Numrich .22 barrel liners

[rickw55]

I have a couple of Stevens Favorite rifles that need the barrels re-lined.I've read that TJ's liners are some of the best around, but I don't need that quality on these guns. I'd like to go with something cheaper, but that would still give good accuracy.
Has anyone here used the .22 barrel liners from Numrich Arms (Gun Parts USA)? If so, how did they shoot?
Thanks,
Rick W

[uscra112]

They didn't. I bought two a while ago, and they were both so oversize on the O.D. that I couldn't use them.

[sparky45]

Good to know uscra, thanks.

[Bent Ramrod]

The one I bought way back when was so lumpy and eccentric on the outside that it required a very oversized hole in the barrel to slide into. Once in, it rattled around in there wherever there wasn’t a thick spot to interfere.

The gunsmith I had do the job actually a builder of racing cars, who wanted to branch out into gunsmithing. (Hey, it didn’t have to go 130 mph; how hard could it be?) I had no equipment, knowledge or ability back then so was willing to give him a shot. To be fair, he did note the sloppy outside diameter and gave me the option to stop the project. But what did I know?

The upshot was an otherwise very nice Hopkins & Allen 922 that shot two feet to the left at 25 yards with the front sight hanging off the dovetail as far to the left and the rear as far to the right as possible without falling off the barrel. I unloaded the gun at the next gun show and ate the gunsmithing expense as a “lab fee.” One of the situations that got me started doing my own work. Messed some projects up in the interval, but never that badly, and mostly fixable. And only me to blame if not.

You can get Redman liners from Redman or Brownell’s that are some kind of aircraft tubing and very consistent. They certainly shoot well, if not target-grade well. I would recommend going with that. The alternative would be checking the outside with a hole gauge the minimum size of the outside of the Numrich liner while doing a lot of lathe filing work to reduce the lumps, with no guarantee that you won’t still have an off-center sow’s ear at the end of all that work.

Of course, if Numrich has since found a better supplier, the liner you have might not be lumpy or bored off-center; a check with a micrometer is in order. But the job is a fair amount of work, and the liner you do put in might as well be good quality to start.

[KCSO]

Get Brownells if you cant afford TJ
s. Numerichs are all seconds.

[uscra112]

Numerichs are all seconds.

That seems to be Numrich's entire business model. I avoid them entirely now.

[405grain]

Get a Redman barrel liner from Brownell's. I've used these when making up 7075 aluminum bull barrels for 10-22 clones and they are super accurate. I also got a "Bentz" 22lr reamer from Brownell's for that project. If you are going to the time and effort to reline a barrel it doesn't make sense not to make it as accurate as possible.

[uscra112]

Don't cut corners rebuilding your Favorite. A well-set-up Favorite will be very accurate, especially if chambered like a bolt gun. Buy (or rent from 4D) a proper competition reamer such as the Lilja. Only gripe will be that some "commodity" ammo will be so oversize as to not go in, or cause hard extraction. Since it's a single shot, feeding it quality ammo won't pinch.

BTW - if your old Favorite has the all-to-common "droopy lever", rectify that before you set about the barrel.

[John Taylor]

The liners from T.J.'s are hammer forged and the liners from Redman are button rifled, both from 4130 aircraft tubing. I use T.J.'s when lining a barrel. Most single shot rifles will work with the 22 Bentz chamber, the Lilja chamber is for bolt rifle because the cartridge requires a little force to get into the chamber, ( bullet is bushed into the rifling). I'm working on a Favorite for myself and it has a Redman liner just because someone traded the liner for some work. The center link has already been replaced but is not good so a new one will be made to tighten up the action.

[Green Frog]

I’m one for “several” with barrel related things from Numrich. I’ve reached the conclusion that a company that buys their stock by the pound (or ton) will have parts that are of mixed quality at best.

Froggie

[schutzen-jager]

I’m one for “several” with barrel related things from Numrich. I’ve reached the conclusion that a company that buys their stock by the pound (or ton) will have parts that are of mixed quality at best.

Froggie

totally agree - 20 years ago they were an honorable + fair company to deal with - it is no longer the case - i + many others i know will only deal with Numrich or Sarco if there is absolutely no other alternative -

[uscra112]

John - it's one of the beauties of the Stevens swinging-block design that it will crowd a round into the rifling just like a bolt gun does. Hence I've been using a Lilja reamer for mine. The Bentz will certainly be better for all the other falling-blocks except maybe the Ballard.

[rickw55]

Thanks to everyone who replied. Lots of good info here. I appreciate it!
uscrsa112, thanks for the heads-up on the lever droop. I have the pins and reamers on order. both guns need it, especially the 1915.
John Taylor, thanks for the recommendation on the reamer. I had wondered which one to get.
Rick W

[uscra112]

Are you putting in oversize pins? 5mm dowel pins are the best choice. Drill and ream to .1970 for a light press fit in the breechblock and lever, and .1975 in the link.

As an aside, I just brought home a 1915 Favorite which proved to have a link so badly battered that oversize pins could not help. Jack First is sending me a new link.

[rickw55]

Are you putting in oversize pins? 5mm dowel pins are the best choice. Drill and ream to .1965 for a light press fit in the breechblock and lever, and .1970 in the link.

As an aside, I just brought home a 1915 Favorite which proved to have a link so badly battered that oversize pins could not help. Jack First is sending me a new link.

The pins I ordered are 3/16" and 4mm, along with the proper reamers.
Maybe I should get the 5mm pins?

[uscra112]

I'm not at my best here, I find. 5mm for Model 44s. 3/16 is the OEM pins' nominal diameter, near as I can tell. Used ones tend to mike ~.186. 5mm is thus about .010 oversize at .1969 nominal.

Used OEM 1915 Favorite pins are .150 - .152, so 4mm usually works well at .1575 nominal. (That one I just mentioned has one link hole battered oval, at .155 x .160. Already bigger than my oversize pin.)

A 3/16 pin won't do well in a Favorite. The holes are too close to the edge to enlarge them that much. The Jack First 1915 link at $35 is a bargain IMHO.