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Trying to salvage a barrel.

Twicepop

I'm not quite ready to admit I got totally screwed in a gun trade. I took in a Winchester M70 SA in 22-250 Featherweight contour barrel (not marked Featherweight) complete with Nikon 4-12 scope. The outside metal finish was almost flawless as is the stock so I traded for a couple of guns I absolutely did not want. I brought it home, de-coppered and de-carboned the barrel, bought some factory ammo and set my target up at 25 yards to check the zero. The grouping was acceptable so I moved it out to 100 yards to see how it might group. It shot all over the targets, nothing that even resembles any kind of pattern, much less a group.
I checked the action screws, re-tightened/re-torqued them, the barrel isn't touching the wood in the barrel channel, and did the Q-Tip test at the crown looking for rough spots or burrs, none were found.
I then tried different scope bases and rings, two piece instead of the single piece that was on the gun when I got it. In these different rings and bases, I put a different scope on it as well, a Burris 6-18 power of known quality. It got absolutely no better, and maybe even worse.
At that point I quit wasting time and ammunition and put it in the back of the safe until I can come up with a different course of action. Any ideas or suggestions from anyone as to what I might try differently, or something I've done wrong or omitted. I'll welcome any and all responses, thanks in advance to all that can offer something positive.
 
.22-250’s eat barrels pretty quickly. Your barrel is quite possibly toast. A featherweight .22-250 would be pretty easy to cook, over some dog town on a hot day.
Maybe try shims to put some fore end pressure on the barrel, just to see if that changes anything.
See if you can find the lands with hand loads, if you can’t, that will tell you something about the barrel.
In the mean time, inspect your piggy bank for new barrel funding.
 
A friend bought a used .22-250 years ago. The rifling was gone for at least an inch in front of the chamber. It shot factory ammo...poorly.
We found a load with the Sierra 60gr HP, seated long, that shot right at 3/4” @ 100 yards. That barrel killed a lot more ground squirrels.
 
Bore scope the throat and crown areas. It could be any number of things but once you get beyond the easiest and more obvious cures, re crown it...if the throat look decent. I've seen crowns look ok but were the problem. It's an easy an inexpensive cure for a lot of guns. FWIW, I've also seen some TERRIBLE crowns that shot just fine. I've got a factory Savage 17hmr that you can see the angle to the crown....looks like it was cut crooked in a bandsaw! It shoots sub 3/4 in groups at 100.
 
+1 on getting it scoped to actually check the inside of the barrel , if it's shot out there's no sense in messing with it anymore... Just buy a replacement barrel and have it installed.... You will have a good shooter that will last you awhile....

If it was mine before I gave up I would..

Try a different brand and definitely a different weight ammo...

Even try hitting it with some JB bore paste , what do you have to lose...
 
Buying a used gun is always a crap shoot. High velocity varmint chamberings even more-so. Make sure you have the basics handled (which it sounds like you’re doing) and hope for the best while preparing for the worst. Don’t waste life by trying to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.
 
+1 on checking the twist rate. Perhaps the barrel is an older one and twisted at 1:14 instead of faster twist of todays rifles
 
If you tightened the center the center action screw loosen it. It should be tightened just to the point where you can feel the slightest resistance. Overtightening of the center screw "springs" the action and can cause poor grouping.

drover
 
I checked the twist when I cleaned it, I came up with 1:13.5" (1:14). I got to thinking about adding a pressure point in the barrel channel after my original post, I'll give that a try. The J-B treatment will get used also. A friend of mine had a 22-250 AI that went from being very accurate (not quite a tackdriver) to an absolute turd. He got the barrel secondhand and had it installed on his rifle and it shot very well for a short period of time, then it turned into an absolute turd. He and another friend tried all kinds of cleaning techniques and it didn't improve. When shooting it at the last, it threw patterns and key-holed most everything shot from it. When cleaning that barrel they got a lot of black goopy crud from the barrel, Moly residue maybe?
There some people here that use Moly, some swear by it others swear at it. Does going from Moly coated bullets to non coated have any kind of detrimental effect? Does Moly mask the effects of a barrel going South? This (mine) barrel had a lot of similar looking crud come out of it when I cleaned the first time.
 
I have shot molly for 20 years in my BR Rifles and haven't had any problems, But if you don't get it real clean and switched to naked bullets it might affect accuracy but probably not a bunch. if they used molly try some molly 52 55 grain pills might work ! But if you don't know Round count on a 22-250 and a bore scope isn't available you might be chasing a rabbit down a dark hole !
 
Two things. First you should be using bullets under 55 gr with that twist. Second, a feather weight barrel will heat up very quickly. Light weight barrels are designed to place the first shot at the point of aim. The second shot may be close but the third shot could be anywhere. Light weight barrels are for hunting where the first shot is the kill shot. Most time you won't be sending a second shot down range. Try allowing 10 minutes between shots and I bet you get a good group.
 
Good advice all around especially:

1. For a 14" twist, try 50 grain bullets.

2. Don't try to shoot groups out of a hot sporter weight barrel.

3. Check the throat erosion with a scope.

You may want to try Bore Tech's Copper Remover Cu+2. I restored my 243 barrel using it. I thought I was getting the copper out with years of using Shooter's Choice but I wasn't. It took about 30+ applications of Cu +2 over 3 days but I restored the accuracy to about 1 1/2 moa which adequate for a deer rifle. This rifle has over 3,000 round though it.

From a "clean" barrel you'll get an indication right away if you have a lot of copper build up after you apply Cu+2. The patches will come out dark blue / purple. Keep treating the barrel per their instructions until you get a "robin's egg" light blue patch then try shooting a group.
 
I suggest that you get some diamond compound. 3 micron. Use a small (really small) amount on a tight cloth patch soaked in kerosene. You should feel some warmth in the barrel as you polish. To get a high gloss finish, polish again with 1 micron or bore paste. Best of luck.
 
NZ_Fclass said:
I suggest that you get some diamond compound. 3 micron. Use a small (really small) amount on a tight cloth patch soaked in kerosene. You should feel some warmth in the barrel as you polish. To get a high gloss finish, polish again with 1 micron or bore paste. Best of luck.
Click to expand...
What is this diamond compound (aside from the obvious), is it a powder, something with a grease like carrier, in a liquid medium? Where can it be gotten from? Would Clover compound do as well, or is that too abrasive?
 
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