Bullet tumbling

[bearhunter]

There is one more thing that hasn't been mentioned yet. If you do have a cord worn muzzle, it can be "counter bored" back to where the lands are still sharp.
Counter boring was good enough for lots of Mosin Nagants, Springfield 1903s and Mausers, to name a few. Counter boring needs to be done properly though and seeing as your bore is at the maximum tolerance it may not be worth it. It isn't expensive to do, or time consuming. It won't change the cosmetic appearance of your rifle and may just last as long as you do.

I did a counter bore on an old No1 MkIII* sporter. It had been left in a case, over the winter and just before the next hunting season, the owner dragged it out to do the once per year obligatory maintenance and fire a few sighters. Needless to say, the accuracy was lousy. We counter bored the muzzle about 2+ inches back and accuracy returned to normal. That rifle certainly treated the owner better than he treated it.

[Edward Horton]

If you slugged the bore from the chamber to the muzzle you squeezed the lead slug down to the smallest diameter and least worn section of the barrel, normally the middle of the barrel.

Example: I had a Springfield 03-A3 30-06 that was .312 in the throat, .309 in mid bore and .310 one inch inside the muzzle. The good news was it shot the Hornady .308 170 grain bullet designed for the 30-30 like a dream come true.

Try slugging and checking the bore a few inches down the throat and a short distance down the muzzle. Doing this will give you more information on your problem barrel.

Note: Different brands and type bullets are made and constructed differently, the 30-30 Hornady bullets I was shooting in my Springfield were designed for the 30-30 Winchester. These 30-30 bullets had a large bearing surface (the amount of bullet contacting the bore) AND a softer lead core. When these 30-30 bullets were kicked in the seat of the pants when fired the softer lead core allowed the bullet to expand more and fill and seal the bore.

Moral of story, try different brands of ammo and types of bullets in your Enfield before you give up on your barrel.

My Springfield barrel looked like a sewer pipe and had no rifling at the muzzle and still shot extremely well with the right bullet.

[Buntlineguy]

I had the same problem with my Enfield. I found that Hornady #3130 round-nose bullets did the trick. It has to do with wear (corrosion) where the rifling starts. This bullet gives more surface area for the rifling to contact.
Good luck
B

[JBS]

Try this bullet. It has never let me down. I use it over the correct load of IMR 4064. It has produced excellent accuracy even in 303s with groves to 318. For some reason this bullet is overlooked by a lot of people. Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Bullets :: Rifle :: Choose by Caliber :: .312 303 CAL :: 303 Cal .312 174 gr InterLock® RN

303 Cal .312 174 gr InterLock® RN

[Edward Horton]

Try this bullet. It has never let me down. I use it over the correct load of IMR 4064. It has produced excellent accuracy even in 303s with groves to 318. For some reason this bullet is overlooked by a lot of people. Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Bullets :: Rifle :: Choose by Caliber :: .312 303 CAL :: 303 Cal .312 174 gr InterLock® RN

303 Cal .312 174 gr InterLock® RN

Go ahead JBS and give all the best kept secrets out about the 174 grain Hornady.
(I wanted to keep this secret from the Australians after what they did to Quigley)

Below, 10 shot group with the Hornady 174 grain "secret" bullet.

[JBS]

Sorry I gave out the secret Ed, I have the Quigley angle covered. From left to right. 174 grain .312 Hornady, 45/120 Sharps, .22 LR for reference, 30/1 555 grain bullet I designed a while back called a MOAB.

Attachment 14060

[jmoore]

Looks like Buntlineguy beat both of y'all to the punch...

[dthiede]

Well I followed Edward Hortons suggestion and slugged the barrell again. 2" down the muzzle it checks .320 and from the chamber it checks .317. I have never reloaded before so I am going to look into doing that so I can try the Hornady 3130 bullets or cast bullets as JBS suggested early on. In the meantime, I will get some MK 7 ammo and try that. Thanks again for all the advice. I've learned alot.

Dan