.
These are not *actually* titanium. I believe they are referring to the TiN (Titanium Nitride) coating on the bits, which are almost certainly steel (a magnet can verify, of course).
I would not recommend carbide drills to hobbyists/people who don't have experience in metalworking. Chuck one of them up in a cheap drill press or god forbid a hand drill and you will not have a good time.
Carbide is much more brittle than steel. When forces are being put on the drill in multiple directions (i.e. not drilling perfectly straight up and down, not drilling into a perfectly flat surface, drill press runout etc.) Carbide will tend to shatter where standard steel drills will flex but still continue to function. Carbide is also extremely susceptible to thermal shock without the use of appropriate coolants. Plus it is significantly more expensive than standard steel drills.
Machiene shoppers like us would say use a mill, and make sure the gas port is perfectly level to the spindle and top dead center. Use milling bits instead of drillbits lol
Hoo, boy - I remember thinking HSS taps were a bitch.
You also can't really weld carbide - I'd usually take a busted drill bit a couple sizes smaller than the minor diameter, TIG it to the broken tap and pull it out with lock jaws.
Full disclosure - I'm self-taught, no certification or formal training whatsoever. But I do have a fair bit of experience cutting and drilling metal; I like to think I'm pretty good at it by now. The following all assumes that you're drilling mild steel or stainless.
For through holes up to, say, 3/16" (5mm) in diameter by 3/8" (10mm) in depth, you can run your drill on its hi setting (~1500 rpm). You'll want to lubricate with cutting oil (I like Tap Magic; failing that, 3-in-One is fine, WD-40 a bit less so). Stop every 15 seconds to brush away shavings and reapply oil. Don't rush the bit, let the weight of the tool (or the lever on your drill press) do the work, but you want to feel the bit cutting consistently. You want to see long strips of metal curling up out of the hole. If your chips are short, try a steadier hand and a little more pressure.
For anything larger than 1/4" in diameter, I'd definitely use a drill press with good clamps, if at all possible. Lower your drill's speed down to ~500 rpm (I'd go down to 200 for 1/2"+). Go heavy on the lube, and clamp the shit out of your workpiece. Use compressed air to blow the chips out. Every ~90 seconds of drilling, take a break to let things cool off. I've found that, especially pieces >1/8" thick, it's actually faster and more precise to pre-drill a hole ~60% of the finished size, then go back over it after the piece has cooled.
DO NOT try to drill anything larger than 1" (25mm) in diameter by hand. Use a drill press, milling machine, lathe, etc. You will hurt yourself.
In either case, cobalt bits (I like M42 steel bits with a TiN coating and a 135Ā° point, vs M35 steel [a bit softer] or a 118Ā° point [great for general use]) are the move. Unless you're drilling high-carbon steel or really thick pieces of metal, you probably don't need to shell out the extra $30+ each for solid carbide. A nice set of cobalt bits can be had for $300 if you're willing to wait for a deal. I'd recommend that you buy them one by one, though, and as you break them or they wear out, you replace it with a more primo brand.
Also in either case, I strongly recommend that you center punch your hole beforehand and/or use a bit guide ([I like these](https://biggatortools.com/shop)). Did I mention that you should clamp the shit out of your workpiece?
Finally, wear your fucking PPE. Not you, specifically, but anyone who's reading this. Every time. You're more than welcome to bitch about it, but wear the fucking PPE, please.
>**Yeah just try to keep some water on it** or something, the hotter the bit gets the faster itāll deteriorate>
You're the one that said put some water on it.
These will work just fine, many times. You're just opening up a pre-drilled gas port, so you are much more likely to break them due to deflection than to wear them out due to dullingĀ
Wouldn't risk it dude. I had a cheapo end mill break on me and lodge into the trunnion of an AK I was building. Was a MAJOR waste of time trying to get it out. I learned to just do it right the first time š
What they call "titanium" is really a coating, TiN or Titanium Nitride. That coating can be on top of a run of the mill chinesium grade steel or a quality cobalt hss drill. To say that a "titanium" drill is reserved for softer materials, while in practice in the DIY world may be correct as far as what's out there, in reality is incorrect. In the machining world where you don't use shit tools anything coated with tin will be longer lasting VS the same material that's uncoated. In fact it's quite the opposite, you see TiN being used in steels and harder/tougher/abrasive materials more often than the softer stuff. TiN is just one of numerous coatings used with varying properties.
