What do you do about a "shot out" bore?

J

JJ45

New member
I don't have one that I know of YET but I'm sure it's going to happen sooner or later.

My question is what do you do if a bore is really and truly shot out, not just in need of a good cleaning? If the rest of the rifle is in great shape and you don't want to just hang it up?

I might add, which are the most common and cost effective alternatives? Re-bore, re-barrel, etc....Thanks, JJ
 
The usual option is rebarrel.
Back to the original caliber and keep using the same dies and brass or Something Else that intrigues you.

A rebore only works if you want a larger caliber.

What have you got that you are worried about and how much do you shoot it?
 
Rebarrel. I'm going to meet with my gunsmith next week to discuss that very thing for a 6mm Rem 722 I have. I've decided on using either a Brux or Hart barrel; +/- $350. I don't know at the moment how much install will cost but I'd guess $200-$300. With a few other things I want to have done I'm budgeting the whole cost at $800.
 
Jim Watson said:
The usual option is rebarrel.
Back to the original caliber and keep using the same dies and brass or Something Else that intrigues you.

A rebore only works if you want a larger caliber.

What have you got that you are worried about and how much do you shoot it?
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Nothing yet. Something I am wondering about as like me my guns are getting old and well used over the long haul :)

Maybe just paranoid when groups start to enlarge :)
 
I would say first a good cleaning. Huge fan of Boretech Eliminator. You could always follow up with JB bore bright and JB bore shine to make sure it is as clean as possible. then see what happens. If it is really shot out, new barrel time...
 
Historical (kinda) note - my father had a Win 1886 in 45-90 that he traded 10 gal of gas during the depression. It had a shot out and reamed out barrel, to get rid of the rifiling, that was a 410 shotgun. Evidently it was not uncommon at that time to do such if money kept you from rebarreling. Heavy sucker.
 
You may find that if you have a "shot out" bore that a change in bullet weight may extend the use life of the barrel. So if your barrel won't stabilize the bullet you are shooting, try going to a lighter weight bullet that does not require as much twist to stabilize. If it works, you are GTG for a while. If not, replace the barrel as suggested above.
 
Either sell the gun towards getting a new one, or rebarrel. If you choose to rebarrel, you can pick how good of a barrel you want ($100-$600), what caliber you want, what chambering you want, and who you want to do the work. But if you want cheap and easy, sell it or trade it.
 
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You may find that if you have a "shot out" bore that a change in bullet weight may extend the use life of the barrel.
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I sure hope you are not serious!

If the the group opens up and the throat is eroded to the point you are damaging the bullets, that is when a barrel is shot out. If the throat is not eroded, in some cases you can re-crown. For an eroded throat, you can have a gunsmith cut off a little, rechamber, rethread and reinstall. Cutting and setting a barrel back used to be a common thing, now not as much. I have had it done a few times, 3 times on one rifle. It costs less than a new barrel and you get to keep the original barrel markings. The other option is, of course a new barrel.
 
MarkCO said:
I sure hope you are not serious!

If the the group opens up and the throat is eroded to the point you are damaging the bullets, that is when a barrel is shot out. If the throat is not eroded, in some cases you can re-crown. For an eroded throat, you can have a gunsmith cut off a little, rechamber, rethread and reinstall. Cutting and setting a barrel back used to be a common thing, now not as much. I have had it done a few times, 3 times on one rifle. It costs less than a new barrel and you get to keep the original barrel markings. The other option is, of course a new barrel.
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MarkCO....What rifle did you have cut back 3 times? I'm interested in hearing about that one, How many rounds per barrel work?...Thanks, JJ
 
I sure hope you are not serious!

If the the group opens up and the throat is eroded to the point you are damaging the bullets, that is when a barrel is shot out.
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I have never heard that there was a specific definition of shot out barrel that explicitly stipulates that the throat is eroded to the point that the bullets are being damaged. You will have to post the citation for this. I was just going with the typical, generic use of the phrase to mean a barrel that no longer will hold groups due to use.

I have seen several barrels "shot out" that had lost sufficient rifling to not stabilize the bullet properly. The rifling was virtually gone throughout most of the barrels. And yes, in my case, going to a different bullet worked just fine for another 500 rounds or so. The barrel went from keyholing to shooting 3" groups, not amazing, but definitely good enough for plinking and some drills.
 
