22lr revolver chambers

[historicfirearms]

I recently acquired a new ruger bearcat and have had terrible accuracy with about a dozen different ammos that I've tried. Well after having it checked out, I think we found the problem. The chambers measure .2268 all the way through, straight bored including the "throat". My question is, is it normal to bore a 22lr chamber straight through? I don't have another 22 revolver to compare it to. I just don't see how you could ever get any kind of accuracy with a nominal .222 bullet in these huge throats.

[NSB]

I never measured the chambers in a Ruger Bearcat, but I've also never seen one that shot very well. In fact, everyone I ever saw shot fairly poorly. I had a Single Six that shot exceptionally well, so I'm not knocking Ruger in any way. I've just seen and shot a couple and they were nothing to write home about. Whether or not they have throats in the chamber I don't think you're going to get much accuracy out of them. That could also depend on your definition of accurate. I'm interested to hear what others have to say on this subject.

[Outpost75]

What you report is fairly typical for .22 LR revolver chambers.

The key to getting good accuracy from a .22 revolver is to select ammunition having the largest bullet diameter, so as to get a better fit.

Waxed or the older greased ammunition will shoot better than modern plated, dry-lubed stuff.

If you can find modern dry-waxed ammo having a larger bullet diameter or .224" or more, (such as CCI Standard Velocity) you can improve its revolver grouping by LIGHTLY wiping the bore and chambers with pure USP mineral oil, using a cotton mop, and then removing the excess oil by then dry patching both the bore AND chambers before shooting.

Once the revolver is "blood warm" from firing bore condition will hold for an indoor gallery session. At 50 feet accuracy can be competitive and very good, but no Master shooter today shoots a revolver and hasn't since the late 1950s.

When done shooting do not brush the bore or chambers or use solvent if the gun is grouping well! After the shooting session LIGHTLY oil, leaving the bore and chambers wet for storage, and then wet patch, dry patch bore and chambers to remove excess oil and softened fouling before firing again.

If a revolver is scrubbed clean and dry to bare metal it will not shoot until reconditioned as above. The old time indoor gallery wheelgunners knew this, but today this falls under the heading of lost knowledge...

My older pre-transfer bar Bearcat would shoot almost as well as my Colt Officer's Model Target, about 1-1/2" at 25 yards for 12-shot groups with good quality standard velocity greased ammo such as Eley Club, Eley Standard. Nearly as good is waxed ammo having a larger bullet diameter such as CCI Green Tag, CCI Standard Velocity, or Winchester T22.

You want .22 LR Standard Velocity ammo in which the bullet diameter measures .224" or larger. Eley ammunition is generally .225" and even the lower grades shoot better from revolvers than any common US ammo you normally find in your LGS. Of the affordable US ammos the best I have found is CCI Standard Velocity, which seems to be uniformly good. With other US ammos you must measure bullet diameter and select lots by shooting trials if you want X-ring 25-yard accuracy from a good semi-auto target pistol, or comfortably inside the 10-ring for 12-shots from a revolver with no "fliers."

I never found a US high velocity ammo which shot "well" (under 2" at 25 yards off sandbags for 12-shot groups) in revolvers. This is because all .22 LR high velcity made these days is dry-lubricated and bullets are smaller in diameter, .221-.223" for reliable feeding in semi-autos. Some people report good results with CCI Mini-Mag in the Ruger Single-Six, but I think they are reporting only the good occasional group which occurs due to random variations of chance, and not a realistic expectation.

One six-shot group tells you absolutely nothing, except if the gun are zeroed. Two cylinders full, 12 shots fired on top of each other onto the same target gives a pretty fair accuracy indication. The serious target shooter will fire 50 shots from a good rest all onto one target. He wants nothing outside the ten-ring at 25 yards from a revolver, with circular-normal distribution in which the vertical and horizontal variances are approximately equal, having about 2/3 of shots inside or touching the X-ring.

This level of accuracy is easy for an autopistol to achieve, but is a tall order for a .22 revolver.

If you are lucky enough to find any Norma, Sako or Lapua Biathalon match ammo having greased bullets with soft cold-weather lube, of large diameter, you will be pleasantly surprised. This ammo is intended to provide 1050+/-30 fps from a match rifle at 0 degs. C and is about 900 fps from a 6" revolver. It uses a very fast, easily ig nited powder which gives very uniform velocities and is worth the $20 or more per box of 50 you will pay for it, if you can find it.

My 3" Colt Cobra is not a target revolver by any means, but is accurately enough for its training purpose and a typical 25-yard target with Winchester T22 is shown. Your Bearcat should do as well with ammo it "likes." My Cobra will shoot groups half this size if I use RWS or Eley Pistol Match ammo.

Attachment 205881

[historicfirearms]

Outpost75 thanks so much for that info. I just measured all the different types of 22 ammo I have and you were spot on about the Eley at .225. It was the largest I had, and the cci standard was .2245 for some and .224 for the rest. I haven't tried the Eley in my bearcat yet but will be sure to try it the next time I go shooting.

[fiberoptik]

Might want to try Paco Kelly's "accurizor". He can make it fit your cylinder. Bunps up diameter, improves nose shape. Most see accuracy improvement. Love mine!



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[tigweldit]

I have an older super bearcat. I have tried every .22 I could get my hands on. No luck with accuracy or grouping with everything I tried. I love the way that little gun looks, but it won't shoot. So I use one of my Hi Standards when I need a .22 pistol that shoots straight with almost anything I feed it.

[9.3X62AL]

Outpost 75's post in this thread needs to be "Stickied". That much good info in one post is exemplary. Thank you, sir!

