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Thread: Drill Bit for Dimpling Stainless Barrel

  1. #1
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    Drill Bit for Dimpling Stainless Barrel

    I am getting ready to dimple my barrel and want to get the right drill bit. There are many threads here talking about nitride barrels, but I don’t see any about regular stainless barrels. Which bit do I need? This is the barrel I have.

    https://ballisticadvantage.com/18-in...rel-ops12.html

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    Good condition (sharp) carbide will knock it out. Center punch first makes it easier. Drill press makes it really easier.

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    If you don't know what drill to use you probably aren't a machinist. If not a machinist you probably don't have access to the tools you need to do it correctly. A drill bit isn't one of them. If I wanted a barrel dimpled I would hire a professional.

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    You do not need a special drill bit to drill a dimple in stainless steel. Especially the type of stainless barrels are made of. You definitely do not need to go out and buy a carbide drill.

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    Quote Originally Posted by GH41 View Post
    If you don't know what drill to use you probably aren't a machinist. If not a machinist you probably don't have access to the tools you need to do it correctly. A drill bit isn't one of them. If I wanted a barrel dimpled I would hire a professional.
    Drilling a dimple isn't rocket science, nor is it making a flawless cube with nothing but a file (as used to be introductory training for machinists in Germany).

    Quote Originally Posted by Todd.K View Post
    You do not need a special drill bit to drill a dimple in stainless steel. Especially the type of stainless barrels are made of. You definitely do not need to go out and buy a carbide drill.
    Agree, but will add that a lot of consumer drill bits are total junk and won't work. I've had new cheap drill bits, with TiN coating!, that wouldn't drill a hole in unhardened A36 steel (that's common, cheap, soft steel for the non-technical).

    OP: any quality bit for metal should work. The better quality bits sold at big box stores are OK, or you can order one from an industrial supplier like Bisco Tool (http://www.biscotoolsupply.com/drill...-mm-drill-bits) or McMaster-Carr (https://www.mcmaster.com/). You want at minimum a high-speed steel (HSS) bit, which is the lowest grade typically offered for drilling into metal. HSS coated with TiN is better IF the steel itself is good, but TiN is sometimes applied to junk bits for the consumer market, so it's no guarantee. If you're special ordering from one of those supply houses I would get a cobalt-steel bit. You don't need that level of hardness, but it will minimize the risk of having an issue drilling because of the hardness of the workpiece vs. the bit, and will stay sharp longer, and we're talking a dollar or two of added cost for one bit. As Todd K. said, you don't need a carbide bit, and you don't want one either because they are more likely to break on you if using a less-than-perfect setup.

  6. #6
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    Prick punch (60-deg angle), center punch (90-deg angle) and then a center drill would do it ...
    Given that 10-shots are a group and 5-shots may be a favorable trend ... know that just one good 3-shot group can make you an instant internet superstar!

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    I'll just leave this right here...

    Gettin' down innagrass.
    Let's Go Brandon!

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    Quote Originally Posted by SomeOtherGuy View Post
    Drilling a dimple isn't rocket science, nor is it making a flawless cube with nothing but a file (as used to be introductory training for machinists in Germany).



    Agree, but will add that a lot of consumer drill bits are total junk and won't work. I've had new cheap drill bits, with TiN coating!, that wouldn't drill a hole in unhardened A36 steel (that's common, cheap, soft steel for the non-technical).

    OP: any quality bit for metal should work. The better quality bits sold at big box stores are OK, or you can order one from an industrial supplier like Bisco Tool (http://www.biscotoolsupply.com/drill...-mm-drill-bits) or McMaster-Carr (https://www.mcmaster.com/). You want at minimum a high-speed steel (HSS) bit, which is the lowest grade typically offered for drilling into metal. HSS coated with TiN is better IF the steel itself is good, but TiN is sometimes applied to junk bits for the consumer market, so it's no guarantee. If you're special ordering from one of those supply houses I would get a cobalt-steel bit. You don't need that level of hardness, but it will minimize the risk of having an issue drilling because of the hardness of the workpiece vs. the bit, and will stay sharp longer, and we're talking a dollar or two of added cost for one bit. As Todd K. said, you don't need a carbide bit, and you don't want one either because they are more likely to break on you if using a less-than-perfect setup.
    Coffee hadn't kicked in yet. I assumed he wanted to dimple a barrel like this.

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    Not sure how Larue dimples his “Rearden Steel” barrels but the dimple hole has a flat bottom.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by prepare View Post
    Not sure how Larue dimples his “Rearden Steel” barrels but the dimple hole has a flat bottom.
    SIONICS dimple is the same, probably a flat face drill bit.
    https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/80381601
    Gettin' down innagrass.
    Let's Go Brandon!

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