Removing rifling

Want to shoot some shotshells? Sure, with the appropriate reamer. I wouldn't do it by hand, though. Power is faster.
I don't know what reamer could be purchased off the shelf. If one had to be custom ordered, it would be a bit on the costly side. I expect a shop made "D" reamer would do the job.
 
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Whats the most economically and easiest method to ream a 22lr barrel to a smooth bore? Can this be done by hand with some sort of reamer?

Go on the KBC Tools website and look at what is available for what is called a chucking reamer. Find the diameter you want. Order it.

Also order a piece of steel drill rod slightly smaller than the bore size.

Silver solder that to the shank end of the chucking reamer. Alignment counts!

Chuck it in a cordless drill and have at. Remove frequently to clear chips. Use a cutting fluid, not motor oil or other crap like that, something MADE for cutting, not for lube!

In a perfect world, you would order a pull reamer already on a tube, from Eldorado Drill, as would be used on a gundrilling machine. They work best, cost most, and really benefit from high pressure cutting oil to clear the chips and keep things working well.

In a perfect world... :)

Whatever you do, do NOT try running an adjustable hand reamer under power. The taper of the cutting edge is completely different, and while it works well for hand reaming, under power can become a disaster pretty quickly.
An adjustable hand reamer, run really carefully by hand, can however, be used on an extension, to clear remnants of any rifling that may be left by the choice of chucking reamer. Or you can just get a few thou larger reamer and redo, if needed.
 
I have had a couple of smooth bore .22 rifles... the shot is so small and there is so little of it that it didn't work well at all on a grouse sitting 10 feet away. Never killed one... they flew away and probably died later.

I would never own another one.

Now a .357 or .44 Mag smooth bore with shot would be great.
 
There are a few old 22 smooth bore guns around, never tried one, I have a pistol that has so much lead in it is a smooth bore, but that an't what you are looking fore.
The problem I see with this you are going to end up with a cylinder choke, that will maybe good for mice at 10 ft , maybe.
I think if I was doing this , I would think 22 mag shot shells, they have a bit more punch and maybe larger pellets, I would have to look at some I have.
I have shot 22 shot shells out of a rifled barrel, and makes a nice donut pattern with no pellets in the center of the target at all.
Good luck, I have also done lots of stuff that was a waste of time, but what the hell, doing is all the fun.
Guntec, I bet that the feathers on a bird are like a vest to 22 lr shot.
 
Henry has just re released the "Garden Gun" which is a 22 lr lever action smooth bore. In case you are interested.
 
Now, if you don't mind a totally different direction, you can search out some sections of 5/16 OD Hydraulic tube with the right wall thickness (sold by Outside Diameter x wall thickness) in Chrome Moly, and follow the directions for installing a liner, whichever method you choose.

Ream a chamber, easy smooth bore, no working too hard at getting a smooth interior finish. Check Aircraft Spruce Canada.
 
I have had a couple of smooth bore .22 rifles... the shot is so small and there is so little of it that it didn't work well at all on a grouse sitting 10 feet away. Never killed one... they flew away and probably died later.

I would never own another one.

Now a .357 or .44 Mag smooth bore with shot would be great.

Best for shooting pigeons in a barn, no damage to the roof. Usually you don't get a one shot kill
 
Now, if you don't mind a totally different direction, you can search out some sections of 5/16 OD Hydraulic tube with the right wall thickness (sold by Outside Diameter x wall thickness) in Chrome Moly, and follow the directions for installing a liner, whichever method you choose.

Ream a chamber, easy smooth bore, no working too hard at getting a smooth interior finish. Check Aircraft Spruce Canada.

One of Aircraft Spruce's offerings is 5/16x.215; next up is 5/16x.250. That tubing will be smooth and straight. .22 LR is, what, .221/.222 groove diameter? The .215 would be very close to bore diameter.
 
Best for shooting pigeons in a barn, no damage to the roof. Usually you don't get a one shot kill

Also tried shooting sparrows in a building... all it did was manage to put a pellet into the phone cable and short that out...
 
Killed a ptarmigan once with a CCI .22LR shotshell. Don't know how. Plucked the bird, and there wasn't a mark on it.
Friend thought small shot in a .410 wouldn't put holes in his barn roof when he shot a pigeon. He was wrong. Many little points of light on a sunny day...
 
One of Aircraft Spruce's offerings is 5/16x.215; next up is 5/16x.250. That tubing will be smooth and straight. .22 LR is, what, .221/.222 groove diameter? The .215 would be very close to bore diameter.

I would be pretty surprised if the .215 ID stuff was not the same size stock that Redmans Liners are made from. If it's not, for purposes of making a smoothbore out of a clapped or rotted out .22, it would serve very well, I think.

I recall reading somewhere in one of the gun rags, that they were button rifling hydraulic tubing, to make their liners.
 
A factory made barrel in .22 LR smoothbore is a very effective sparrow / pigeon / rat gun. I had a Remington target master single shot bolt gun that was deadly on pests. Very good up to 15 yards or so. Much more effective compared to rifled barrel guns firing the same ammo. The regular rifled barrel guns had an effective range of maybe 5 yards. And yes, I used the .22 shotshells to shoot a lot of english sparrows inside our barns. Many hundreds over the years, with no barn damage, no complaints. So I'd say your project has merit, if the bore can be made smooth enough and not over sized.
 
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