Can You Shoot Out A 22LR Barrel? Savage MKII TR Eley Match
No matter the ammo the first cold bore shot is always WAY OFF In This Savage MKII TR. Most would not have invested what I have to try and get this to shoot consistently.
Modifications:
The Savage MKII TR has been removed from the original wood stock and placed n an Oryx Chassis. This mod was not because of accuracy but more so because like a gorilla with a screw driver I replaced the bottom metal and cracked the stock. The receiver and barrel has been out to a proper gunsmith friend of mine for
Barrel Recrown
Bolt Work in slicking it up and installing a stronger firing pin spring for better ignition.
Bore Scope an Evil Tool
It is absolutely true what everyone says. If you do not want to become obsessive about your barrel and creating doubt stay away from a bore scope. Seriously the bore scope can be a great tool when used properly and the best news there is more competition therefor driving down price making them attainable for the average person like me. Upon recieving my Teslong Borescope/Cam one of the first rifles I picked up was this Savage MKII TR and Marlin 60 Glennfield. The Savage MKII though 11 years old the condition of the barrel shocked me.
Many since have guided me that Savage barrels can be a little rough but still shoot lights out. Though this became my obsession to understand if it was just in need of deep cleaning or additional work, I told you early on a borecam is evil. Tell me what you think about the inner workings of this thing. Though 11 years old and did shoot OK for a while but just seemed to get worst, with less than 1500 rounds through the bore. Though I have always heard you can’t shoot out a 22lr barrel in that short of time. I have a Marlin 60 which is twice the age with way more rounds and much better looking barrel and shoots with more consistently. That word consistently is key though the Marlin does turn in 1 to 1.5in groups when the MKII can still maintain .4 to .7in groups depending on ammunition, the first shot can often me 3 to 6inches away from point of aim and the rest of the group.
Should I or Should I Not
It’s rather simple after pictures and borescope footage of which I think not sure I see a small gap where the rifling seems to be wider or non-existent. Should I send it to a gunsmith to have the barrel cut back to 18 or 17inches and threaded now that would be cool. Or should I see if I can find someone to replace the barrel which I hear is extremely difficult to do, mainly because no one makes after market barrels but many have used 10/22 barrels as a replacement.
This seems to be a wider gap in the rifling.
Pitting or in need of cleaning?
Pitting or in need of cleaning?
Barrel After Cleaning
Is it clean will it shoot?
The Journey Continues Part 2
After adjusting the torque to 23in pounds and deep barrel cleaning is it shooting any better?
When you say “cold” – do you clean your rifle every time you shoot it? If you do, maybe the phenomenon is that it shoots to a different point when “clean” – this is fairly common. This is why many competitors clean their firearms only when they start to get “sticky.”
Try running 10 rounds through, allow the gun to cool, then shoot a “cold” round.
Commentary below only matters if you weren’t aware :-)…
Why it’s OK to do that: The legend that “you must clean your firearm every time you fire it” was absolutely true up through about the Korean war. Clearly black powder was a problem – potassium salts corroded a barrel quite quickly if the barrel (and any other metal exposed to the combustion product) wasn’t cleaned immediately. Even with smokeless powder, the primers were still corrosive through World War II.
Modern ammunition has no such problems. You can safely shoot hundereds of rounds over a period of weeks and not worry about it. Do note that I’d suggest cleaning your defensive firearms meticulously – but for plinking and competition, you can afford to relax a bit.