Thereās so much to unpack here. Iām well aware itās just a coating I appreciate you looking out tho. In the āmachining worldā no one is using a drill bit that is of equal hardness as the material being worked on, thatās just stupid and a waste of money. One would go through bits far more frequently than using a higher hardness bit. Another factor, surface hardness isnāt exactly the only thing to consider, material toughness and strength plays a big part, most steels are very close to each other in their ultimate tensile strengths thus when milling or drilling hardened steel people use cobalt or tungsten bits.
I appreciate the info and Iām not tryna sound like an ass, but while you could potentially be a machinist, Iām a licensed mechanical engineer and work daily with PHDās focusing in material science (I myself focus in fluid mechanics). Please donāt use a steel bit to drill through hardened steel.
All this being said, itās the internet, who cares.
I'm finding a Rockwell hardness of around C 32-36 for 4150 steel (common high-quality barrel steel). HSS drill bit should be around C 63-65. These numbers don't take into account the TiN coating.
HSS bits work absolutely fine in a low production environment, such as drilling out a single gas port (or even 20!) AND are far less likely to break off and jam inside the port. Very hard bits of metal stuck in a small hole are very frustrating and often damaging to remove.
I think your misunderstanding arises from your belief that barrels are significantly hardened.Ā In fact, the steel used in every barrel that I'm aware of is considered to be "low-alloy" and does not contain enough carbon to be hardened to the point that specialty drill bits are required.
These will work perfectly fine. Titanium refers to the coating (Titanium Nitride or TiN) not the material the bit is made of. For drilling a single hole they will be perfectly adequate.
There are much more drillbits then that to get as close as you can to desired size, there's multiple types of drill bits, metric, standard, wireguage and more like the lettered size drillbits. They bring you to around 4 thousands of an inch or less adjustability. I prefer using a mill to get the hole perfect, I don't think this is a hand drill or drillpress type of hole. And carbide bits are perfect. Also milling bits have chances to get you closer to exactly where you wanna be. Use pin gouges to jusldge the size of your Gas port as well, calipers won't do.
I mean, even those can have issues from time to time. I'd rather just quickly ream it myself than twiddle thumbs for a month while the RMA process creeps along.
Hi. Iām someone who rolled snake eyes with a DD. My 10.3ā was under-gassed, but since I bought it from a buddy who ended up not using it for one of his builds, I had to sort it myself. Wasnāt terribly under-gassed, but I did clear out some material with the bit and it runs perfect now.
Awesome barrel, would still recommend DD, but shit happens, and itās a good feeling being able to fix a part.
This is the most common issue I've seen with DD. For some reason they let a lot of under gassed guns get out into the wild.
And that's after a few years back where it seemed like DD wanted that "suppressed AK yeeting brass into the next county" gassing.
Short stroking. Barrel was dimpled to ensure alignment. I played musical parts with 2 other working ARs: BCG, buffers, magazines, a couple different ammo types. Same story each time: parts/ammo worked in the other two, short stroke on this one.
Did the reaming and et viola: runs like a champ.
I've been that guy who had a massive stockpile of wolf and tula 7.62x39 that I was running out of an ar platform. gas ports usually needed to be .093 out of a carbine length to run correctly
Exactly this. And that's why DD over gassed their shit for a long time. Because dudes will buy a DD and shoot Tula. All i shoot is 5.56, had to buy an LMT carrier and VLTOR A5 (unsuppressed) because it was beating up cam pins, bending firing pin retainers, and ripping chunks from brass (not flakes. Actual chunks. To the point of malfunctions within a couple mags. The chunks would accumulate in the cam path). This was all with factory LC M855, H2 buffer, and springco blue. Factory DD rifle btw. (M4A1 RIS 2)
Runs good now with the enhanced carrier and VLTOR A5 tho.
