When the work of creating a custom rifle barrel is complete, the finished rifle needs to be proof-fired to ensure its safety and integrity. No matter what alloy of steel is used or how thick the barrel walls are, a virgin rifle barrel should never be fired from the shoulder until it has passed the proof-firing test. Chapter 9 discusses the need to proof-fire all barrels and provides suggested guidelines for accomplishing the proof properly. Several different methods for proof-firing, each of which is accepted by at least one nation’s regulating authority, are detailed.

             Steel Helix describes proof-firing techniques for typical rifles, as well as those that require a slightly different method of proof due to limited case capacity of the chosen cartridge or strength limitations of the chosen rifle action. Chapter 9 also provides a simple blueprint for a proof-firing fixture and explains the simple, yet very important, reasons why a proof-firing fixture needs to be used. And finally, Chapter 9 shows the reader the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A completed 8-bore muzzleloader barrel and a completed 69 caliber muzzleloading rifle, both of which were made entirely from scratch in my own shop, are illustrated to show  examples of the rewards that await the machinist who is willing to persevere in fabricating his own machine and tooling to make his own rifle barrels.

 

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