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So I recently bought a 223 with a junk barrel on it. Story is the guy handloaded and forgot to charge a round and fired it and got the bullet stuck in the barrel. Now I'm not sure how much to believe because i tried to stick a dowel down the bore and there is an obstruction at both ends. Looking down them with a flashlight it looks like a bullet, but I'm not sure. Is it worth trying to remove the blockage and getting it rechambered or am I just better off buying another barrel?
It will make for an OK hunting barrel, but will never make a good target barrel, even if you succeed in removing they obstruction with out to much collateral damage.
Dean
I was thinking more along the lines of making it into a 6.5 barrel of some sort. Basically using it as a barrel blank.
A barrel blank is already dedicated to a certain caliber, then it is chambered within that caliber, IE: 30 cal blank will then be chambered into 300 savage 308, 30-06, 300WinMag, 300WBY, or 300RUM, you cannot drill out a barrel to go from a 223 to a 243 or 264, I would not waste the money on it, but if ever you got they obstruction removed you could go to a, 22-250 or a 220 swift chambering, so basicly you can go larger cartridges, but you can't go larger diameter bullets,
There is a possibility that, someone fired and the bullet got stuck, and fired again to try to dislodge it, which is they epitome of stupidity, I am big on recycling, "reloaders were the first recyclers even before it cool and trendy" so that barrel could have a second life, as a bumper jack handle and live happily ever after.
Tanks Dean
I'm not sure what the guy did. About 4" from each end there is an obstruction. Is the best way to try to clear them a wooden dowel?
If you want to try and salvage that barrel, I think your best bet is to drive the obstructions out with a "brass" or "aluminum" rod. Neither will hurt the barrel any worse than the 2 bullets that are in there, if that's what they are. Take your time using short taps on the hammer. When the barrel is clear, clean it good, and see how it shoots. If it's "junk" the only thing you've lost is a little time. Good Luck :) Jim
Hey Dean you might want to doctor that eye some more and get checked for concussion. Yes you can rebore the barrel and rifle it to a larger caliber. Is it worth it? Nope not with the price of barrels today. Back in the day a number of 30-06 barrels were rebored to 35 caliber for the Whelen. The cost today is about the same as a new barrel which is why the younger guys think it can't be done. Finding a smith or barrel maker that will do it in the sue happy world we live in might also be a problem but still it can and has been done in the past. As for removing the bullet stuck in the barrel i would put some good copper solvent in and let it soak on the bullet for a while. KG-12 comes to mind which has no ammonia and let it sit a good while (as in change the liquid daily for a week or so) then try the wooden dowel to drive the bullet out. Or take it to a smith and have him extract the bullet.
Earl I knew that, but for the sake of simplifying things, I left that out.
because if someone came to me, and asked me if I could drill a barrel out to a larger diameter, I would not take them seriously.
Tanks Dean