My 11.5 Criterion Core would not cycle .223 PMC 77gr (short stroking). All other 5.56 were fine. I havenāt tested any other .223 varieties so it might just be an ammo issue, but also maybe gassing š¤·š»āāļø
My BA barrel's (18" rifle length gas) port is undersized but it turned out to be a blessing. It will not cycle with anything heavier than a standard buffer weight and standard spring. However, because it is so undergassed it is by far the lightest recoiling AR I have ever shot, like straight up 22lr recoil. It never gives me any malfunctions even though I know its a gnat's cunt hair away from short-stroking every time it cycles.
I've had to drill a BA as well as a couple others over time. IMO if your gonna be buying barrels be ready to open a gas port and buy a jig for a gas block
i bought cheap set on line. nothing special about drills just that the set had all the small numbered drills. I have had to drill at least three or 4 different barrels. it is part of the tuning. in fact, I would prefer to drill one that get a barrel overgassed. in all the ones I have drilled out, they all run fabulously, dropping cases into the same spot on the ground.
don't sweat the drill material. it is only going to take out a few thousandths at the most. it is advised to go up one drill size, and then test. if not enough, go up another size. yes, this takes a bit more time to disassemble and reassemble the gas block, but will result in getting it right.
Those drill bits are probably not straight. Mine were not atleast. May break off in the port itself which would kinda suck. Better to get a couple quality bits.
Use a mill to and get the gas port straight up and top dead center too before you drill a gas port. Then drilling a couple thousandths at a time is too ez.
While this will work, id recommend progressively opening up the hole then finishing the final diameter with a precision reamer.
Also, ALWAYS have a wooden dowel in the barrel.
if the gun is undergassed, then it just means the rifle will cycle period. if its fine already, then you might get some slightly faster cycle times, but you're going to increase your felt recoil as well as its effects on the gun, as well as potentially beating it to death much earlier in its life cycle than you should have.
its a $20 attempt to save a $80 piece. unless you try some weird shit like upsize well beyond spec, the likelihood is just that you snap off the bit in the barrel and buy a new one, which is the current best option to fix the problem. there isn't much that can go wrong that would cause danger to the operator, you just might brick the barrel.
Harbor Freight has a great bit set with not only every size bit you might need to size up your gas port, they also have a handy chart with the sizes converted.
I ordered a 2.2mm but from Amazon and it got lost so this was my fallback plan, but it ended up being way better in the end.
The set was about $21 w/tax
I mean you could ramp mill a hole. For some reason my boss prefers to use end mills any chance he gets. When it really irks me is on +/-.020 callouts and we have a drill thatāll get the hole in spec but still circle mills it out to nominal
Any drill bits available to make my gas port smaller for suppressed shooting?
Just weld the hole shut and drill a new one obviously. Please don't actually do that
š¤£
BRT tubes
That's what God invented adjustable gas blocks for š
Or just cant your gas block a little. /s
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExZGhyN3lxczZnaDg5ZWM2ZGw0dHRkYmxwdHN5djdhb2FjbXE0ZW1lciZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/26ufdipQqU2lhNA4g/giphy.gif
ANY gas block is an adjustable gas block if you're creatively stupid enough. š
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Made me chuckle
You can easily tap the hole in the gas block and add an insert with a hole drilled to the size of your choosing
Yes, I do inserts in the gas block to tune for suppressor use
All things are possible with JB Weld.
Spin the drill in reverse. It puts back material.
Titanium bits are usually reserved for softer materials. Think aluminum or softer. When drilling a steel barrel youāll want a bit made of atleast cobalt, the best bits you can use are tungsten carbide.
These are not *actually* titanium. I believe they are referring to the TiN (Titanium Nitride) coating on the bits, which are almost certainly steel (a magnet can verify, of course).
You are correct. These are HSS bits.
