MOA Club Member

[2rangers]

Caj, tri, kentucky windage, everyone-
Got back from the range last night, and the mini was ON! Fired my other firearms first, so as to get calmed down and trigger finger sensitive. I fired a couple of sighters, then went right to the MOA target(s). This load seems to be working really well. I have my breath control down pat, but I just can't seem to keep my heartbeat down-oh well, I've been out of the service for a while, and I guess I'm not in the cardiovascular health I used to be. I used to be able to slow my heart rate to below 50 just by concentrating, and time my fire between beats. Now it's a problem because I use a sandbag only, not one of those fancy rests that will keep a bucking bronco still! Here's the pics for all to see and judge.

[2rangers]

Here's the second target.

[droopalong]

Hey 2rangers
Me thinks your mini likes the recipie better than I like apple pie!!!
Super shooting man, I just love it when a plan comes together don't you??
Just came in from reloading some 68 hpbt hornady's for my mini and plan to try them this p.m. if not raining..
That heart beat thing can be a bummer when the targets get to looking that good can't it??
Keep it up, congrats again..

Later
DD

GETRDUN

[magnomark]

;) those are some nice groups 2Rangers,I tried the varget in my mini but they just won't work together for me.Back to the loading bench. <_< :sniper:

[sandman]

:usa: Nice shooting, I'd be proud!
Sandman B)

[cajungeo]

Wow 2rangers. You did it twice! You are the first one to qualify for the MOA CLUB. Congratulations! ;)

[2rangers]

Originally posted by cajungeo@May 30 2005, 01:43 PM
Wow 2rangers. You did it twice! You are the first one to qualify for the MOA CLUB. Congratulations! ;)
Caj.-
Thank you for the kudos. I must admit, it would not be possible w/o some of the great tips you and others have posted. Thanks again!! :sniper:

[fishnfst]

Great shooting 2rangers.... I like your barrel tensioning device. I tried to find the pics again but they are gone. I sent you a pm awhile back but received no reply regarding the transtorque bushing....

[2rangers]

Originally posted by fishnfst@May 30 2005, 02:06 PM
Great shooting 2rangers.... I like your barrel tensioning device. I tried to find the pics again but they are gone. I sent you a pm awhile back but received no reply regarding the transtorque bushing....
Fishnfst-
I thought i pm'd you back. Ok- let me go back again and retrieve it!

[cabdmd]

Do you have a post of the Mini in the gallery?

[BigUglyOne]

Cab

2 Rangers (http://www.perfectunion.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13879)

[tri70]

Big WOW! nice target, Wow!!! the gun looks really nice with the tensioning device. I have a strut on mine and still have to figure out the best place for the clamps and the weight below. That's one awesome shootin' gun you have and if it were mini I would not take less than a $1000 for it, just because you can't find a mini that shoots that good for less.

-great job! tri :usa:

[BigUglyOne]

Excellent shooting !!!!!

[2rangers]

Cab, BUO, Tri-
Thanks for the congrats. All I can say, it was a labor of love. I always knew the mini was capapble of being a good shooter, after all, it is based on a solid, proven, action. I'm dying to get a decent used '30 and try a sleeve on it!! :sniper:

[kentucky windage]

Man oh man 2rangers, that is some good groups! I wish I could get groups like that.
I've been looking at your barrel tensioner, it looks great.. Did you machine it yourself?
Congratulations!

Kentucky :usa:

[slaughterhouse]

That's awesome... great job on building that sleeve!

I was reading your "gallery" post with all the pics, and wanted to ask you: Would it be possible for you to tune your barrel sleeve with a torque wrench to make it work for different loads?

Your barrel sleeve reminded me of the "accurizer" (started a seperate thread so as not to hijack yours) and with that one, you tune your barrel to fit your load by using a torque wrench. You just keep tightening small increments at the time as your groups tighten. When they start to spread again, you just back off to your last tight group.

Just a thought...

[2rangers]

Originally posted by slaughterhouse@Jun 1 2005, 05:44 AM
That's awesome... great job on building that sleeve!

I was reading your "gallery" post with all the pics, and wanted to ask you: Would it be possible for you to tune your barrel sleeve with a torque wrench to make it work for different loads?

Your barrel sleeve reminded me of the "accurizer" (started a seperate thread so as not to hijack yours) and with that one, you tune your barrel to fit your load by using a torque wrench. You just keep tightening small increments at the time as your groups tighten. When they start to spread again, you just back off to your last tight group.

Just a thought...
Slayghterhouse-
I guess it would be possible, but remember, the brake portion of the sleeve is threaded, and loctited to the threaded muzzle. There's no adjustment there. As far as the trantorque bushing, I guess there can be some experimentation there, but the idea of the whole thing was to tension the barrel. If I were to loosen the bushing, then the tension would be lost. I guess I'm having too much fun w/ it now!!!! :sniper:

[2rangers]

Originally posted by kentucky windage@May 31 2005, 04:38 PM
Man oh man 2rangers, that is some good groups! I wish I could get groups like that.
I've been looking at your barrel tensioner, it looks great.. Did you machine it yourself?
Congratulations!

