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Eddystone, 700,000s, with Remington wood (OGEK in a box). From the outside it's a beaut, but the barrel must've had corrosive ammo run through it, as the bolt end threads up to about mid-barrel have pits that follow them.
I went ahead and cleaned the bore, and it draws a clean patch now. In fact, if you can just look past the pits, it's all good. :D
can the pits be filled in with jacketing / use? I wager not. Where can I get a replacement barrel for a good price?
no, once the metals gone,...you cant grow it back...time for a replacement tube.
as the bolt end threads up to about mid-barrel have pits that follow them.
Not sure what you are saying here. I have a sporterized 1917 I acquired in a trade over 40 years ago that had a pitted barrel. It was pretty bad but still had fairly sharp rifling. I glass bedded it years ago and darn if it didn't shoot minute of angle with my reloads and that pitted barrel! I have since restocked it with a laminated stock and re-barreled it because of longish headspace. I have a lot of fond memories hunting caribou in Alaska and whitetail down south with that rifle. It is still my favorite rifle.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4217053...n/photostream/
CX
CX - it'll get shot. I'm just a little hesitant to drop 200 on a barrel, then another 100 on mounting it..... the rifling is pretty substantial.
Do you reload? Buy 100 hunting bullets. Try 150 gr. hunting bullet. Flatbase bullet and load 42 gr. Varget. Light load. Try shooting 5 round groups. Good luck.
I don't reload but I will seek out similar ammunition.
That old Enfield rifling definitely can still do the job even when it looks pretty sad. Get some M2 ball or equivalent (150gr bullet at an advertised 2700 fps) and see how it does for starters. I've been shooting an M1917 with a rough bore since the 1970's and it still shoots 2-3 MOA if the nut behind the trigger does his job.
Then look past them and shoot the gun!Quote:
Originally Posted by frankenstein
But first of all...
If the pits have rough edges, they will strip gilding metal off the jackets, but this will not be a clean filling of the pits, rather a very rapid "leading" (or rather: coppering) of the bore. If you have got the material, try about 20 shots of a light load with the bullets smeared with a tiny (that's TINY) touch of lapping paste (1200 grit if you can get it). Am I barmy? Not in this respect. Those shots will just take any sharp rusty edges off the pits, and save an awful lot of copper deposit later. Then clean the barrel until your arms ache, and carry on shooting as usual.Quote:
Originally Posted by frankenstein
What have you got to lose? About twenty shots down a barrel that is a case for recyling.
What have you got to gain? Maybe a usable barrel.
Don't laugh until you've tried it.
And please let us know how it turns out!
---------- Post added at 06:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:47 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Xray
I guess he means the rifling from the breech end to about halfway towards the muzzle.
What he said, use flat base and it will be much more accurate. This was at least true for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by jmoore
any reason not to use boat tails? better seal of the charge?
Quote:
Originally Posted by frankenstein
Possibly, but also possible increase in bearing length as well, which isn't all that long with 150gr bullets in .30 caliber.
shot it today, and at 25 yds it grouped about 6 inches. a portion of that is me being unfamiliar with this rifle, however, I was hitting the x in the bull with my Garand on the same range a week ago.
the trigger is pretty soft on it. I'm making a list of what I want to do with it. Barrel. Trigger. Maybe a parkerizing job. All I really need is a pile o' cash.
at 25 yards that is a large grouping
quite. my brother has a lithgow no1mk3 from ww2, that used to have a filthy barrel. pre-cleaning, it shot about 2" at 100 yds. after a thorough cleaning, that opened up to 5" at 100 yds.
I'm getting flak from him about cleaning the accuracy out of the rifle.:lol:
Flat-base bullets provide better bullet guidance and less gas blow-by in worn throats. The longer the cylindrical section (= bearing surface) the better. And longer cylinders ride better over pits. The lower downrange BC of boattails is of no value if the bullet doesn't even exit the muzzle in a straight line!
Patrick - what you describe makes sense. I'll see what I can find. Have you had great results with a particular round?
Dif rifle, similar potential problem... VZ24 7mm Brazilian. Lands very worn. Last 1- 1 1/2" of muzzle ends up looking almost like it has been counter-bored. But before that - there was serious rust in that last 1 1 1/2" of muzzle!
I stuffed it w/ Kroil soaked patches for about 10 days (didn't intend to do it that long, but...!) Then soaked an oversized brass brush in Kroil and used a drill to spin it in the muzzle end of bore. Figured I couldn't make it any worse! DID clean out the rust, and not a lot of pitting, so that's good. But as mentioned above - nearly a smooth bore at the muzzle!
Waiting to see how it will shoot. If I get 4-5" groups at 100 yds (and my old eyes) I will be ok. Time will tell.
Quote:
Originally Posted by frankenstein
Yes, the Hornady round-nose flat-base Interlock bullets are my first choice for dodgy milsurp barrels - they have a very long cylindrical portion. They have worked in barrels where boat-tails were hitting the target sideways - or even not at all!
Never had to resort to them, but I have also been advised over the years that the heaviest, albeit longest bullets for caliber will do better in a worn out milsurp bbl. And yes, that is typically the heaviest RN FB you can get. BTW - this is what a lot of the calibers were originally designed/loaded with...Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Chadwick
I have had absolutely great results using Hornady ammunition. I just wish it wasn't SO pricey. You do get what you pay for, I just don't get it in bulk.