222 Rimmed Caliber
- Thread starter bjsgear
- Start date
Wondered who snagged that at Switzer's.....
The chamber could be cleaned up a wee bit with a 223 Rem reamer, and a good gunsmith should be able to modify the extractor to pick up on the rim of the rimless case.
Or, perhaps it could be rechambered to 225 Win. Might require a bit of boltface work and/or for you to turn down the rim a bit.
P.S. slug the bore - it might be 0.223 rather then 0.224, so bullet choice could be an issue.
The chamber could be cleaned up a wee bit with a 223 Rem reamer, and a good gunsmith should be able to modify the extractor to pick up on the rim of the rimless case.
Or, perhaps it could be rechambered to 225 Win. Might require a bit of boltface work and/or for you to turn down the rim a bit.
P.S. slug the bore - it might be 0.223 rather then 0.224, so bullet choice could be an issue.
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That rifle has been lined with a Parker liner. How many of us were at that auction, anyway? I would be willing to bet dollars to donuts that the liner was intended for .22rf. As Andy suggested, check to see if it is .223 on the grooves. For that reason alone, I would NOT consider a larger cartridge case; the liner looked to be about 1/2" diameter. Recut the chamber for .225 or any of the larger .22 cfs, and I would be really worried about expansion at the chamber, not to mention rapid erosion of the barrel throat. You have no idea about how the liner was fitted. Get some .222R brass, use .223 Hornet bullets, if slugging the bore indicates that the groove diameter is .223. If you want to change calibers, rebarrel. It would be worth it. The price you paid was far less than it would cost to duplicate what is there. The rifle looked to be one of the classic varmint conversions of the '50s or '60s. Also, check to see if the firing pin has been bushed to a smaller diameter - perhaps it has had the Neidner style safety firing pin installed. The original .45-70 firing pin would be a bit large in diameter for a high intensity cartridge. The action was cable locked closed, so it was impossible to check. Incidentally, is there any indication who made the rifle up? Epps, Leach, Parkinson, come to mind.
- Location
- Kinmount Ontario
I owned that rifle back in the late sixty's early 70's, it was originally a 22 R Lovell and did'nt shoot well as such, had it rechambered to the 222 Rimmed it only shot average with 223 45 grn Hornet bullets, due to the fact it was a 223 bore liner, it wouldn't place 50, 55 grn at all! on it"s best day it would group at 100 yds about an inch to inch an quarter, the rifle was originally chambered for the 22 Hornet back in the late 30's. Regards Bully