Most "shot out" barrels need a good cleaning. If a barrel is well and truly worn out, it's far cheaper to rebore than to rebarrel. The markings (aside from chambering) remain and the barrel is still the same contour, so no stock alterations are needed.
 
Another possible option, seldom done these days, is to simply go to a cast bullet correctly sized for the "worn out" barrel. This can turn a rifle from one that won't hit the broad side of a barn back to one that can hit the barn door, or maybe enough better to hit the barn window again. ;)

However, there's no free lunch and while going to cast bullet loads can get you back to "deer" level accuracy or possibly a bit better, it can't get back the high performance of certain calibers.

Got a worn out .30-30 or .32 Special, cast bullets can just about return the rifle to normal. Got a worn out .223 or 243 or .300 Mag then, not so much.:rolleyes::D
 
Yes, years ago, relining 22 barrels was very common. I don't hear much about it now. Never really understood how drilling and reaming a barrel and rifling a tube that is undersized for a stock barrel and gluing or soldering it in, wasless xpensive than a rebarrel.
 
JJ45 said:
MarkCO....What rifle did you have cut back 3 times? I'm interested in hearing about that one, How many rounds per barrel work?...Thanks, JJ
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My Rem 700 in .260Rem. It started as a 24" barrel and it is currently 21.5". About 2500 to 2800 rounds per set back. It has been recrowned twice as well. 500 rounds since the last set back and still printing in the .5 to .7 MOA range consistently. From about 500 rounds to 1300 rounds (minus 25 to refoul with copper) it was printing .3 MOA, so it has doubled in group size.

It asks to be cleaned at about 800 rounds and eats about the first 1/4" of the rifling in 2500 rounds. The 1/4" after that typically has some pitting and cracking as well, so I am taking off about 0.7" each time. When the throat erosion gets to be about 1/4" the cracks just past become so jagged that I can see little pieces of copper and steel in that area and I start to get flyers.

You will have to post the citation for this.
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So a barrel manufacturer and barrel designer for 2 other companies won't cut it for you...understood. :) Barrels that no longer hold groups, in most cases have a problem at the crown, or need to be cleaned and re-fouled. I've shot out about a dozen barrels myself and have, for barrel manufacturers, examined many that were claimed to have "failed" or been shot out. Sorry that does not work well enough for you. :)
 
The first barrel on my 220 Swift finally had a toasted and eroded throat. For a while I used heavier bullets and seated them out further. “Chasing the lands” is what some call it. Finally I had to have it rebarreled. I think that’s your best option if a good cleaning with Boretech Eliminator doesn’t help.

And, with a new barrel you get to pick the twist you want, barrel profile, and length.
 
If a barrel is well and truly worn out, it's far cheaper to rebore than to rebarrel.
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Not necessarily. Boring and rifling is about as expensive as rebarreling. There are few people who still do it, and fewer who do a good job.
It can be bored out and a liner inserted.
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Works fine for low pressure rounds, but not so well for higher pressure cartridges like most hunting cartridges nowadays. We use a regular barrel turned down, original barrel reamed out, fit within a thousanth, it is virtually invisible and as durable as a factory barrel.
Never really understood how drilling and reaming a barrel and rifling a tube that is undersized for a stock barrel and gluing or soldering it in, wasless xpensive than a rebarrel.
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It's typically not less expensive than a new barrel if it's done right just because of the amount of labor that goes into it. Relining is a common practice for rifles where the owner wants to retain the original markings for collectors' value or for sentimental reasons. When done properly, the job is virtually invisible and the rifle shoots well. The biggest problem is generally the quality of the workmanship in boring the old rifle out and the quality of the liner inserted. A fairly well-known parts distributor sells liners and drills and reccommends epoxying the liners in place, which almost always ends up looking like a shambles because people use hand drills or are sloppy in drilling, then they don't ream the bore. There are liners available on the market that are hammer forged from aircraft tubing, very solid and very hard. There are liners on the market that are button rifled from mild steel tubing and they do not wear well. Works fine with lead, not so well with jacketed bullets.
 
Never really understood how drilling and reaming a barrel and rifling a tube that is undersized for a stock barrel and gluing or soldering it in, wasless xpensive than a rebarrel.
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Sometimes you want to preserve the original barrel (historical arm).
 
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