I just finished lining the barrel on a 100+ year old Stevens 44 with a #2 half-round half-octagon barrel that was a basket case. When I got the gun every outside surface was rusted and most, miraculously except the action, were pitted. The stock was broken and the bore was so rusted that no rifling was visible. I repaired the stock and cleaned up the metal as best I could. After looking at what is involved and the cost for the tooling verses the cost to have it done, I went ahead and tackled relining the barrel myself. I am glad I did it myself, but all I can say is I have been told it can be done with hand tools, but relining is a task I would not attempt without a lathe.

The bore was not concentric to the outside of the barrel so I centered it on the bore by using a pin gauge as a mandrel from which to center the bore holding the barrel in a 4-jaw chuck. Once centered, drilling out the bore was not difficult, I just went about a half inch at a time and then cleared the chips., drilling just over half way from both ends. I used a long piloted drill made for this. I cleaned and degreased the bore and liner with acetone, then used acraglass to glue the liner in place. Once the barrel was recentered in the lathe off of the bore, chambering was straight forward and the extractor slot was recut using a Dremel tool. The gun now shoots about 1-1/2 inch 5-shot groups at 50 yards which is about as well as I can hold with the open sights. I have a Marbles tang sight and MVA globe front sight on order and will be using the old gal as a rimfire BPCR silhouette rifle. If I get really motivated I might restock it with a nice piece of black walnut since I have several suitable blanks. It was fun bringing this old thing back to usable condition. Now I am tempted to make a second barrel for it in .17 HMR.

I've lined quite a few old barrels, and the results were always very gratifying. I used roughly the same technique as you describe. Regards, Bill

sounds like a fun and rewarding project -

My experience was similar to yours. I put a Redman liner from Brownells in a Remington model 12c and was amazed at the difference too. The old gallery gun had been fired with corrosive ammo and had no rifling. It wouldn't hit a a 15x15 inch target regularly from 25 yards. After, it shot into 3 inches at 50 yards.

Update on this project. I Installed a Marbles tang sight and MVA globe sight on the rifle and it shoots into a one-inch 10-shot group at 50 yards using match ammo. Shot a cowboy silhouette match with it and beat my prior best score by three points. This one has gone from the scrap bin to being a keeper.

Very Nice! Way to go.