inherited a 1917 with a pitted barrel from my dad

[frankenstein]

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.

can the pits be filled in with jacketing / use? I wager not. Where can I get a replacement barrel for a good price?

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[Chuckindenver]

no, once the metals gone,...you cant grow it back...time for a replacement tube.

[Charlie Xray]

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

[frankenstein]

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.

[Calif-Steve]

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.

[frankenstein]

I don't reload but I will seek out similar ammunition.

[jmoore]

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.

[Patrick Chadwick]

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.

Then look past them and shoot the gun!

But first of all...

can the pits be filled in with jacketing / use? I wager not.

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.

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 ----------

as the bolt end threads up to about mid-barrel have pits that follow them. Not sure what you are saying here.

I guess he means the rifling from the breech end to about halfway towards the muzzle.

[NRA]

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.

What he said, use flat base and it will be much more accurate. This was at least true for me.

[frankenstein]

any reason not to use boat tails? better seal of the charge?