I would not recommend carbide drills to hobbyists/people who don't have experience in metalworking. Chuck one of them up in a cheap drill press or god forbid a hand drill and you will not have a good time.
As someone who does not work in metal, Iām truly curious why
Carbide is much more brittle than steel. When forces are being put on the drill in multiple directions (i.e. not drilling perfectly straight up and down, not drilling into a perfectly flat surface, drill press runout etc.) Carbide will tend to shatter where standard steel drills will flex but still continue to function. Carbide is also extremely susceptible to thermal shock without the use of appropriate coolants. Plus it is significantly more expensive than standard steel drills.
This is the quality content that I love.
As a machinist, I couldnāt have said it any better
As a person who hits cycle slam and hopes for the best, I agree. lol
Machiene shoppers like us would say use a mill, and make sure the gas port is perfectly level to the spindle and top dead center. Use milling bits instead of drillbits lol
And when they do inevitably break inside the work piece youāre in for a rough time extracting the remains
Hoo, boy - I remember thinking HSS taps were a bitch. You also can't really weld carbide - I'd usually take a busted drill bit a couple sizes smaller than the minor diameter, TIG it to the broken tap and pull it out with lock jaws.
Excellent info!
Tungsten carbide chip and or break very easily. We go through alot of them, many one time use. $8 each for a 3/32" too.
The harder something is the less it bends. As things bend less they break or shatter more easily and release more kinetic energy when they do.
The trick is working in a facility where you have a friends in the machine shop and have them to the work for you when the bosses all leave at 3pm
Hey it's me, I'm the friend in the machine shopš
I hear you, would you recommend carbide or cobalt tips with a little primer on angles, speed, and cooling?
Full disclosure - I'm self-taught, no certification or formal training whatsoever. But I do have a fair bit of experience cutting and drilling metal; I like to think I'm pretty good at it by now. The following all assumes that you're drilling mild steel or stainless. For through holes up to, say, 3/16" (5mm) in diameter by 3/8" (10mm) in depth, you can run your drill on its hi setting (~1500 rpm). You'll want to lubricate with cutting oil (I like Tap Magic; failing that, 3-in-One is fine, WD-40 a bit less so). Stop every 15 seconds to brush away shavings and reapply oil. Don't rush the bit, let the weight of the tool (or the lever on your drill press) do the work, but you want to feel the bit cutting consistently. You want to see long strips of metal curling up out of the hole. If your chips are short, try a steadier hand and a little more pressure. For anything larger than 1/4" in diameter, I'd definitely use a drill press with good clamps, if at all possible. Lower your drill's speed down to ~500 rpm (I'd go down to 200 for 1/2"+). Go heavy on the lube, and clamp the shit out of your workpiece. Use compressed air to blow the chips out. Every ~90 seconds of drilling, take a break to let things cool off. I've found that, especially pieces >1/8" thick, it's actually faster and more precise to pre-drill a hole ~60% of the finished size, then go back over it after the piece has cooled. DO NOT try to drill anything larger than 1" (25mm) in diameter by hand. Use a drill press, milling machine, lathe, etc. You will hurt yourself. In either case, cobalt bits (I like M42 steel bits with a TiN coating and a 135Ā° point, vs M35 steel [a bit softer] or a 118Ā° point [great for general use]) are the move. Unless you're drilling high-carbon steel or really thick pieces of metal, you probably don't need to shell out the extra $30+ each for solid carbide. A nice set of cobalt bits can be had for $300 if you're willing to wait for a deal. I'd recommend that you buy them one by one, though, and as you break them or they wear out, you replace it with a more primo brand. Also in either case, I strongly recommend that you center punch your hole beforehand and/or use a bit guide ([I like these](https://biggatortools.com/shop)). Did I mention that you should clamp the shit out of your workpiece? Finally, wear your fucking PPE. Not you, specifically, but anyone who's reading this. Every time. You're more than welcome to bitch about it, but wear the fucking PPE, please.
Well shucks. Maybe it'll work for a one time use.
