Re: Barrel making using draw-over-mandrel?

Jim Wilkins <muratlanne@gmail.com> wrote:

 
Around the time of the US Civil War military barrels were rolled out from
short thick blanks over a mandrel, then drilled to size, rifled and
straightened by expert hands.

At least superficially the DOM process could combine drilling, rifling
and straightening steps into one, or at worst two, using nearly identical
machinery. What am I missing? Is the problem a too-small final ID?

It does occur to me that the pull strength of the internal mandrel grows
as the square of the diameter, while the pull force likely grows linearly
with the circumference. I suppose that would set a lower bore limit....

Thanks for writing,

bob prohaska