"Trued" action With factory barrel

[jrock]

Seems risky, when I have to pay professional machinist wages to experiment with that option. If I was able to do the work myself, the option would be much more appealing.

It also seems risky for both the gun owner and the gunsmith. Neither can know with any certainty if the factory barrel has potential or not, until after a lot of time and effort. Unhappy customers after the fact isn't a great business model.

I got tired of tweaking loads in the search for good accuracy with factory rifles / barrels. It was educational and interesting for a period of time. But then it got old and repetitive and unfulfilling when the rifles still wouldn't perform.

I find it interesting that some find repeatable success stories using this approach and methods. I finally just paid for custom, to minimize the aggravation. I pursue my hobbies for their enjoyment. Not for aggravation.

I may be on this same path

 

[Pdvdh]

It's kinda expensive compared to factory rifles. Get a good gunsmith. One you feel can be trusted.
I still have factory rifles. I have a hard time selling rifles. But I haven't hunted with a factory rifle for more than a decade now.
Hope you're rewarded to the same extent I've been!

 

[Rich Coyle]

I fire lapped three. They all became lots easier to clean and two became more accurate. The other didn't change.

 

[30 Hammer]

This is just more discussion on re using factory barrels.

Scenario = Say you inherited your fathers rifle and you want to use it but you don't want to change the appearance AT ALL but you would like it to shoot as well as it can.

This is the way I would approach this project if I were charged with this responsibility.

First I would clean the bore to bright metal (No fouling of any kind) and make sure that everything was as good as possible.

Next I would shoot it to see if it performed reasonable.

Then I would scope the bore and see what the fouling deposits look like and determine if it could use a light lapping. I would check the chamber for concentricity with fired cases (If the cases will go in the chamber in any position of the head stamp), chances are that the chamber is concentric and does not need to be recut.

At this point the rifle is still in tack and machine work may not be necessary and lapping, cleaning and bedding can be done without altering the rifles appearance but the performance will be improved.

If the things discussed early in this thread need to be done this is the time to make that decision.

A good Smith can true an action, set the barrel back, cut a fresh chamber, time the barrel so the iron sights are indexed and the barrel ID is timed correctly and head space the cartridge without altering the appearance of the rifle including the bedding of the factory stock to improve the performance.

The advantage to this process is that you have a rifle that shoots better than it did when your dad owned it but it still has all of the scratches and appearance that your dad put on it.

It is true that it probably wont ever be a match rifle, but it will be something special to you. Priceless !!

Just another reason to re use the factory barrel. (Even if it is not the best quality).

J E CUSTOM

What would you charge to do the above work? I have 2 guns that I'd like to have done - maybe 3 if you can true a Winchester model 70. For the exact reasons you posted about Dad (and brother who has passed away) I don't want to rebarrel I'd just like to have them tricked out.

 

[J E Custom]

What do you guys think about fire lapping?

I know it can improve some rifles, But after seeing a barrel fire lapped with a bore scope I personally would never do it because It laps the throat more than the muzzle. and the throat is the first place to wear out under normal shooting.

Seeing what I did with the bore scope indicates it will reduce the accurate life of a barrel. If you don't have access to a competent smith, and you have a terrible barrel that is only shot a few times a year, then as a last resort it could be used.

The other option is simply to clean often and let the bullet lap it over time. After several hundred rounds with frequent cleaning it will be much better. (Not as good as a good and proper lapping but better than it was in the beginning). The reason for cleaning often, is to allow the bullet to work on the machine marks without the protection of the fouling(Copper).

J E CUSTOM