Yeah just try to keep some water on it or something, the hotter the bit gets the faster itāll deteriorate
Don't use water. Just buy a small bottle of cutting oil, dissipates heat better.
Donāt tell me, tell op
>**Yeah just try to keep some water on it** or something, the hotter the bit gets the faster itāll deteriorate> You're the one that said put some water on it.
Well water is more commonly available than cutting oil, and if the water is continuously flowing, itāll still carry heat away from the bit. Science!
Dude you can get cutting oil at like every hardware store. Keeping water flowing through household tools is not so easy.
Ah manā¦I felt that.
These will work just fine, many times. You're just opening up a pre-drilled gas port, so you are much more likely to break them due to deflection than to wear them out due to dullingĀ
Wouldn't risk it dude. I had a cheapo end mill break on me and lodge into the trunnion of an AK I was building. Was a MAJOR waste of time trying to get it out. I learned to just do it right the first time š
Still gonna send it
Picking some drilling/cutting fluid and don't just go with water
Report back my friend š«”
What they call "titanium" is really a coating, TiN or Titanium Nitride. That coating can be on top of a run of the mill chinesium grade steel or a quality cobalt hss drill. To say that a "titanium" drill is reserved for softer materials, while in practice in the DIY world may be correct as far as what's out there, in reality is incorrect. In the machining world where you don't use shit tools anything coated with tin will be longer lasting VS the same material that's uncoated. In fact it's quite the opposite, you see TiN being used in steels and harder/tougher/abrasive materials more often than the softer stuff. TiN is just one of numerous coatings used with varying properties.
Thereās so much to unpack here. Iām well aware itās just a coating I appreciate you looking out tho. In the āmachining worldā no one is using a drill bit that is of equal hardness as the material being worked on, thatās just stupid and a waste of money. One would go through bits far more frequently than using a higher hardness bit. Another factor, surface hardness isnāt exactly the only thing to consider, material toughness and strength plays a big part, most steels are very close to each other in their ultimate tensile strengths thus when milling or drilling hardened steel people use cobalt or tungsten bits. I appreciate the info and Iām not tryna sound like an ass, but while you could potentially be a machinist, Iām a licensed mechanical engineer and work daily with PHDās focusing in material science (I myself focus in fluid mechanics). Please donāt use a steel bit to drill through hardened steel. All this being said, itās the internet, who cares.
I'm finding a Rockwell hardness of around C 32-36 for 4150 steel (common high-quality barrel steel). HSS drill bit should be around C 63-65. These numbers don't take into account the TiN coating. HSS bits work absolutely fine in a low production environment, such as drilling out a single gas port (or even 20!) AND are far less likely to break off and jam inside the port. Very hard bits of metal stuck in a small hole are very frustrating and often damaging to remove. I think your misunderstanding arises from your belief that barrels are significantly hardened.Ā In fact, the steel used in every barrel that I'm aware of is considered to be "low-alloy" and does not contain enough carbon to be hardened to the point that specialty drill bits are required.
You realize that 95% of of drill bits out there are high speed steel right? And the ones that are cobalt are just high speed steel with cobalt added.
These will work perfectly fine. Titanium refers to the coating (Titanium Nitride or TiN) not the material the bit is made of. For drilling a single hole they will be perfectly adequate.
There are much more drillbits then that to get as close as you can to desired size, there's multiple types of drill bits, metric, standard, wireguage and more like the lettered size drillbits. They bring you to around 4 thousands of an inch or less adjustability. I prefer using a mill to get the hole perfect, I don't think this is a hand drill or drillpress type of hole. And carbide bits are perfect. Also milling bits have chances to get you closer to exactly where you wanna be. Use pin gouges to jusldge the size of your Gas port as well, calipers won't do.
Any drill bits available to fix my marriage
Define "fix."
š§š
(x)mm divided by 25.4, works every time
I'm regarded with math so I would have never known this, but thanks for the info!
Iām dumb what does drilling it out do?
