Have a .222 that the accuracy is starting to wane due to wear from thousands of rounds. This is with previously proven loads with 50 grain bullets and confirmed by a borescope inspection that the bore is showing it's age.

Tried some 52 and 55 grain loads and no real improvement; it struggles to hold MOA which I consider a requirement. Would like to keep it in the rotational line-up for one more prairrie dog season with it before it gets a new barrel, perhaps squeeze 200-250 more rounds out of it.

What about going to a lighter bullet? Say a 40 grain V-Max? Are lighter bullets known (?) to shoot slightly better through a barrel towards the end of it's life cycle? Or is it a big 'maybe-but-don't-count-on-it'?

I’ve never heard of such a thing as lighter bullets shooting more accurately in barrels that are losing their accuracy.

But you could always try some. The problem with doing so is that it involves working up loads, which introduces more wear to the barrel.

I have found that my Stevens .223 shoots 40 VMax bullets best; my .223 LRPV loves 40 grain Nosler BTs and my .225 Win loves 40 grain Barnes.

How many rounds are you prepared to shoot to make a decision, assuming that you don’t hit the jackpot after, say, 10?

So it's "a big 'maybe-but-don't-count-on-it'?"

It really comes down to raw numbers: the upper limit would be <200, since that’s the minimum to meet your goal.

Look at Sierra load data. They show "accuracy" loads for most all bullet weights in a given caliber. No guarantees, of course, but a place to start at least.

I know there is no magic fix to this barrel getting tired. I think I'll buy a box of 40 grain V-Max, try a couple loads, and see what happens. I've already got a couple barrel jobs in the queue and I'll have to heal up from them before this one gets a new tube.

I think the 40 VMax is a good place to start.

Both my .223 LRPV and .225 shoot the VMax well (just not as well as the Nosler and Berger, respectively). I typically get 5 shot groups ~0.75 inches (occasionally better) in both rifles with that bullet.

Good luck to you.

I'd be interested in knowing how things work out.

Tried four different loads today with 40-grain V-Max and saw improvement. Used loads with 4198 (previous best performer with 50 and 52 grain loads), H322, Benchmark, and Re7. Am happy to report that I got two acceptable groups

The two top tier groups are typical of what I've been getting lately with 50, 52, and 55 grain loads; 1" to 1.5". The bottom two are much more acceptable. Not sure where the vertical stringing comes from on the lower right group. I'm going to test the lower two loads again for confirmation. I will be a happy camper if I can get that kind of accuracy for another ~200 rounds!

My take-away? Maybe a tired barrel can get some help by trying some new/different loads. One observation I did make was generally (key word) the higher velocity loads shot better.

I'm glad you seem to have found an acceptable load so quickly and with such little effort.

I've found the 40 VMax to be consistently good (if not excellent) irrespective of propellant in my CF 22s. And so far it's the best I've found in my Stevens.

Thanks very much for the update. I hope you can repeat your results on paper and nail lots of PDs in the field.

Have you tried seating your bullets out? I shot Pdogs with a 22-250 for years. Each spring I would adjust the COL to compensate for throat erosion. I would then up my load (gradually) until I was getting the velocity I was getting when the barrel was new.( yes Virginia, I was over the book max) I was able to squeeze a couple more years out of it.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Have you tried seating your bullets out? I shot Pdogs with a 22-250 for years. Each spring I would adjust the COL to compensate for throat erosion. I would then up my load (gradually) until I was getting the velocity I was getting when the barrel was new.( yes Virginia, I was over the book max) I was able to squeeze a couple more years out of it.

I, for one, hadn't thought of that. But I wonder how that would work with 40 grain bullets.

Both my .223s are fairly new, and the 40 grain bullets I've been using can't be seated out as close to the lands as might be optimal.

Perhaps it's different with a .222.

I think bee man meant move your regular bullets out.
'chase the throat' by moving the ogive forward to where it used to be in relationship to the rifling when the rifle was newer.

quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
I think bee man meant move your regular bullets out.
'chase the throat' by moving the ogive forward to where it used to be in relationship to the rifling when the rifle was newer.

