Good No1 but bad bore what to do

[therno]

I have a very nice 1915 LSA No 1 Mk 3. All matching #s unit marked and passing head space but the bore is shot. No pitting, just worn. Any options? I am not big on wall hangers.

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[vintage hunter]

First thing I'd do is shoot it, it may surprise you. I have several rifles with rough/very worn bores that still shoot very well.

[Aragorn243]

I second shooting it first. I have a 1917 that looks really worn, is dark and slightly pitted but the muzzle easily passes the bullet test and it shoots fine.

If it doesn't shoot, you could probably sell it to someone or trade it to someone that has a good miss matched shooter.

I'm not a wall hanger guy either but before I messed up an all matching rifle like that I'd try to exchange it somehow so someone who wants a rifle like that can get it.

[jmoore]

It does seem a shame to retire it, IF it doesn't shoot well, but it seems worse to rebarrel.

[flying pig]

What about doing one of the .22 conversions on it?

[Patrick Chadwick]

All matching #s unit marked and passing head space but the bore is shot. No pitting, just worn.

One of my very first old service rifles - a Brazilian Mauser - looked as if the rifling was almost worn away, and it was therefore sold as a wall hanger. But the head clearance and bullet-in-muzzle tests were OK. So I spent the first weekend in using up a handfull of patches, ammoniak cleaner, and bronze brushes, to clean, clean, clean...

And the rifling began to reappear.

The rifling was not worn away, but the rifle was suffering from decades of copper deposit that had filled up the corners of the grooves.
After that first weekend it was - shoot, clean, shoot, clean...

Try it.

[Calif-Steve]

The Dealers Warehouse in Modesto has/had used barrels. Call them.

[Mike 56]

Polish the barrel with a new bore snake and Turtle Wax chrome polish. I just polished a two grove #4 barrell looks like new. How clean is clean enough? I say shoot it if it wont shoot jacketed bullets try cast bullets you can size them to fit the worn barrel. I have been casting balls and bullets for black powder guns for years. I just started casting bullets for my SKS and M39 they are a lot of fun to shoot.

[Peter Laidler]

Those that say 'shoot it first and see what the accuracy test results are' are dead right. We used to encounter this problem with sniper No4T's where the bore would look a bit worn or might fail a gauge test by a bit but the sniper would say that it's perfect. But the gauges and the EMER say otherwise. BUT, HE knew best....

The same with little faults on the WOMBAT anti-tank guns. The gun crew would take them into account while aiming and always hit the target tanks and therefore didn't want us taking the barrels off to re-bush the trunnions etc etc.

Things changed with the L42 and now the L96 onwards where it's the SNIPER who tells YOU that it's defective and not the other way around (apart from the bleedin obvious of course). And if the 'run' gauge passes freely and unobstructed, the CHS is tight, then that's our only concern.

Range test it first, make sure that it falls within the accuracy test criteria and take it from there.

Also, I wouldn't worry tooooo much about the bore beinbg bright and shiney either. Wanna know why? After the first two rounds or so, it's just the same as every other rifle!

[aussiebob]

Had the same problem with my 1906 shtle,bore was very worn and would shoot jacketed groups like a shotgun,slugged the bore got a reading of .316,now i cast .316 bullets and it shoots respectable groups