I sent the following off to Brownell's:

"Department: Technical Support (GunTech)
Order ID:
SKU: 080-943-213WB (.213\") or 080-943-022WB (.215\")
Message:
I need one of the pilots above, but do not know which one to
order. It will be used on a Remington 552 and a Remington
550. Can you help me out?"

.....and got the following answer:

"I would start with the .213", if it is too loose than go up to the .215"."

Since this is going to be used only twice, I sure as heck do not
need a spare that will never be used lying around!

Does anyone here know Remington's land-land specs for their .22RF's?

Buy the .215
If it's too big, polish it down in a drill press until you like the fit.

It's pretty hard to say. Because of the forgiving nature of the 22 rim fire cartridge, the bore diameter specs can and do vary quite widely. Different manufacturers and barrel makers all have heir own hare-brained ideas as to what is the ultimate best or most accurate. To make matters worse, none of them seem to stick with any particular size for very long. Over the years I have probably amassed about 15 different pilots for it.

Not much help.

What I can tell you is that a tight fitting pilot does seem to make a bit of difference in accuracy when cutting chambers. Not to the degree that it does in center fires. But most gun plumbers seem to be in agreement that having the chamber and bore in perfect alignment is better.

In your case, owing that you want it for a crowning reamer, a tight fit is even more important. If it isn't a perfect, snug fit to the bore, the reamer will try to chatter as you drive it between centers on the lathe. You can probably overcome it by turning the chuck by hand and keeping positive pressure on the tool with the tailstock and use the taper on the reamers cutting surface to break the chatter. If you intend to crown with it by hand or a drill with an improperly fitting pilot, well - - - - - good luck with that.

quote:

Originally posted by Smokin Joe:
Buy the .215
If it's too big, polish it down in a drill press until you like the fit.

+1 with that !

Brownells is a supply house; they have no idea how big your bores are and neither does anyone else. Since bores vary so much, I make my pilots. Or better, set it up true and use a face crowning tool.

Ok, here's another idea: you need to know the bore diameter you're dealing with. Buy some inexpensive class zz minus pin gauges in various diameters. About $4 each from MSC, and accurate enough for what you need. Available in .0005 increments, so you should be able to get quite close. I have a drawer full of them in my shop, collected over several years, as needed.

https://m.mscdirect.com/mobile...=asc&page=0&ref=keep

Brownells pilots go from $27 to $32 each, so the economy is evident. Measure twice, buy once. You may find that your two rifles differ a bit and you actually need two pilots. If you're reaming by hand, be careful to not get too tight of a pilot, and lubricate the hell out of it, or you may end up seriously scarring the tops of the lands

I prefer to cut crowns in the lathe. But most folks don't have a lathe, so..

And the other half of the thought... you're going to have a few bucks invested in cutter and pilot (s) for only doing one or two barrels. Maybe having a competent gunsmith cut the crowns?

quote:

Originally posted by H47:
Ok, here's another idea: you need to know the bore diameter you're dealing with. Buy some inexpensive class zz minus pin gauges in various diameters. About $4 each from MSC, and accurate enough for what you need. Available in .0005 increments, so you should be able to get quite close. I have a drawer full of them in my shop, collected over several years, as needed.

https://m.mscdirect.com/mobile...=asc&page=0&ref=keep

Brownells pilots go from $27 to $32 each, so the economy is evident. Measure twice, buy once. You may find that your two rifles differ a bit and you actually need two pilots. If you're reaming by hand, be careful to not get too tight of a pilot, and lubricate the hell out of it, or you may end up seriously scarring the tops of the lands

I prefer to cut crowns in the lathe. But most folks don't have a lathe, so..

And the other half of the thought... you're going to have a few bucks invested in cutter and pilot (s) for only doing one or two barrels. Maybe having a competent gunsmith cut the crowns?

Yep to pin gauges and lathe work. +1

Thanks to all for your suggestions.
I'm going to use this:

quote:

Originally posted by Smokin Joe:
Buy the .215
If it's too big, polish it down in a drill press until you like the fit.