Winchester Model 43 22 Hornet shot out?

[MD]

My father gave me his Winchester Model 43 22 Hornet.

Looking down the bore, it looks almost smooth, more like a .22 rimfire barrel than a centre fire rifle.

He had it for years after buying it from a native seal hunter in the 1960s, but except for shooting a couple deer in the neck with it every year for 20 to 25 years, he never shot it much.

Now I'd like to scope it, but I wonder if it is worth it with the bore in the shape it is in.

I took it to the range and with two inch groups at 25 yards with iron sights, I wonder how he killed so many deer with it, usually about 60 to 70 yards away.

 

[sunray]

Try giving it a really good bath. Stop up the barrel, fill it with any good solvent and leave it there for a few hours. The solvent needs time to work. Then, if the barrel comes clean, consider how much more money you want to spend on it.

 

[coyote]

Try a shot or two at 100 yards or so on paper and see if the bullets are keyholing [hitting sideways] ifnot try cleaning it really good try fresh ammo.
Most match grade barrels have very shallow rifling and they are accurate.

 

[3screwsloose]

22 hornet

If I remember correctly, the early model 43's had rifling that required .223 caliber bullets, and if you shot them with modern .224 caliber bullets, the accuracy went for a crap. You may wish to check some more into that detail - a friend of mine from highschool had the same problem: reloaded my Ruger #3 single shot 22 hornet with the .224 bullets and his old Winchester with the .223 bullets. We both were pretty evenly matched out to 200 yards. Good luck with it, it sounds like a nice heirloom. Peter H.

 

[senior]

I have a first or second year 43 win in 22h. It does have a 223 bore but to be honest I have never seen any diff in accuracy shooting either 223 or 224 bullets in this gun. I too would give your old girl a good cleaning & see if the bore can be salvaged, if not you may consider a rebore to 25-20. That would give you about the same ballistics & it's a caliber the 43 came in.

 

[Bowie]

Keep the bullet weight light. It likely has a 1 in 16" twist which will not stabilize heavier bullets. The one I shoot likes 35 grain hornadys, and will shoot flat based bullets better than boattails.

 

[Amphibious]

Rebarrel to .17 Ackley Hornet