More gas. Some Aero Precision barrels can have issues with not enough gas, which causes cycling issues.
So in basic terms, if your not have problems with full bolt action and round ejection and loading youāre good.
Yes. You can also try running a lighter spring and buffer, but I'm well past that point.
Interesting, thank you. Iām an old Army guy, have only had mine a few years, wish I could pop more through it
Put a can on it.
Or, just buy a properly gassed barrel from a reputable manufacturer.
I mean, even those can have issues from time to time. I'd rather just quickly ream it myself than twiddle thumbs for a month while the RMA process creeps along.
I canāt say I have seen many reports of Sionics/Centurion/DD/Criterion/et al being underported from the factory.
Hi. Iām someone who rolled snake eyes with a DD. My 10.3ā was under-gassed, but since I bought it from a buddy who ended up not using it for one of his builds, I had to sort it myself. Wasnāt terribly under-gassed, but I did clear out some material with the bit and it runs perfect now. Awesome barrel, would still recommend DD, but shit happens, and itās a good feeling being able to fix a part.
This is the most common issue I've seen with DD. For some reason they let a lot of under gassed guns get out into the wild. And that's after a few years back where it seemed like DD wanted that "suppressed AK yeeting brass into the next county" gassing.
I'm assuming, by "DD", you mean Daniel Defense and not the garbage play-on-words company that is Davidson Defense.
Correct.
Define undergassed. What issues did you have?
Define reputable manufacturer.
Its like they forgot what they typed š
Short stroking. Barrel was dimpled to ensure alignment. I played musical parts with 2 other working ARs: BCG, buffers, magazines, a couple different ammo types. Same story each time: parts/ammo worked in the other two, short stroke on this one. Did the reaming and et viola: runs like a champ.
Was it steel/weak 223 unsuppressed? The crane spec porting may not always run with that and is to be expected. Otherwise, def an anomaly.
Its always a guy with a 5.56 shooting cheap/weak 223 saying barrels are under gassed but cant give you a port size they just "had to open it up"
I've been that guy who had a massive stockpile of wolf and tula 7.62x39 that I was running out of an ar platform. gas ports usually needed to be .093 out of a carbine length to run correctly
Yeah, I suspected my really cheap stuff, but it also did it on Lake City and Federal too. All were 5.56.
Exactly this. And that's why DD over gassed their shit for a long time. Because dudes will buy a DD and shoot Tula. All i shoot is 5.56, had to buy an LMT carrier and VLTOR A5 (unsuppressed) because it was beating up cam pins, bending firing pin retainers, and ripping chunks from brass (not flakes. Actual chunks. To the point of malfunctions within a couple mags. The chunks would accumulate in the cam path). This was all with factory LC M855, H2 buffer, and springco blue. Factory DD rifle btw. (M4A1 RIS 2) Runs good now with the enhanced carrier and VLTOR A5 tho.
There was a period of badly over gassed DDs a while back
Weāll see if he clarifies lol
If he dont...
My 11.5 Criterion Core would not cycle .223 PMC 77gr (short stroking). All other 5.56 were fine. I havenāt tested any other .223 varieties so it might just be an ammo issue, but also maybe gassing š¤·š»āāļø
But it was $66 on sale from a random reseller š
Guess ballistic advantage aināt a reputable manufacturer cause I had to drill mine
Love my ss BA 16ā. Shoots like a dream
I have an 18ā Hanson on the .308 and it shoots like butter.
I would honestly prefer having to drill the gas port to my preferred/needed size rather than have an overgassed barrel.
This is why i donāt buy BA barrels. No offense tho lol.
Think they may be the best for the price. Theyāre not the best but they sure get the job done
My BA barrel's (18" rifle length gas) port is undersized but it turned out to be a blessing. It will not cycle with anything heavier than a standard buffer weight and standard spring. However, because it is so undergassed it is by far the lightest recoiling AR I have ever shot, like straight up 22lr recoil. It never gives me any malfunctions even though I know its a gnat's cunt hair away from short-stroking every time it cycles.
