I have an old H&R 950 22LR /22mag convertable in 22mag its dead on accurate with LR it keyholes and accuracy is horrible. I shoot mostly CCI Mini mags and Remington bulk packs. The Remingtons are worse than the CCI is there something i can do to correct this or should I just toss the LR cylinder.
H&R .22 keyholeing
- Thread starter joab
- Start date
Standing Wolf
Member in memoriam
If 'twere mine, I'd try an assortment of .22 long rifle ammunition, since it's a rare barrel that shoots all brands with equal accuracy.
I can see why your H&R .22 is keyholeing. Several years ago I cleaned a Ruger MK-II barrel with a Stainless brush. It took the riflings down to the extent that it keyholed. The guns age and, if I'm correct, the 22 Magnum is the diameter of the jacket larger than the Long Rifle. You may have to shoot only magnums to get the best out of it.
Kentucky Rifle
New member
I agree that different ammunition may be the solution. When my Seecamp was new, I fired the recommended Silvertip ammo. It "keyholed" about every four shots. I talked to Larry about this and he says, "Try Gold Dots". They worked perfectly! (It's hard to beat Gold Dots in anything.) JB from SC had the same problem. He e-mailed me, I told him what Larry had said, now he doesn't have any problems with keyholes either. Seems strange, but different firearms "like" different ammunition.
KR
KR
*sigh*
I really like my H&R convertible. Trouble is,,,it's an H&R,,,don't toss the .22lr cylinder,,,,just stick it away somewhere. Who knows,,in 200,,/,,300 years it may fetch your decendant's a downpayment on a house,,, or a loaf of bread ,,,,depending on inflation.
'fore you do that though, at least try some really crappola ammo, like Thunderbolts, that have a lot of waxy lube, and unplated lead bullets. The lands in the H&R are fairly (as The Blues Man said about my Davies Derringer) subtle
. The softer lead may be able to engage the rifling better. Also, you might want to take a small split shot or someting and force it through the chamber mouths of the .22lr cylinder. After you've slugged each cylinder mouth, you can take the split shot you slugged the chambers with and slug the barrel. The shot should come out with rifling marks on it. If it doesn't, the chamber mouths are either extremely dirty or undersized. In either case, you may be able to open up the cahmber mouths with some wet/dry 800 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel rod,,or clean em out real well. (I wouldn't do this 'cept as a last resort before the trash bin)
H&R's really weren't made to be long term guns that fired a lot of rounds or precision shooters. They were primarily aimed (no pun intended) at the fur trappers and coon hunters. I have (much to Mrs. RAE's chagrin 'cause they're heavy and plentiful) a bunch of old early '60's vintage outdoor magazines that have the ads in them for the H&R revolvers. With that in mind, a point blank shot (couple o feet usually) with the .22 lr was standard fare. Tumbling wasn't a factor at that range. The .22 Mag was for coons at a distance, or larger game in a trap. The .32 was supposed to be for yet larger trapped game.
I really like my H&R convertible. Trouble is,,,it's an H&R,,,don't toss the .22lr cylinder,,,,just stick it away somewhere. Who knows,,in 200,,/,,300 years it may fetch your decendant's a downpayment on a house,,, or a loaf of bread ,,,,depending on inflation.
'fore you do that though, at least try some really crappola ammo, like Thunderbolts, that have a lot of waxy lube, and unplated lead bullets. The lands in the H&R are fairly (as The Blues Man said about my Davies Derringer) subtle
. The softer lead may be able to engage the rifling better. Also, you might want to take a small split shot or someting and force it through the chamber mouths of the .22lr cylinder. After you've slugged each cylinder mouth, you can take the split shot you slugged the chambers with and slug the barrel. The shot should come out with rifling marks on it. If it doesn't, the chamber mouths are either extremely dirty or undersized. In either case, you may be able to open up the cahmber mouths with some wet/dry 800 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel rod,,or clean em out real well. (I wouldn't do this 'cept as a last resort before the trash bin)H&R's really weren't made to be long term guns that fired a lot of rounds or precision shooters. They were primarily aimed (no pun intended) at the fur trappers and coon hunters. I have (much to Mrs. RAE's chagrin 'cause they're heavy and plentiful
) a bunch of old early '60's vintage outdoor magazines that have the ads in them for the H&R revolvers. With that in mind, a point blank shot (couple o feet usually) with the .22 lr was standard fare. Tumbling wasn't a factor at that range. The .22 Mag was for coons at a distance, or larger game in a trap. The .32 was supposed to be for yet larger trapped game.FWIW, my H&R 929 shoots 8" groups at 25 yards with Winchester T22 and, if I'm having a good day, it shoots Winchester Wildcats into 2 1/2" at the same 25 yards. 
The only thing I can figure is that the hotter Wildcats are bumping up enough to grip the rifling. Can't argue if it shoots better with the cheap stuff. 
Bye
Jack
The only thing I can figure is that the hotter Wildcats are bumping up enough to grip the rifling. Can't argue if it shoots better with the cheap stuff. Bye
Jack
mainmech48
Inactive
As a boy I had a "thing" for the H&R 999, mostly because its top-break design made it handier for a left-handed kid to use. The 9-shot cylinder (and ability to digest cheap .22 shorts from the Western Auto store) also were welcome when fending off hordes of vicious tin cans down by the creek.
My grandfather kept one hanging on a nail in feed room of his barn to dispatch any rats that got past the cats. It looked pretty awfull, but it always went "bang" when you needed it. Its availability for plinking to a 12 year-old who'd done his chores enhanced its charm immensely, especially since Dad's .22 Colt OP was "off limits".
Nostalgia aside, I found a very nice looking one in a pawn shop many, many years later. It appeared to be almost unfired, and the price was right at about $75 as I recall.
I was extremely puzzled and disappointed when the sights couldn't be adjusted to hit POA at 20 yds. and most of the bullet holes were "profiles". I slugged the bore out of curiousity, and it miked 0.230" ! The rifling still looked good, shiney and sharp, but it was just too oversized to work.
The only remedy that I know of would be to have a 'smith reline the barrel. It'd be cheaper and easier than finding and fitting a new one (on a top-break model), but not very cost-effective unless you attach some great sentimental value to the piece. On a solid frame model, fitting a new barrel would be easier, but still expensive.
If I were you, I'd relegate it to .22 Mag only, or look for another one with a bore that's in-spec for LRs.
My grandfather kept one hanging on a nail in feed room of his barn to dispatch any rats that got past the cats. It looked pretty awfull, but it always went "bang" when you needed it. Its availability for plinking to a 12 year-old who'd done his chores enhanced its charm immensely, especially since Dad's .22 Colt OP was "off limits".
Nostalgia aside, I found a very nice looking one in a pawn shop many, many years later. It appeared to be almost unfired, and the price was right at about $75 as I recall.
I was extremely puzzled and disappointed when the sights couldn't be adjusted to hit POA at 20 yds. and most of the bullet holes were "profiles". I slugged the bore out of curiousity, and it miked 0.230" ! The rifling still looked good, shiney and sharp, but it was just too oversized to work.
The only remedy that I know of would be to have a 'smith reline the barrel. It'd be cheaper and easier than finding and fitting a new one (on a top-break model), but not very cost-effective unless you attach some great sentimental value to the piece. On a solid frame model, fitting a new barrel would be easier, but still expensive.
If I were you, I'd relegate it to .22 Mag only, or look for another one with a bore that's in-spec for LRs.