Do i need a new crown?

[LAKEMASTER]

My rifle seems to be shooting a little less accurate then it once did. 1.5 moa @100 seems to be about it with cast and jacket.

[Josh Smith]

Try polishing it out first.

Josh

[Josh Smith]

What rifle is it?

For .30 caliber, I like to cast a 0.490" pure lead ball and install a brass shaft.

I chuck it into a drill and use valve lapping compound. Others use round head brass screws using the same procedure.

If you're going to cut a new crown anyway, you might as well try this first!

Regards,

Josh

[LAKEMASTER]

1952 Remington 760 3006.

[DougGuy]

I don't see anything that would be an obvious dead giveaway but I also don't see sharply defined rifling either so, it could likely be improved upon by recrowning. I would contact 4D rentals and see if they have a Manson crown cutter kit they can rent you.

The thing you want to be careful to look for is any lands that are worn from cleaning rods, in this case the barrel may need to be cut back as much as it takes to clean up the tapered lands. Some need an inch cut off some only need 1/4" yours doesn't look too bad down 1/4" from the muzzle, I would try recrowning it first and see if the lands and grooves become more sharply defined and if they do which they should, just go shoot it and see if there is any improvement.

I am sure you will get numerous suggestions as to how to recrown, everything from a lead ball to a brass screw, I don't do anything that isn't piloted off a mandrel that centers off the lands. None of the other methods will have the same degree of concentricity and I don't like doing nothing halfassed so my suggestion would be try and locate a Manson crown cutter kit for 30 caliber.

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, polish first. The scratches look shallow.

I'm assuming it was once sub-moa? Lots of the old rifles weren't.

Regards,

Josh

[pietro]

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It might be just the pic, but I don't like the shape the rifling in the last inch or so of the bore seems to be in - it doesn't look sharp to me.

If it got worn by cleaning from the muzzle end (maybe by a previous owner ? ), it could be the cause of your loss of accuracy.

If worn rifling seems to be the root of your problems, it might be rather easily cured by shortening.crowning the barrel & relocating the front sight.


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[country gent]

I would try lapping a new crown onto it. You can do this using several different things for lapps. A brass round head screw will work, As will a round nose bullet lead or jacketed fmj. A brass ball. start with a medium grit valve grinding compound and slowly work in a figure 8 pattern letting the compound cut don't force it. I would coat the muzzle with a bright ink then use this as a guide to see how cutting is going. A magnifying glass is also a big help.

[LAKEMASTER]

I have a lathe.

[maxreloader]

I have a lathe.

+10^^^ best lol I have had on this board in a while!

[LAKEMASTER]

+10^^^ best lol I have had on this board in a while!

Meaning I have no idea what I'm doing ?

[country gent]

A pin turned to a snug fit in the bore to indicate it in, A sharp HSS cobalt tool I use a very short boring type tool. Recut the crown in to the muzzle and remove burrs with the brass ball and lapping compound. A lot of disassembly to get in the machines spindle though.

[DougGuy]

I have a lathe.

From the looks of the original toolmarks it looks like the bore is very concentric with the outside of the barrel tube, I would have no issues crowning it in a lathe. I do lots of crowns in my lathe. If concentricity is close enough go for it the boolits will never know the difference.

[LAKEMASTER]

i think i might sit down with some old heavy military rounds and do a very very very important 5 shot group with this gun & 50 yards.

im finally realizing the last 6-7 outings ive been using my other hand and its been breezy.

i think ill use my dominant shooting hand and see if my gun is getting less accurate or if i am.

id be happier if it was me, cause the only way to cure that disease is to shoot more !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gnoahhh]

Wait a minute! If I had a 65 year old Remington pump that shot 1 1/2MOA I would be tickled!

My guess in your case though is that god only knows how many passes with a cleaning rod without benefit of a bore guide have been done to the old girl. (Plus it looks like it could use a good cleaning now- could be the simplest source of your anxiety.) Cleaning from the muzzle for decades without a guide is a surefire way to induce wear in the rifling out at the end which can certainly effect accuracy.

Still in all, 1 1/2MOA with a 65 year old Remington shucker isn't bad at all. Some would kill for that.

[JSnover]

Having a lathe means you can do a nice job of cutting the barrel back smidge and cut a new crown if you need to.
I think you're smart to shoot some purpose-built ammunition to find out if any work needs to be done. If you're not satisfied you can dress the crown with abrasives like the other guys said (I'd start that way because it works and it's easy). If that doesn't satisfy you… You have a lathe.
I have access to nine different lathes but my boss owns them and he's not real keen on gunsmithing in the shop

[LAKEMASTER]

Wait a minute! If I had a 65 year old Remington pump that shot 1 1/2MOA I would be tickled!

My guess in your case though is that god only knows how many passes with a cleaning rod without benefit of a bore guide have been done to the old girl. (Plus it looks like it could use a good cleaning now- could be the simplest source of your anxiety.) Cleaning from the muzzle for decades without a guide is a surefire way to induce wear in the rifling out at the end which can certainly effect accuracy.

Still in all, 1 1/2MOA with a 65 year old Remington shucker isn't bad at all. Some would kill for that.

I can personally tell you that the gun has been in my family since new, i can also personally say, that i never knew the proper way to clean a gun/muzzle guard until this site up to just a few months ago...

and i can also-personally say- that back when dad brought this gun out ( after me only shooting 22lr) that i would scrub/clean/soak the barrel until matches were white coming out. i always heard the cleaning rod grind along the barrel.

you live, you learn, and i tend to hold things sentimental. so if this old gun will shoot my hunting cast loads @ a descent pattern itl ill leave it alone......

right now, itl shoot any cast lead bullet @ 1.5 to 2 moa @ 100 yards... i shot 40, 160 gr ranchdog bullets with no gas checks@ 100 yards last weekend and it tattered my 2" bullseye. same with j-words and lead spitzer bullets.

[gnoahhh]

Plenty of deer killing accuracy there. Stick primarily with cast bullets, clean it carefully, and forget about nutsing around with the crown and/or shortening the barrel and go forth and kill stuff and then pass it down to an heir and let him continue its use.

I'm sentimental to a point, but realism and pragmatism rules my approach to this stuff.

[Texas by God]

Try polishing it out first.

Josh

What Josh said. A pump 30-06 that old that shoots 1.5"@100 yds is good to go on big game as it is. Pulling a barrel to re- crown it on a lathe is wasted money IMO. All you need is a smooth exit for the bullet and this is easily accomplished by hand by many methods. I have cut and recrowned dozens of barrels by hand with no loss of accuracy and frequently improvement of accuracy.
Best, Thomas.

[waksupi]

Keep in mind, many factory rifles will shoot no better than 1.5". Some aren't even that good.