rebarrelleing a 521-T?

[deadcoyote]

I have an early 50's remington 521-T. The bore is pretty well worn. It shoots fairly loose groups and gets better as the bore gets fouled. my groups at 25 yards go from 2" when the bore is clean to 1" after 50 rounds to about 3/10th of an inch after 100 rounds. I took it to a gunshop and they told me the bore was worn out and the fouling was increasing contact with what was left of the rifling. I can't find a new barrel anywhere. Should I line it? Do bored and lined barrels still shoot well? Any help is appreciated.

[T. O'Heir]

Must have a bazillion rounds through it. Gunparts is listing M521(same as a 513T) barrels at $133.30 plus a buck for shipping.
http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd....rSuperSKU=&MC=

[deadcoyote]

I didn't realize a 513 barrel would work! that makes sense as they were designed for parts interchangability. Its only $113!

[Clemson]

I think I would advise that you stop cleaning the barrel.

I am quite serious. Cleaning a .22 barrel just leads to premature wear. Reduce your frequency (or go with "never"), and you will save quite a bit of barrel life. .22's use lubricated lead bullets and very seldom need cleaning.

Clemson

[Scorch]

I agree, cleaning the barrel is the source of your issues, it removes the buildup of wax lubricant from the bullets on the inside of the bore. So, as the bore fouls, it sizes to the bullets and spins them better, so it shoots better.

I would try shooting it with match ammo before I would rebarrel it. I have never seen a 22 barrel that was shot out (it would take 10s of 1000s of rounds to do so), although I have seen several that were corroded out, and I have seen a few that were damaged by cleaning.

Also, if I were to rebarrel a rifle, I would not use a factory barrel. No matter how little you pay for it, it's not worth it. Buy a Green Mountain barrel and have a good smith install it.

Do bored and lined barrels still shoot well?

Yes, if they are done right. They can actually shoot much better than factory barrels. But unless you want to preserve the barrel markings or try to keep the gun looking original, it is not cost-effective, as it costs almost as much as rebarreling.

[James K]

"...the fouling was increasing contact with what was left of the rifling."

"...cleaning the barrel is the source of your issues, it removes the buildup of wax lubricant from the bullets on the inside of the bore. So, as the bore fouls, it sizes to the bullets and spins them better, so it shoots better."

No, it is the magic cleaning compound made of bats' wings and dragon's blood.

I surely have never heard of either of those theories and they contradict about everything I thought I knew about rifles. If the fouling is that deep and the rifling that bad, the bullet would never touch the bore and accuracy should be terrible. It seems more logical that the cleaning method is creating fouling or some condition and the firing is removing it. See if you can find a gunsmith with a borescope and not some half baked theory and take a look at that bore.

It is darned near impossible to wear out a .22 barrel by shooting it, but I do agree that over-cleaning can be bad. A couple of patches soaked with Hoppes or the equivalent should be plenty.

Jim

[publius]

I think everyone has given good advice except I would be wary of buying a barrel from numrich, I've heard they are not real Rem. barrels but reproductions. If it really is a bad barrel get a green mtn. or similar and have it fitted by a good gunsmith.