Contender carbine in .22 Mag?

[specweldtom]

I've pieced together a Contender frame and a 23" .22lr match barrel. Will rechamber it to .22 Mag and find out how it shoots.

Have any of you done this or know how it might shoot? This is my second attempt. I screwed the first one up, so still don't know if it has potential.

Thanks, Tom

[knifemaker]

Barrel should be pretty tight on a 22mag. I don't know a whole bunch about bore diameters etc but do know 22mag is larger than LR. The Ruger Single Six is notoriously inaccurate with 22lr ammo because it has the correct bore for the Mag cylinder.

[7mmSendaro]

My buddy has one in .17 HMR that he says shoots very well.

[specweldtom]

Knifemaker, you are right. The .22 Mag has the same bore diameter as .22 centerfire barrels. The reamer pilot diameter is .218". Pilot diameter for .22lr is .216". I talked to several people after doing the first one, which I screwed up. The consensus is that .22 Mag chamberings in .22 lr bores are safe and frequently very accurate.

I have verified the safety, but not the accuracy. I fired (2) five shot strings late last week, doing barrel break-in, neither of which were very accurate. 1 moa to 1 1/4 moa at 100 yds. I still have 4 more types/brands of ammo to test, so am not discouraged yet. If the barrel doesn't shoot any of them well, I'll rechamber it to .22 K-Hornet and try again. I have a.216" pilot for it also.

I didn't follow up on the thread sooner because I haven't had a chance to shoot it. I plan to just take a couple of rifles to the range and give them a good test, including chronographing velocities. When I know more, I'll do a better job of updating.

7mmSendero, I've just started follow-up testing on a Marlin 917VS after doing some badly needed stock and trigger work on it. So far, it's not very promising either.

Tom

[knifemaker]

I still haven't got out to shoot my new Bullberry 22lr Match carbine barrel.

Hope you can find the right ammo for it.

[7mmSendaro]

Originally Posted by specweldtom

Knifemaker, you are right. The .22 Mag has the same bore diameter as .22 centerfire barrels. The reamer pilot diameter is .218". Pilot diameter for .22lr is .216". I talked to several people after doing the first one, which I screwed up. The consensus is that .22 Mag chamberings in .22 lr bores are safe and frequently very accurate.

I have verified the safety, but not the accuracy. I fired (2) five shot strings late last week, doing barrel break-in, neither of which were very accurate. 1 moa to 1 1/4 moa at 100 yds. I still have 4 more types/brands of ammo to test, so am not discouraged yet. If the barrel doesn't shoot any of them well, I'll rechamber it to .22 K-Hornet and try again. I have a.216" pilot for it also.

I didn't follow up on the thread sooner because I haven't had a chance to shoot it. I plan to just take a couple of rifles to the range and give them a good test, including chronographing velocities. When I know more, I'll do a better job of updating.

7mmSendero, I've just started follow-up testing on a Marlin 917VS after doing some badly needed stock and trigger work on it. So far, it's not very promising either.

Tom

Tom,

I bought a basic Savage heavy barrel rifle in 17HMR (about $250) and it shoots the lights out for a factory rimfire. It easily shoots under MOA at 100 yards and I haven't even looked at bedding or free floating the barrel. If your Marlin doesn't pan out, considering trading it in on a Savage.

Let us know how all your testing goes.

Brian

[specweldtom]

Brian, will do.

Tom