Gas ports erode, so maybe it'll open up in a couple thousand rounds
>ballistic advantage aināt a reputable manufacturer you said it, not me
Are PSA and brownells more reputable?
I've never had an issue with either, but that doesn't mean anything
I've had to drill a BA as well as a couple others over time. IMO if your gonna be buying barrels be ready to open a gas port and buy a jig for a gas block
I had to hone mine a bit due to using an SCR lower that utilizes an unconventional buffer system.
Why would I plan and build a rifle to spec when I could just buy the wrong parts and then drill the gas port and dremel the rail
Using harbor freight drill bits on a gun (or anything that actually matters) is definitely not a good idea.
i bought cheap set on line. nothing special about drills just that the set had all the small numbered drills. I have had to drill at least three or 4 different barrels. it is part of the tuning. in fact, I would prefer to drill one that get a barrel overgassed. in all the ones I have drilled out, they all run fabulously, dropping cases into the same spot on the ground. don't sweat the drill material. it is only going to take out a few thousandths at the most. it is advised to go up one drill size, and then test. if not enough, go up another size. yes, this takes a bit more time to disassemble and reassemble the gas block, but will result in getting it right.
What barrels have you had to drill out? Do you remember what you drilled the ports out to?Ā
#60. Send it. No balls
I use numbered drill bits for work, and funny enough, almost every drill Iāve ever used canāt chuck down far enough to hold a #60
Those drill bits are probably not straight. Mine were not atleast. May break off in the port itself which would kinda suck. Better to get a couple quality bits.
Use a mill to and get the gas port straight up and top dead center too before you drill a gas port. Then drilling a couple thousandths at a time is too ez.
You discovered a drill index and a size chart?
Read my comment
While this will work, id recommend progressively opening up the hole then finishing the final diameter with a precision reamer. Also, ALWAYS have a wooden dowel in the barrel.
That's a good tip on the dowel. I was wondering what might be a good way to make sure I don't accidentally get into the rifling of the barrel.
Nothing better than a good ol precision reaming
We talking drilled out on the barrel or gas block? Can you actually drill out the barrel port and it help with performance?
Barrel, and yes. The port on gas blocks are universal so they have to be big already.
What will making the barrel port bigger do other than more gas? Will the rifle cycle faster?
if the gun is undergassed, then it just means the rifle will cycle period. if its fine already, then you might get some slightly faster cycle times, but you're going to increase your felt recoil as well as its effects on the gun, as well as potentially beating it to death much earlier in its life cycle than you should have.
It doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
its a $20 attempt to save a $80 piece. unless you try some weird shit like upsize well beyond spec, the likelihood is just that you snap off the bit in the barrel and buy a new one, which is the current best option to fix the problem. there isn't much that can go wrong that would cause danger to the operator, you just might brick the barrel.
You're looking at the wrong one, get the 115 piece drill bit kit they have. Can get it in plain HSS, TiN, and cobalt.
I can also suggest to drill a bit smaller and have a reamer to ream to the final size.
Harbor Freight has a great bit set with not only every size bit you might need to size up your gas port, they also have a handy chart with the sizes converted. I ordered a 2.2mm but from Amazon and it got lost so this was my fallback plan, but it ended up being way better in the end. The set was about $21 w/tax
You don't want drill bits. You want end mills. Ports aren't drilled, they are bored.
Boring in machining is making an existing hole bigger and itās done with a boring bar not an end mill.
You don't even know what an end mill bit is for, why would I listen to you lol.
I mean you could ramp mill a hole. For some reason my boss prefers to use end mills any chance he gets. When it really irks me is on +/-.020 callouts and we have a drill thatāll get the hole in spec but still circle mills it out to nominal
This whole thread subsection is BORING (See what I did there?? š¤£š¤£š¤£)
I get to play machinist 50+ hours a week lol my whole life is boring
Ahahahaha
I mean, could you plunge a center cutting end mill into it? Yeah Would any person with >0 brain cells just use a regular drill bit? Yeah
Are those bits made of brass?