Slazenger single shot with a tight throat area

[303Guy]

I have one or two Slazenger rifles made by Lithgow (ok, make that four ), and one of them seems to have a tight area in the bore just in front of the chamber. I have never taken any of these rifles to the range so I have no idea how it might shoot but it does worry me since the boolit would be loose in the remainder of the bore. I haven't gauged the bore, just pushed a tight bronze brush through and the resistance is markedly higher near the chamber.

Talking about these Slazengers, they have the simplest and neatest trigger/extractor/ejector system there is. The barrel is made from proofed barrel steel and believe me, it's barrel steel. I cut one down a few years ago and re-profiled and threaded it so I know it to be true. The receiver is just cut into the breach end of the barrel. Neat little boys rifles. I wish I had one as a boy.

I one I shortened and silenced and fitted a scope to is very accurate and a joy to carry and shoot with. It has taken many rabbits and a young pig. That one I've shown in an earlier thread.

One of my Slazengers is destined to be an iron sight rabbit rifle, another to be a silenced and shortened possum and rabbit rifle while another a shortened and fitted rifle for my partner. The latter will be tricky as she is very short but my latest one has the butt section split in half which gives me an idea.

[LtFrankDrebbin]

It may be dumb for me to suggest this to someone of your experience level, but how clean is the chamber?
My model 1B will tighten up in the chamber real quick after firing some 22 shorts, to the point that LR's almost won't chamber. I still like playing with 22 shorts. A good clean and she's good to go.

Just with the tolerances that Lithgow worked to a tight chamber is hard to swallow. And yeah your dead right, using 303 blanks for 22 barrels is serious stuff.

You got some photo's you can post? It be nice to see some "Down Under Classis" here.

Here is the most recent pic of mine

[303Guy]

I can do photo's. The bore and chamber on this one were clean and shiny. The chambers on these things are pretty tight. They don't even leak with Remington ammo! (Can't use them in my Voere - they blow back in my face!) Cartridges chamber rather snugly.

[303Guy]

Here is the one I chopped down for my great nephew. It's been given a boiled linseed oil finish. Lots of hard work there! That's a Slazenger. I made that silencer. The barrel protrudes into the can so the can only adds about 2 inches. The scope mount block is glued on with epoxy putty. It works.





I re-profiled it from just before the rear sight dovetail.

And the piglet it killed. That's my great nephew and his sister. He didn't fire the shot though but he was there.



A hare he did fire the shot at. It's almost as big as he is!



OK. I'll have to get my camera out and take photo's of my rifles.

[LtFrankDrebbin]

Mate that is awesome! The shortened barrel and silencer is something I'd love to do to mine however the laws here totally forbid
Ha can, subsonics over a rabbit warren Ha! I wish.
Good to see another out there with the scope mount block too. Mine has been drilled, tapped screwed and Loctite. Yeah paranoid.

Back to your chambers, sounds like it's got to be the old range time with the pile of brand samples and take it from there.

[Mk42gunner]

I would almost bet that most single shot bolt action rifles were made with integral barrel and receiver. The John Browning design that evolved into the Winchester Model 67 has one part that acts as the extractor, ejector, sear and bolt stop. When it was made as the Model 99 Thumb Trigger rifle, the same part was extended and became the trigger too.

A suggestion for the tight one, wrap some fine steel wool around a bore brush and scrub it. Some times .22 barrels can build up lead and it can be very hard to see it. Might work, might not, but its worth a try.

Robert

[303Guy]

A suggestion for the tight one, wrap some fine steel wool around a bore brush and scrub it. Some times .22 barrels can build up lead and it can be very hard to see it. Might work, might not, but its worth a try.

Thanks, I'll give that a go.

[LtFrankDrebbin]

I am not sure if this will interest you, a few pages from the old Slazenger book of 1953.

[303Guy]

Thanks, LtFrankDrebbin. That's the one. They really are a neat little rifle. The barrel steel really is as tough as they say it is. I didn't know they produced a 22 hornet model, interesting.. I'm thinking of converting one of mine. Mind you, I have a Cooey barrel I could use or a Toz barrel which is supposed to be 4140 steel.

I still haven't taken any photo's of my Slazenger collection but I will.

That cut down rifle sure is accurate. One day I set up an empty beer can at about 80yds and shot it in the center from standing. That shows four things; a well sighted scope, an accurate and well balanced rifle, a reasonable trigger and a very crack shot! I knew to stop while I was ahead.