Ah! Thanks. I thought the idea made sense, but didn't think in terms of the original bullets!

I typically shoot 40 grain bullets in my .22CFs, and it occurs to me that when accuracy drops off, I might just give longer bullets a try-out.

I just keep learning.

Try some cast bullets, they don't wear out barrels.

maybe in 100,000 rounds they will.
I generally do like carpetman and retire my rifles to shooting cast after about 2-3000 rounds.
I just measure their throats at that point and draw up a custom mold.
that gives me just about forever to keep them going.

quote:

Originally posted by B L O'Connor:

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Have you tried seating your bullets out? I shot Pdogs with a 22-250 for years. Each spring I would adjust the COL to compensate for throat erosion. I would then up my load (gradually) until I was getting the velocity I was getting when the barrel was new.( yes Virginia, I was over the book max) I was able to squeeze a couple more years out of it.

I, for one, hadn't thought of that. But I wonder how that would work with 40 grain bullets.

Both my .223s are fairly new, and the 40 grain bullets I've been using can't be seated out as close to the lands as might be optimal.

Perhaps it's different with a .222.

No, the problem is folks wanting to make a .243 out of their 222/223 with a fast twist and a big bullet. And so, the chambers of the .222/223 are hogged out to accomadate the longer bullets. I had a problem with a gunsmith in Lebanon, TN. I took him samples of the assembled cartridges I wanted to shoot and when I got the barrel back, I couldn't even touch the lands, no matter how I set the bullets out. His excuse: "I was using a standard .223 reamer. And on the do over, he still couldn't get it right.

Give Jim Kobe a call. Try setting your barrel back an inch and a half or so and rechambering it. Have him re crown the muzzle at the same time. It's an easy process and very common among the high power rifle crowd.

Generally speaking, quite the opposite, if the throat is going, a longer bullet like the 60 gr. Hornady SP or HP will improve the shooting of your rifle, but nothing in rifleism is written in stone..You just have to try them at the range...but a shot out throat is in many cases time for a new barrel. I wouldn't waste time of money rechambering or trying to make a worn out barrel shoot, Id just rebarrel and be done with it...usually cheaper in the long run.

Problem has been solved; new barrel (20 Vartarg). Life is too short to put up with rifles that don't shoot accurately.

AMEN ON THAT!! Rebarrel or rebore is the cure.

Maybe as the barrel has worn, the "personality" has changed and old loads are no longer correct.

Looks like it does better with some loads and so you might have to search out the new "perfect load(s).

OR

Get a new barrel and develop loads for it!

I have had good luck making lighter bullets shoot good. But that was in a severly eroded 7mmRM.

All you can do it try them if you must...Ive seen horrible barrels that shoot good, usually slow calibers like the 30-30, 30-40, 38-55 and 45-70s, but I had a 54 Win 30-06 that the barrel looked like the inside of a tramp steamers pipes and it shot great..My 38-40 win has a bad ugly barrel, looks like a cave inside and shoots an inch to two inches with irons at 100..serial no. 158.

I might mention that wear in a gun barrel is not friction wear so much as hot gas collection that starts in the throat, hot gasses melt, corrode metal, and wash out throats, but have less effect on the rest of the bore, never the less when a throat goes out, the barrel starts losing accuracy and is in stages or wearing out.

In that respect "lighter bullets" driven at higher top velocities will create more heat and definitely more wear on the barrel..snd that barrel will not last as long as a rifle that's managed better..

I suspect that's were you heard that, and it is a truism in that respect...

I have found that when your accuracy starts to go away even though you found a actable 100yd group your accuracy out past 200 is probably quite wild Kevin Erickson x long range shooter

Update: This rifle was rebarreled to 20 Vartarg (Dan Dowling, Accuracy Gunsmithing). It shot great, but the detachable magazine set-up didn't feed this shorter cartridge consistently. In the field that caused me angst. So, had Dan rechamber it for 204 Ruger and not only does it feed fine, but it also shoots really well. The 204 is really impressive on burrowing rodents!