A while back I got a Winchester 1903 semi auto rifle in exchange for some work I did. This is the gun that shot a special 22 shell the Winchester Auto. A smokless round with a 45 grain bullet and a case just shorter than a 22 L/R and a little fatter. The barrel was ringed and rough but I never figured to shoot it although the action worked fine. Then a friend who worked at Cabela's came up with a few boxes of ammo for it...
Well as is it wasn't a shooter the groups at 25 yards were on the foot size but the gun functioned fine. Because of the odd shell dimensions there was no way to convert it to either short or L/R like I did with the Remington auto. I had a spare liner and the bore diameter for the Auto round is the same as a 22 LR so I thought I might give it a try.
The problems mounted up right at the start as the 20" barrel of the Winchester would not reach the spider on the lathe, so I had to turn a centering guide from scrap to center the end not in the chuck. The barrel was lined and then another snag, no one has a reamer for Winchester auto. I ended up using a 22 Lr reamer for a roughing reamer and then had to turn a D reamer to finish the chamber. The barrel is counterbored for the rim and a 5/16 milling cutter was just right to cut the counterbore. The chamber was finished the same as the factory chamber a .251+ with the d reamer and a brass lap was used to polish the forcing cone.
Well now I have a shooting gun to hang on the wall. Sighted in it will hang right around an inch at 25 yards with iron sights. I still have three whole boxes of ammo hid away so I guess I will have to go for some tree rats this fall.
This is what happens when you get too much time on your hands, I would guess I have $200 dollars of parts and work in a free gun that will cost me 10 cents every time I pull the trigger.
But I done it!!!!