Counter-boring a 22 Remington.

[Geezer in NH]

I would have a Gunsmith cut it back, thread and crown the barrel and then have dovetail milled in the barrel. Thread or 1/2x28 so every common can will fit.

But that is just me.

[303Guy]

Thanks for the responses, folks. Lot's of food for thought.

On Sunday I plan to shoot the rifle again with different ammo to see how it does and to establish a baseline.

[303Guy]

I chucked the barrel and had a go at it. This is what the muzzle looked like after a range session. You can see how the lands fade at the muzzle.



I went in a short distance but the rifling didn't look good so I went in further. I seem to have gone past the worst of it although it does look like another millimeter or two would be in order. This is after firing five shots. It's only now in uploading the photos that I can see properly what it looks like.



Before I go any further I want to give it a try at the range with some target ammo I got yesterday and also a few other types and brands.

If it shoots OK I will just finish it off and cold blue it, if not I will go in under the dovetail. That's about as far as I can reach with the tool I made. I also need to stone the tool before cutting any more material.

I found that the bore is not concentric with the OD. I did not use a steady at this stage, this is just preliminary. The original crown wasn't true but not by much, not enough to make a difference I should think. Anyway, I'll true the OD and then finish the counter-boring and crown in the steady.

[uscra112]

Maybe use the old trick of a brass dome nut and abrasive to touch up the recessed crown you've created?

[725]

Why not just reline the barrel? If the damage is truly limited to the muzzle, go ahead and drill. Have done that and it works. A reline, however, will get you up to brand new status instantly.

[303Guy]

Don't tempt me. I would love brand new status and I would opt for a target grade reline. This rifle only has to shoot as well as I can aim open sights.

My Dad's 22 Mauser has a rust damaged bore throughout so if I can't get it shoot then I will look into relining that one. That rifle is the most important to me. Apart from the sentimental value, there is the value of the gun, both as a quality gun and as collectors value. As a superannuant, I can't spend too much on guns though. Any idea what a reline would cost?

Uscra, what I've done with crown cutting in the past is to use 800 grit emery paper on my finger but I forgot this time. The brass dome screw trick will sort that out, thanks. I'm going to recover the fired boolits and see what they look like. That should tell me if there's a burr. If I have to go deeper I won't be able to get the emery onto the crown anyway.

[indian joe]

I chucked the barrel and had a go at it. This is what the muzzle looked like after a range session. You can see how the lands fade at the muzzle.



I went in a short distance but the rifling didn't look good so I went in further. I seem to have gone past the worst of it although it does look like another millimeter or two would be in order. This is after firing five shots. It's only now in uploading the photos that I can see properly what it looks like.



Before I go any further I want to give it a try at the range with some target ammo I got yesterday and also a few other types and brands.

If it shoots OK I will just finish it off and cold blue it, if not I will go in under the dovetail. That's about as far as I can reach with the tool I made. I also need to stone the tool before cutting any more material.

I found that the bore is not concentric with the OD. I did not use a steady at this stage, this is just preliminary. The original crown wasn't true but not by much, not enough to make a difference I should think. Anyway, I'll true the OD and then finish the counter-boring and crown in the steady.

My previous comments in regard to counterboring would not apply here as I class this as more of a deep crown - my counterboring effort was a couple of inches deep (neat job by the way! - might need just a tiny touch to break the sharp edge ?)

[303Guy]

Thanks. Yes that sharp edge is a question I have. I notice that target crowns have quite a sharp edge and the ones I've done before I left sharp. One of those is a very accurate rifle. Well, two actually. I'm not sure whether my 512 would be classed as accurate. The muzzle area is not perfect meaning I did not cut it back far enough. I do notice that some crowns have a small chamfer but the original crown on this rifle was a sharp 11 degrees.

I did a bit of googling and it seems that only the 11 degree crowns are not chamfered. Well, I'll give this a test as is then put in that small chamfer and test it again to see what difference it makes.

[303Guy]

This is my Target Master crown. I didn't see this before. It looks like a burr or something building up lead. The second muzzle is my late Dad's Mauser. It was shooting worse and worse. This could explain it. It looks as though there is an indent on the inside of the crown but what appears to be buildup is all around the muzzle. I'll just clean this one for now and have another look.

[303Guy]

Not all groups were noteworthy, some better than others but this ammo show promise. Other ammo types also showed a small cluster among a 'pattern' but bear in mind that this is open sights and switching to a scoped rifle I noticed I could have been responsible for some of the spread. This was at 25m.

[uscra112]

Those fliers might be eliminated by weight sorting and maybe the use of the Waltz tool. I've never had any Fiocchi to test, so I can only suggest doing some study yourself.

[303Guy]

CCI mini mags worked the best in my 512. I'll try those in this rifle too. I think I'll leave the crown as is for now. I had a closer look at making that tool. I'll do some sorting for next session.

[uscra112]

MiniMags were one of the ammo brands that I tested all those years ago. As good as they are, weight sorting reduced group sizes out of a box-stock, scoped 10/22 by 20%, and the Waltz treatment by another 20%.

[303Guy]

Thanks, uscra.

[303Guy]

Took the 511 to the range again today. It's a lead laser!

Aguila Subsonic HP 10 shots.

Bear in mind that's open sights and past use by date eyes. Ten shots, one aimed at the wrong target. So, finding the ammo it likes (it is fussy) and find some decent sights and I'm good to go.

[uscra112]

Don'cha love it when a plan comes together?

[303Guy]

I do. I was getting a bit despondent. Then there before me is an actual group! Now I need to eliminate shooter error. I must say I really like shooting this rifle. It just feels good.

[mike britton]

Took the 511 to the range again today. It's a lead laser!

Aguila Subsonic HP 10 shots.

Bear in mind that's open sights and past use by date eyes. Ten shots, one aimed at the wrong target. So, finding the ammo it likes (it is fussy) and find some decent sights and I'm good to go.

It's called "group fever"! LOL

[theoldredneck]

Friend shared easy way to do this if you have the reamer. Used a 17 HMR reamer with a pilot for a 22 long rifle chamber reamed. Worked perfect on a Ruger Bearcat barrel with dent under ejector rod housing screw.

[Geezer in NH]

Quick and easy at my old shop was run a 22lr chamber reamer in 1/8 inch