Gunsmithing What kind of accuracy would you expect?

[eddybo]

As a hobby I have built somewhere around 30 rifles thus far. I have a neighbor that I owed a favor who had a completely shot out 788. (8 to 10 inch 100 yard groups) He is a machinist by trade, a great guy and hangs in my shop a bit. I think he is still playing shop teacher since he taught me in high school shop class.
He found a heavy factory barrel off an old 40x laying in my scrap pile and asked what I wanted for it. I told him it was free as was the rebarrel if he would let me do it. We cut a bit off the rear of the barrel and fit it to his action. I pillar bedded the action in the stock last night and got it all together today.

What kind of accuracy would you expect out of a "junk yard dog" like this?

 

[USMCj]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

Better than 8-10 inches I hope!

 

[HPitts]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

1 inch or less.

 

[NYresq]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

depends on the barrel... how many rounds down the bore? if it was pulled with 10K down the pipe, its probably not going to be a tack driver... if it was pulled with 200 rounds cause someone wanted to change calibers, then it may be decent.
Most of the accuracy will depend on what the barrel was doing before it was pulled, but how the new chamber was cut and how well the action was trued and fit to the barrel will also come into play. But be realistic, you cant take a sewer pipe and expect it to be a benchrest rifle just cause it was rechambered and the crown cleaned up.

 

[eddybo]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

yea I hope.....was just wondering if remingtons chambers hold them back more than the barrels themselves. I have done a couple like this and the accuracy was okay but nothing to write home about. I was hoping maybe they used better barrels on the old 40x varmiters.

 

[Cheyenne19]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

So...my magnolia stater, is this a rhetorical question? Or are you going to tell us?
BTW how are you liking your 22x47L?

 

[eddybo]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

I will tell...but I have to shoot it first. The owner is expecting an inch, I am expecting a bit better. I am thinking some 80gr bergers and vv550 should push it well.

I love the 22x47L I used to have, and all calibers I have on that case. I am going to convert my 22PPC to 22x47 in a few days if work ever gives me a break. My wife stole my 22x47 deer hunting rifle. She was busting softball sized punkins with it at 800 yards and got hooked on it. Of course I should not have used her as an excuse to build the gun in the first place...it gave her dibbs.

 

[STONEPONY]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

Whats up eddybo, didn't know you were on this website also! keith

 

[Nocalphoenix]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

I have seen your rifles on Longrangehunter, Im sure it will better than 1moa. Unless the barrel is absolutely fired Im guessing 1/2moa when you finish load development.

 

[Cheyenne19]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

I'm a fan of the 47L case myself, but all I have on it is a 6. Been thinking about a 6.5 though. I'm interested to see how that 40x shoots.

 

[skeetlee]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

Well!! How does it shoot????

 

[HitEmHard]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: skeetlee</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Well!! How does it shoot???? </div></div>

^^^that. If it shoots great, then you have a winner. If not, you haven't lost a fortune on a project!

D

 

[eddybo]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

LOl....I forgot about this post. The gun actually shot decent, not as well as I had hoped, but I did not get much time to play with it. It shot 4 back to back 6 inch 800 yard groups....3 shots. The owner shot a couple 1/2 groups at 100.

 

[Clark]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: eddybo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As a hobby I have built somewhere around 30 rifles thus far.

</div></div>

I have also built about 30 rifles.

8" - 10" is pretty good for a 5 pound 300 Win Mag 200 gr bullets with open sights, shot free hand.

8" - 10" is not good for a 12 pound .223 with 35 gr bullets and a 10X scope from the bags or a benchrest. That rifle with concentric ammo and no wind should shoot 1/2".
It would shoot 1" if you screwed it up and cut the chamber .002" off center.

 

[bohem]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Clark</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: eddybo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As a hobby I have built somewhere around 30 rifles thus far.

</div></div>

I have also built about 30 rifles.

8" - 10" is pretty good for a 5 pound 300 Win Mag 200 gr bullets with open sights, shot free hand.

8" - 10" is not good for a 12 pound .223 with 35 gr bullets and a 10X scope from the bags or a benchrest. That rifle with concentric ammo and no wind should shoot 1/2".
It would shoot 1" if you screwed it up and cut the chamber .002" off center. </div></div>

As I understand his initial post, the rifle that was shot out, that everything was being built upon, currently was shooting 8-10" groups at 100 yards. Which sounds pretty reasonable to me as being diagnosed as "completely shot out"

 

[Clark]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bohem</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

As I understand his initial post, the rifle that was shot out, that everything was being built upon, currently was shooting 8-10" groups at 100 yards. Which sounds pretty reasonable to me as being diagnosed as "completely shot out" </div></div>

As I read the post, the 788 was shot out and shot 8 - 10", which usually means shot out throat.
The old factory 40X barrel got some breech cut off.
We don't know if that was for threads or throat.

I think the question is how the 40X barrel will shoot on the 788.

I have built guns that shot well and guns that did not.
The ratio of the bullet weight to the rifle weight seem to be the first order driver.

 

[eddybo]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

Clark, the gun shot beter than I expected after all was said and done. And yes it was shot out, as was the 40x barrel.....not to mention the chamber that I cut off was way out in relation to the throat.
That old barrel feels like a hand lapped barrel, and I guess in a way it has been lapped by hundreds of shots. My queston was more to the quality of the 40x barrel. I guess my questions were answered. I wish I had several more of those laying in my scrap pile. I would make some more "scrap pile" guns out of them.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

Old barrels can come back from the grave better than before. In addition to bore erosion, normal usuage also tends to create a bit of a taper to the bore, slightly narrower nearer the muzzle.

The agent at work here is the pressure curve, altering bore friction according to pressure gradients normally occurring along the bore length.

Once set back and rechambered, this taper creates a 'choking' effect, that can be known to improve overall accuracy.

In reality, with judicious setback work, old barrels can have several reincarnations; and turn out to be 'secret weapons'.

Greg

 

[eddybo]

Re: What kind of accuracy would you expect?

Hmmm thanks for the info Greg. I have a bunch of Don Geraci's old take off bench rest barrels. I guess I should quit making bushings and such out of them. I think I have a couple he probably won the supershoot with, wonder how they would work at 16 inches