[bullseye67]

Good evening,
Shooting 22 revolvers is really hit and miss. (Pun intended)
In the great Ammo shortage I was able to get several cases of Federal blue box standard velocity at a super good price. The guy said he couldn’t get it to shoot/function in a auto rifle, I didn’t ask any questions,just paid him and loaded it in to my truck.
It ended up being Federal 714. It is a standard velocity of 1050fps and it isn’t really consistent in my Pardini target pistol. BUT.....in my S&W 617 revolver it will consistently chew out the centre of a 20 yard NRA timed target. Same revolver switch to anything faster and it stays on the paper, “NO MORE NO LESS”
I agree with waxed SV CCI or any “target” Ammo will be the best choice!
Cheers and have a fantastic weekend!!!


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[Outpost75]

Might want to try Paco Kelly's "accurizor". He can make it fit your cylinder. Bunps up diameter, improves nose shape. Most see accuracy improvement. Love mine! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I looked at this but was a bit scared of whacking on a live rimfire round! Anybody ever set one off in the Accurizor die, I think that could get exciting???

[Wayne Smith]

I looked at this but was a bit scared of whacking on a live rimfire round! Anybody ever set one off in the Accurizor die, I think that could get exciting???

I have one and have never set off a round. I've used it with a mallet and with my arbor press. I don't think you can set one off.

[historicfirearms]

I have one and have never set off a round. I've used it with a mallet and with my arbor press. I don't think you can set one off.

Thanks Wayne. I too was a little concerned about setting off a round with that tool. Did you notice it making a big difference in accuracy? I hate to get into making custom ammo for this little Bearcat as it's just a plinker, but I can't stand a inacurate gun. Is the tool easy and quick to use?

[9.3X62AL]

22 LR firearms have definite ammo make & type preferences. I have a couple that are my "Steak & Lobster Dinner Cotillion Debutantes" in their tastes, others are more "jeans and hiking boots and MREs" in their preferences. In life, I have had a LOT more fun with the latter sort of firearm (and lady) than with their pretentious counterparts.

[fiberoptik]

I used it with a little bit of suede under it. I find that the reshaped bullets definitely kill better, leave clean holes.


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[9.3X62AL]

I used it with a little bit of suede under it. I find that the reshaped bullets definitely kill better, leave clean holes.


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There IS something to flat-pointing the RN 22 LR rounds that enhances lethality. I am not interested in the Paco tool at all--anyone who has used a Lee Loader knows why I say this. I have filed little flats on my bullets as a shade-tree experiment to assess the effects, and these did a better job on small varmints than HPs or RN. The CCI SGB (Small Game Bullet) cost the earth, but shoot VERY well in most of my guns--run in the aforementioned Debutantes--and anchor ground squirrels with a half-decent hit.

[Outpost75]

There IS something to flat-pointing the RN 22 LR rounds that enhances lethality. I am not interested in the Paco tool at all--anyone who has used a Lee Loader knows why I say this. I have filed little flats on my bullets as a shade-tree experiment to assess the effects, and these did a better job on small varmints than HPs or RN. The CCI SGB (Small Game Bullet) cost the earth, but shoot VERY well in most of my guns--run in the aforementioned Debutantes--and anchor ground squirrels with a half-decent hit.

I have one of the Hanned Precision SGB die for .22 LR as well as old home made ones which do the same thing for .32 S&W Long, .38 S&W and .38 Special LRN.

Attachment 206317Attachment 206318Attachment 206319Attachment 206320

Here is what a 158 LRN .38 Special flat-nose looks like after being trimmed to 1/4" meplat and 146 grains, penetrating 30 inches of water jugs after firing from a 2" snubby, the bullet no longer tumbles like typical LRN, but penetrated straight through stack. Very effective on large varmints.

Attachment 206321

[Wayne Smith]

I have one and have never set off a round. I've used it with a mallet and with my arbor press. I don't think you can set one off.

All I can say, and I'm not sure it qualifies for anything, is that it does make Remington Thunderbolts a little more accurate. Probably the standardized sizing ...?

[Harry O]

I recently came across a dial indicator (cheap) that measures to one-10,000 of an inch (.0001"). I replaced the one-1,000 (.001") dial indicator on my Raven-Eye rim thickness gauge with the newer one. I have also recently started buying CCI Standard Velocity .22LR ammo for my wife's two pre-wwII Bekhart style revolvers (both from the 1920's). The accuracy of the CCI seemed to be a notch higher than the other .22LR ammo I use. So I decided to do some rim thickness measuring.

The .22LR CCI Std-Vel had all the rim thicknesses within a difference of .001" (maximum to minimum). The cheapest ammo I have (and also the most) is Winchester White Box Hi-Vel. The difference between the maximum and minimum rim thicknesses was .0035". Quite a bit of difference. That is enough to make a difference while shooting revolvers.

In the distant past, I did some sorting of Winchester White Box Hi-Vel to see if it made a difference in accuracy. I sorted them in 0.001" increments and fired targets from a rest. It did make a difference with a revolver, but not enough to make it worth while. Sorting does take time. However, it did make a difference in a rifle at 50 yards or so. I still have some sorted for use in rifles. I should probably just start using CCI Std-Vel when I use the last of the sorted ones up.

I also have one of Paco's old "whack-a-mole" tools. Tested Winchester White Box .22LR and some Remington Target ammo. It made a difference with the cheap ammo. However, like rim sorting, the difference not enough to make it worth while. It did not help the Target ammo at all, and if anything, may have made it a little bit worse. Besides, I never really liked whacking a rimfire cartridge on the nose with a hammer.

I decided if I need target accuracy, I should just spend the money for target ammunition. You can improve the accuracy of cheap ammo, but it takes a lot of time. Most of the time I shoot, I don't need the extra cost ammunition (in dollars or in time).