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How wide do you all typically bore out the barrels on your plasma guns? Or do you not think they should be drilled out (i.e. the ball is formed technomagically in front of the gun, rather than shot out of it)?

Totally up to you. Bolters and other "projectile" weapons are the only things I feel should be drilled. I don't drill meltas because I like to imagine they have a tiny nozzle, but I personally haven't come to a conclusion on plasma guns. However, GW models and artwork do seem to have an opening in the "barrel" of plasma weapons that is about the same size as that of bolters.

I just drill a couple of holes starting small -> large each more shallow than the last.

It creates more like a divot rather than a barrel.

But I do try to make them fit the emitter on the plasma weapon.

I'm all for drilling but I can go a little overboard. All of the flash suppressors on my Marines bolters are drilled in addition to the barrels.

For me:
Bolters of all varieties get drilled. It’s a solid shot weapon.
Melta get drilled because the barrel is pretty wide so it’s not a huge hassle.
Plasma get a dot on the barrel end the same color as the plasma coils.
Flamers don’t get squat.
Grav weapons don’t get squat.
Lasguns don’t get squat.
Autoguns get a black dot.
Alien weapons get snapped in half by the might of the Imperium.

Bolters get a 1mm drill bit, Plasma and Melta guns a 1.5.

I drill every Space Marine weapon.

Plasma and Melta get a bigger hole than bolters, flamers the same as bolters, and silenced weapons a smaller one.

Most of my guns get a 1mm drilling.
Bigger stuff gets more, up to 2mm for Stub Guns and Grenade Launchers.
One of the Necromunda guns got a 0.5mm drilling, expanded to 0.7.

Las weapons do not get drilled, as they would end with a lens, I would expect.

 Badablack wrote:
[snip]
Alien weapons get snapped in half by the might of the Imperium.

Beautiful, man, beautiful. *sniff*

I do not know the size of my bits; will need to take the calipers to them tonight.

I had a 3 bit set from years back - the larger one was for heavy bolters and most of the other vehicle weapons. The middle size one is for heavy stubbers. Being Guard, not had to do any infantry weapons just yet (as I also have my lasguns ending in a protective lens cap).

I did recently get a new pin drill that has way more bits (also unlabled - a China special with aluminum bits that don't bite well...) which lead to me thinking about which is appropriate...

Curiously those stub guns Goliath has, if you put anything resembling a "realistic" hole, you still have this massive barrel collar looking thing. Not a great model!

I went a bit ott on this flamer:

Ha!
The big hole on the flamer is for the "air-mix-chamber", think of a turbo-charged hair dryer with promethium blown out bordering on a plasma ball... it looks just fine.

Drill all the things. I drilled some Scout shotguns on my converted Guard Vets, both barrels. Fiddly!

 JohnnyHell wrote:
Drill all the things. I drilled some Scout shotguns on my converted Guard Vets, both barrels. Fiddly!

Most definitely; I even drilled out the exhaust pipes on my Russ.

I drilled out the barrel of the original metal Escher heavy stubber including the holes along the barrel - it now tends to droop under it own weight!!

Funny, if it's an air hole, a solid round exit, or an exhaust pipe, I drill it. If it's not, I don't freakin care. I always figure plasmas are essentially superheating the air in front of them with coils/heat tube type idea.

re the exhausts: that's why I hate a lot of the plastic models especially the contemptor dread - they just looks awful

 Talizvar wrote:
Ha!
The big hole on the flamer is for the "air-mix-chamber", think of a turbo-charged hair dryer with promethium blown out bordering on a plasma ball... it looks just fine.

*FUPP* ... "wait, thats it?! Cannister empty? you got to be kidding me..."

also yes, drill all the things

Yeah those old Space Marine flamers look neat and compact but I can't imagine they have any endurance to them!

 Infantryman wrote:

 JohnnyHell wrote:
Drill all the things. I drilled some Scout shotguns on my converted Guard Vets, both barrels. Fiddly!

Most definitely; I even drilled out the exhaust pipes on my Russ.

Did you go around the pipe cover and do all of that too?
I did, and it took AGES. Now I have though, it looks wrong if I don't do my next ones.

I drill everything generally.

For plasma, I use a countersink bit (tiny) to make a reversed cone look.
I've found a normal hole doesn't look right on it.

Only weapons I haven't tried to drill were harlequin and elder ones.
That's just a broken weapon waiting to happen for me.

 Infantryman wrote:
Yeah those old Space Marine flamers look neat and compact but I can't imagine they have any endurance to them!

If a space marine is close enough to use his flamer, he is also close enough to charge. One or two sustained bursts should do. I always assumed the space marine weapons design philosophy to mirror Ogryns- club first, weapon a distant third.
He can reload after he has beaten the survivors of the flamer attack to death with the fiery corpses of their comrades.

Also, drill your barrels.

For those who get angry about the dreaded "off-center" hole in the barrel: use a pin or sharpened nail in a pin vice and poke a dent into the center.
Keep poking until it looks right (jeweler's visor or cheater glasses may be needed for us older folk).
THEN drill a small pilot hole, then the full size hole.
For the exceedingly brave you can use a Dremel based drill but it is a bit scary.
It should then be right 100% of the time and no tears.

I drill all holes where it looks like it needs it.
Heat shields with all the holes is pointless since the pipe it is covering does not have holes in it (flamer ends and vehicle exhaust).

 Skinnereal wrote:

 Infantryman wrote:

 JohnnyHell wrote:
Drill all the things. I drilled some Scout shotguns on my converted Guard Vets, both barrels. Fiddly!

Most definitely; I even drilled out the exhaust pipes on my Russ.

Did you go around the pipe cover and do all of that too?
I did, and it took AGES. Now I have though, it looks wrong if I don't do my next ones.

I did; somehow did not dawn on me that this isn't a bunch of exhaust holes. Dang it!