Rechambering .222 Rem to .223 Rem

[Accurifle]

Hi, I am newbie and this is my second post.

I have a Remington 40X in .222 Remington and due to the number of bullet path through the tube and the availability of the quality brass from Lapua, I am thinking to rechamber it to .223 Remington.

Could you tell me how long the barrel is set back with the job?
Should I ask a smith recrowning also?

I am not familiar how rechambering and recrowning contribute the accuracy rivival. Will it shoot as a brand new barrel again?

If it isn't worth the money, I will change the barrel.

Appreciate any advice from the experts, Thanks!

 

[CatShooter]

Technically, you need to set the barrel back one turn,a 1/16th")... but if the rifle has seen a lot of shooting, you might want to set it back ~1/2" to clean up the throat.

It IS worth it, unless you are competitor. It should cost somewhere around $100 to $150, depending who does the work.

A new match grade barrel and fitting will be three to five times as much.


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[Accurifle]

Thank you CatShooter.
I shoot 300 metre competition with it but anyway will try it.

 

[JeffsVice]

...had a few rifles set back because of throat erosion - mostly "hot" wildcats. The rechambering you speak of my be different because the triple duece and the .223 aren't noted barrel burners, but I've yet to have this done without the 'smith taking off almost the entire chamber of the old round - minimum 2 inches. Also got the "no guarantee" speech about longevity.

Consider this... a new shilen/hart won't set you back that much in the overall scheme of things so have the recoil lug pinned and have your old barrel cut off and rechambered, with a new barrel chambered with the same reamer. I think it'll be cheaper in the long run to have the work done at once. Then you'll have a fire forming/practice barrel and a match barrel for those 300 metre shoots... With the recoil lug pinned, you can switch barrels in a couple of seconds.

 

[Accurifle]

Jeffs, appreciate your another good advice as well.
I am leaning to replacing one but will talk with a smith after bore scoped.

Thank you experts!

 

[mikeinct]

That gun may have some collector value...I'm not sure how old it is or the condition..You asked about recrowning the muzzle...I've been told that smiths like to remove from the rear breech enough to get into clean sharp rifling before rechambering & the recrowning is a cut from the muzzle end at the same time..This will shorten the barrel by some couple of inches depending on the smith & how much he cuts off..The muzzle end from what I've been told wears away but not to the same degree as the throat...But both need to be the same inside diameter if you expect target grade accuracy..I like the idea of making it a switch barrel rifle...Hell I'd have two bolts as well..For 300 meters I'd prefer the 6MMBR cartridge..mike in ct

 

[Accurifle]

mike, thank you for the advice.
No, the rifle does not have any collector's value, I just would like to save the money.
However I have realized rechambering and recrowning do not mean better accuracy so will replace the barrel soon.
Yes, switch barrel rifle is a good idea, I will.

 

[rayjay]

Depending on the length of the throat wear I would think that possibly you would not have to set the bbl back at all. The 223 is longer than the 222 and this may clean up the throat. You could also consider going to the 223AI for potentially less case growth.

 

[CatShooter]

Depending on the length of the throat wear I would think that possibly you would not have to set the bbl back at all. The 223 is longer than the 222 and this may clean up the throat. You could also consider going to the 223AI for potentially less case growth.

If you just run the 223 into the 222, you will still have some of the old neck - if the old neck is larger than the new one, you get a stepped neck - the 223 reamer should take out all of the old neck - which will automatically clean up the throat.


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