So, to make long story short, I have a gas block that is supposed to be 0.625", and a barrel with a journal size that is supposed to be 0.625". Just ordered a new set of calipers to get the most accurate reading, but I'm suspecting that my barrel is a tad bit out of spec, and may be a bit more than 0.625". It's definitely pencil-profile in tapering, a 0.750" block just slides right over.
How can I best turn down the journal of the barrel (recall that this is a pencil-profiled barrel, and as such I only need to work with that 1.5-2" of length along the journal) so that the block slides over freely? Can I take an end mill on a hand drill and just ream out a slab of material directly opposite where the gas port is?