Method of making metal ball bats

A method of making stock for fabricating a hollow metal ball bat, said stock having a barrel section, a handle section and a tapered section connecting said barrel section and handle section, said barrel section having a first inner and outer diameter, said handle section having a second outer and inner diameter, said second outer and inner diameters being smaller than said first outer and inner diameters, said tapered section having a variable inner and outer diameter along its length and a substantially uniform wall thickness, the method comprising:

• (a) providing a cylindrical tube blank having a generally uniform wall thickness and outer and inner diameters equal to said first outer and inner diameters;
• (b) rigidly fixing said first end of said tube into a pusher, said pusher having a cylindrical opening of a diameter slightly larger than said outer diameter of said tube blank;
• (c) positioning a mandrel rod inside said tube, said mandrel rod having a leading section, a transition section and a trailing section, said leading section having an outer diameter approximately equal to said second inner diameter of said handle section, said transition section having an outer diameter approximately equal to said variable inner diameter of said tapered section, said trailing section having an outer diameter approximately equal to said second inner diameter of said handle section, said mandrel rod supporting said cylindrical tube blank;
• (d) advancing said pusher to a reducing rolling mill;
• and
• (e) feeding said tube blank into said reducing rolling mill and longitudinally reducing the diameter of a portion of said tube to form said handle section and said tapered section and thereby form stock for fabricating a hollow metal ball bat.