Kentucky :usa:
KW-
Yes, I machined it myself. It wasn't all that difficult, but you should have seen some of the looks I got when making it at work.(I don't own my own machine shop). Explaining it took even longer, and to the non-gun oriented people there, I just told them it was to help keep the barrel cool. :lol: :sniper:

[gogolen]

Just a question of curiousity but wouldn't the barrel be under compression rather than tension? I ask this because you are basically compressing the barrel from the muzzle towards the bushing if I understand this correctly. If I am mistaken please let me know. At any rate though it doesn't matter the only thing that does is the fact it works. Very nice groups. Would you be interested in making another and if so how much would you charge for it. If not could you generate an bill of materials and detailed drawings so that I could make one for myself, how much would you charge for those. Just wondering.

[2rangers]

Originally posted by gogolen@Jun 2 2005, 05:59 AM
Just a question of curiousity but wouldn't the barrel be under compression rather than tension? I ask this because you are basically compressing the barrel from the muzzle towards the bushing if I understand this correctly. If I am mistaken please let me know. At any rate though it doesn't matter the only thing that does is the fact it works. Very nice groups. Would you be interested in making another and if so how much would you charge for it. If not could you generate an bill of materials and detailed drawings so that I could make one for myself, how much would you charge for those. Just wondering.
Gogolen-
The barrel is under tension. The sleeve is under compression. The trantorque bushing is clamped to the barrel just ahead of the gas block. The middle portion of the sleeve is anchored to that. There is a corresponding counterbore in the base of the middle sleeve portion, wich the trantorque fits in. When you screw the muzzle brake onto the barrel, back it off half turn, move the sleeve and trantorque up to meet the base of the brake, anchor it to the barrel, and then tighten the muzzle brake the last 1/2 turn, you are jamming the brake against the sleeve, and the sleeve into the trantorque. The sleeve and brake assy. are made of 1.250" 6061t6 aluminum. It won't compress easily. So that last half turn of the brake is used to pullthe barrel, and tension it, both straightening it and making it muchmore resistant to whip and deflection. It sort of does the same thing that a heavy target barrel would do, although the heavy barrel does it by mass and weight, in preventing the barrel from moving about as the bullet travels through and exits the barrel.

As far as making kits and such, my friend, I'm sorry, but work simply won't allow me the time. I left for work this morning at 0500, and got home at 2103. I put in a lot of hours. The bill of mat's. is easy- about 16" of 1.250", 6061t6 alum. round stock, and the trantorque bushing, wich is 9/16" IDx1" OD. the muzzle needs to be threaded, and the inside of the brake needs to be threaded to match. I used 9/16"x18tpi, a readily available fine thread tap and die set. The pics in the gallery pretty much explain the process, and the blueprints were pretty much in my head as I machined it. The only machine tools you should need are a lathe and a drill press. A combo lathe/milling machine would have cut the machining time in half, but my company doesn't own one, and neither do I. All the cooling holes in the sleeve, and brake port holes were drilled using the drill press. All told, it took me about 8 hrs. total time to cut, bore, drill the necessary holes, tap, and polish the whole thing, and I'm not the brightest guy. I think the average guy should be able to duplicate, if not better, my results. But most of all, I appreciate your kind words and interest. And I say again, if anyone wants to duplicate it, by all means, feel free. There are no patents (by me, at least), and I want everyone to enjoy thier mini to the fullest extent!!! :sniper:

[MCKNBRD]

Originally posted by 2rangers@May 31 2005, 06:44 PM
... I'm dying to get a decent used '30 and try a sleeve on it!! :sniper:
I'll see what I can do for ya on that!!!

Your barrel tensioning sleeve idea is PRECISELY what I had in mind for a Mini-30...only you beat me to it!

One question, though...did you think about using the gas block as a mating point, maybe sliding a bushing over the barrel to mate to the tensioning sleeve?

Also, (I guess it means its 2 questions...) where did you get the tran torque bushing from?

thx-
Byrdman

[2rangers]

MCKNBRD-
I purposely didn't jam the trantorque against the gas block, because it's located by the gas bushing. If you put constant force on that bushing, it'll wallow out the machined recess in the barrel that receives the gas bushing. Also, the gas block gets whacked by the op-rod on every feeding/chambering cycle, and that battering would help to move the barrel around, and loosen the whole works.

The bushing came from a supplier called motion industries, and they market all kinds of bushings, bearings, and such. It was around 25-30$, if I remember correctly. Good luck, and I hope you get the same results I did!!!!


P.S.- please post pics when you get it done!!! :sniper:

[airborne-ranger]

morning ranger 2nd. bn. i,m also a ranger from 2nd. bat. was in 1978-81 and searved under the w.a.d. and now i,m living in southern colorado .
thats some nice shotting ranger

bill