chamber size and accuracy

[rogersptl]

What sb chamber seems to be best for accuracy? Has any one ever tried boring out, sleveing and rechambering rather than setting back and rechambering?

[BlauBear]

If you're referring to rimfire (I'm guessing that "SB" means small bore) Eley is the accepted gold standard although factory Anschutz chambers are a little more generous. Many of us replace barrels to change weight distribution or gain that last little bit of accuracy (or vanity...), and relining probably wouldn't help any of those. It might help a shot out barrel, but by the time a .22 barrel wears out the rifle itself is way past prime.

Relining is something I would consider for an heirloom or sentimental piece, not a competition rifle.

[Jerry G]

There are some in the sb game that think the exit hole size is more important. Bad thing about a real tight chamber is you have to shoot your gun to get the case out. You can't extract a shell that has not been fired in some guns.

[Evelio Mc Donald]

From a gunsmith view, reboring and installing a liner and then chambering the liner would be cost prohivited.
You can replace the barrel with a high quality match barrel for about half the price of relining a barrel. Besides the fact that a relined barrel will never be as accurate as a good match barrel.
Just my opinion.
Evelio

[_Shorty]

Don't underestimate the importance of the chamber. There's a test in Steve Boelter's book where he takes a Lilja match barrel and does accuracy testing with it, using four different chambers. He started with the tightest of the four chambers, Winchester 52D chamber, then tested that. Rechambered it with the Eley chamber, tested that. Rechambered it with the Bentz chamber, tested that. Rechambered it with the standard sporting chamber, tested that. Same barrel, same crown, just progressively larger chambers cut into it. The difference in accuracy was amazing. The test was done with a handful of different ammo brands/models, and even some really cheap stuff shot fairly well with the tighter chambers, and all of them got relatively bad with the loose sporting chamber.

There are some in the sb game that think the exit hole size is more important. Bad thing about a real tight chamber is you have to shoot your gun to get the case out. You can't extract a shell that has not been fired in some guns.

[rogersptl]

Thanks Shorty, Thats the test I had in mind. Now will try to find the book you memtioned. Might you remember the title also? Yes, I figured that the smithing an old barrel would be more expensive than just replacing, but was interested if anyone had tested the idea.

[_Shorty]

www.zediker.com sells it, that's the publisher, though you may be able to get some straight from the author. He's on here, I'll look for his nickname on here, as it slips my mind right now. It's his Guide to Rimfire Ammuntion book, which is an excellent read.

edit - Should be http://www.steelchickens.com/phpBB2/pro ... ile&u=5411

[BlauBear]

Doh! Good catch shorty! Yep - he's got a whole chapter devoted to it! And yes, the book is one of a handful of reference books sitting over by desk at all times. Any rimfire shooter needs this book!

[_Shorty]

The title's a little misleading, since it contains so much more than ammunition info and testing. It's a great book to have.

[BlauBear]

While the book was in my hand, it compelled me to read the interview with Dan Lilja. That was a little embarrassing, because I had a barrel that he described as having a bulge from a stuck bullet, and have met others. I don't remember it happening, but I remember the void! It says a lot about modern rifles that we don't even notice firing on top of a stuck bullet.