Gunsmithing Victor lathes?

Don't know squat about the Victor brand, but it's probably a Chinese machine, or perhaps Taiwanese, which would be better. Plenty heavy for gunsmithing use; I know Grizzly has been selling 16x40 gunsmith lathes for years, but as solid as they are, they're also very heavy, as are chucks for a 16" machine. It's a PITA to swap chucks when they get this big & heavy, and the bigger chucks are also considerably more expensive than those for a smaller machine, like a 13" or 14" lathe.

I've got a couple of 2000+lb lathes sitting on the concrete floor in my garage; when Dad built the garage, putting heavy machine tools in it wasn't a consideration, so the concrete is only 4"-5" thick, which means I've got to check the ways with Starrett machinist levels periodically because they settle on such thin concrete. The 16x40 lathe in the photo you attached will likely weigh at least 3000lbs - it'd benefit from being set on a pad at least 8" thick.

On the plus side, having a lathe that large would allow you to work on bigger stuff than I can do with my 13" & 14" lathes - when you get into a machine with a 16" swing, you're starting to talk 'heavy duty'. It's way more lathe than you'd ever need for gunsmith work, but hey - if it's not that far from where you live, and the price is within your budget (remember, you'll need a 4-jaw chuck, QC tool post, and a bunch of tool holders for it - and this stuff is all more expensive than the same parts sized to work on a 13" or 14" machine), then it's worth a look.

Hold the phone! Just noticed that the ad states the lathe is a metric model - that means no inch markings on the dials. Also means the lead screw for threading is metric, which would make cutting inch threads a PITA.
 
Last edited:
That one is inch and metric, not sure where you saw just metric.

I never gave much thought to being too heavy, maybe I should since I'm sure I only have 4" concrete also. That one is 3600lb to be exact.

I thought about the chuck weight, but the grizzly 509 has a 12" and guys are using it, definitely will suck lifting a 90 lb chuck up there, but I guess I'm still young.

Just ready for an upgrade from my current lathe, was looking at the 0509 grizzly, but found these searching around and looked pretty nice for less $ than new grizz.

I've been looking for a Colchester, but they seem to be tough to find in my price range (under $8k base).

Galaxy S3 on tapatalk
 
Yes, Victor lathes are good gear but like any second hand lathe there is a caveat - 'as long as they are not too worn'. If you inspect it before purchase try to take someone who has a good bit of lathe experience to look over it with you. I almost bought a 2nd hand Victor myself but in the end went for a new machine of a different Taiwanese brand.

Of course once you get a lathe you'll soon need a mill and about 15 grand worth of tooling between them and once you have all that there's not much you can't make or do, you just have to think how to hold the work piece or make the mill cut etc and your there.

Good luck.
 
OP i sent you a PM
The Victors Ive seen might be a little on the long side through the headstock for barrel work. The 15" colchester is a bit on the long side as well. I know that its an obstacle that can be worked around

Correct - gave my brother a 15x48 Colchester for that very reason. Running the big grizzly for big work, but a Hardinge for the other 95%. Took the collet closer off to shorten it and open up the spindle bore.

Lots of good rifles have been made on the Truturn stuff also, but Grizzly is a member here and will give you a little discount for being a Hide member.

And the 15k for tooling is probably pretty close, there is always something else you want.
 
Luckily I'm mostly tooled up already, will just need to get holders for the larger C series quick change if it has that size, but cdcotools.com makes that not so painful.

I'm torn whether to keep my current lathe, I know it would be great to have, especially when you have a barrel dialed in and realize you need to turn something else really quick. But I'm just a hobbyist for now so the cash may take precedent to help pay for the new one, or a bigger mill.

Thanks for all the input so far, the 7.5hp was bigger than I was wanting as I have no 3 phase, but I won't let that deter me if it's a solid piece, just need a bigger converter.

Mikee, that Colchester looks pretty nice and is all set up it looks like, if he could be talked down to in the 8k range that may be worth a look for me, long ass drive though.

Galaxy S3 on tapatalk
 
We got 3 Victors at work. All are fairly new. 2 of them are for bigger work, in fact the biggest has a around a 20 ft bed, and swings around 4 feet. They are Taiwanese. The smallest is so new that i've only used it once and it was very smooth, but it had better be being brand new. I still prefer the 1954 Monarch we have.
 
I run an older Tiawan made Victor on occasion and it's been a good machine. Long in the headstock for gunsmithing. It is an inch/metric machine but the leadscrew is inch so when doing metric threading the half nuts are not disengaged.
 
Was looking on ebay again, and saw the same stock# lathe on a different listing that I linked above, and this time it says it comes with a Sony DRO. They must have had their specs off when they first listed it and corrected it. I feel like this is a pretty sweet deal now, especially since its listed as best offer also, and only 3 hours from me. Might try to go take a look at it tomorrow if weather permits.
 
Here is the listing
Victor Lathe No 1640B Gap Bed 16" 23" x 40" DRO 27140 | eBay

What is the bar that looks like its attached to the tray/stand?

lathe.JPG
 
The bar I believe can be set to trip the carriage feed if I remember right? I ran an Osama Sr. for awhile and it had the same bar on it. Never actually used it but but I believe that that's what its for.
 
I guess I cant decide at this point, assuming that one is in good mechanical condition whether to go for it or the G0509 which is what I originally was going to get. The grizzly is obviously more at 7995, but comes with 4jaw and QC post and warranty, plus has a shorter head stock length it looks like yet still has the nice 2" bore. On the other hand I still have to put a DRO on the Grizzly. I hate decisions like this.

The victor looks like its setup for coolant, which I dont care much about other than already having the drip tray that will accomodate a high pressure flush system, but it doesnt specifically say it has coolant (I just see the pipe attached to the carriage).
 
I asked papa grizzly at one time I thought he said they don't install the dros only sell them. I installed my current one, definitely wasn't fun and I would rather have it pre installed if it was an option.

You have the 0509 right? That's the biggest gunsmithing lathe they have afaik.

Galaxy S3 on tapatalk