Barrels - freak boring

[peter2]

Hi guys,

Who’s still doing freak boring these days? Any shops or individuals you’d recommend?

I’m based in Europe, so EU options would be great — but I’m open to anything.

Appreciate any suggestions — thanks for the help!

Cheers!

[Grendel]

This is my go-to for Freak Boring - https://www.bmcfabricationservice.com/

[Reflex0283]

BMC and Bearded works seem to be the main ones people go to, however BMC is apparently really backed up with orders at the moment so BW might be faster

[Vegabond]

I tried reaching out to BMC about getting my phantoms bored and never got a response.

[Grendel]

I don't think Bearded Works (BW) is currently doing Freak Boring (otherwise Jake would be getting my work )

[sonixr7]

I have also tried BMC and have not received a response multiple times.

[Aididas78]

Man I’d just find a local machine shop that has a lathe.. pretty easy to do. Just take them your barrel and the sleeve so they can measure it. I did my dye stainless barrel to fit the nova sleeves so you don’t have to bore as deep. I think I bored it .745 and 2.75 inches in length.

[tyronejk]

Man I’d just find a local machine shop that has a lathe.. pretty easy to do. Just take them your barrel and the sleeve so they can measure it. I did my dye stainless barrel to fit the nova sleeves so you don’t have to bore as deep. I think I bored it .745 and 2.75 inches in length.

This. I think any decent machine shop should be able to do it. I'd ask them to be careful with the ano though, since that is probably not a big concern for most industrial work they might do.

[Melrosejedi]

BMC is my go too. Worth the wait.

[peter2]

Thanks for all the responses and the help — much appreciated.

I’ve been trying to find a local machine shop, but it’s been a bit challenging to explain both what I need and what paintball even is😄

BMC and Bearded Works definitely seem up to the task, so that might be the way to go. It could be a good way to bring some of my older barrels back to life — I just need to figure out the logistics.

Cheers!

[1snowridr]

Our team uses this shop because he plays paintball and has milled all kinds of barrels. He even does the inner o-ring retention mod. Highly recommended.

[flyweightnate]

Phantom barrels get very thin near the oring groove but are otherwise easy.
A 0.745" reamer is the way to go (for the finish pass); running it a second time after flooding the barrel with coolant prevents a common issue where the bore is slightly tapered at the end and the insert gets wedged with some permanence. One barrel I bought has had a red insert in there for years. The first barrel I bored nearly had the same fate since I ran with too low a feed and not enough coolant so she got HOT.

Oh... and the spigot of the barrel will be paper thin so it should just be turned off. Keep the length of that spigot in mind so you don't bore 5" past the threads. The insert needs to stick out past the threads around 5mm so you'll bore around 247mm deep (from the first thread).