Idea I have for a smooth bore .22 pistol, for shooting shot

[Lastmohecken]

I have used a Ruger Single six, with the old crimped 22 shotshells, off and on for years, shooting stuff like flying wood boring bees, around the house, and stuff. Marlin used to make what they called a garden gun which was a smooth bore bolt action 22 rifle configuration, so I got the idea to take a 22 revolver and bore out the barrel in hopes of getting a better pattern by eliminating the rifling for a few inches.

I don't know if it would be legal to bore the whole barrel on a handgun, without going through the permit process, but I am pretty sure it would be ok to bore out all but, oh lets say the first 2 inches or so, and have the rest be smooth bore. That way it would probably still shoot ball ammo even.

I hate to mess up a Ruger, as expensive as they are anymore, at least not on the first try, but a cheap Heritage is only a little over a hundred dollars, so not much of a loss.

Has anyone on here done it? What do you think of my idea? The potential benefits, might not be worth the trouble, but then again, who knows? 4 to 5 inches of smooth bore, might be enough for the shot to settle out and reduce the probable spin effect and blow out of the patterns. I am tempted to try it.

[jnyork]

I have a spare single six barrel if you're interested.

[gamekeeper]

I can't answer your question but a few years ago these Jager shot pistols were common, now unfortunately outlawed unless deactivated.
I have used a lot of .22 shot shells but the 9mm flobert is a much better round for the destruction of small vermin.
The Buntline special 9mm rimfire had to have a 24" barrel in the UK to be classified as a shotgun thus making it easy to buy, so it did not appeal to me. The temptation to illegally saw it down would have been too great!

http://dwsuk.org/Jager-Colt-1873-Buntline
I would be very interested in how your conversion works out, sounds like fun...

[JerryB]

Lastmohecken, I think in our part of the USofA a smoothbore sixgun would be an excellent piece to have on hand for any of the arrow head snakes we run across daily when out working around the place. The knigs and blacksnakes don't bother me unless the are on their way to my hen house. That is where they cease to live around my place. Any of the old .22 sixguns would do fine for a smoothbore and the CCI shotshells, the old star crimped one might even work good.

[92&94]

Is it really worth the paperwork? Pretty sure smooth bore pistols are title II. Of course it makes no sense at all, but that is the NFA for you.

Maybe you could find an old .22 sixgun that was shot hard and never cleaned, no rifling left!

[cas]

Smooth most of the way, with a tiny but of really slow twist (pert near straight) rifling at the muzzle would be legal. Where you get that done at a price worth doing I couldn't say. Maybe rebore a .17 barrel?

[Lastmohecken]

Is it really worth the paperwork? Pretty sure smooth bore pistols are title II. Of course it makes no sense at all, but that is the NFA for you.

Maybe you could find an old .22 sixgun that was shot hard and never cleaned, no rifling left!

No, It wouldn't be worth the paperwork to me. That's why I would leave a couple of inches of the barrel rifled, that way it is still technically a rifled barrel, about the same line of thought as the removable choke devices offered on the TC Contender 45/410 barrels.

[harry]

There wouldn't be any paper work, if you leave 1/8" of rifling in the barrel. There isn't any stipulation on rifling vs barrel length or depth of such. If someone has such a document I would surely like to see it.

One of these will work for you, they are short enough to run through the barrel and into the cylinder opening (once you remove the cylinder) and adjust out to start the cutting process. Its best to make several passes than to try just one pass.

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMPA ... M=334-1100

[Lastmohecken]

I have a spare single six barrel if you're interested.

What length is your single six barrel? Are those threaded or pressed in?

[Lastmohecken]

There wouldn't be any paper work, if you leave 1/8" of rifling in the barrel. There isn't any stipulation on rifling vs barrel length or depth of such. If someone has such a document I would surely like to see it.

That's what I thought.

[AJMD429]

I've resorted to buying 22 WMR shotshells instead of 22 LR ones, due to such poor performance in carpenter bees...(of course I'm sure it isn't my bad shooting that makes them get away).

[jnyork]

I have a spare single six barrel if you're interested.

What length is your single six barrel? Are those threaded or pressed in?

I think its 5 1/2 " or so, I would have to go measure. They are threaded.

[Sixgun]

I don't think there would be much of a measurable difference in patterning between rifled and smooth bore in a short barreled handgun. The only way it would be worth the effort would be to make some sort of a choke towards the end of the barrel........possibly by heating it red hot and constricting it somehow.

I have an original first year production 1894 Marlin 44-40 that is factory smooth bored and it's choked. That sucker shoots carpenter bees out of the air 15 yards away with my hand loads of #11 shot and 6 grains of Unique. ------6

[J35]

I have used a Ruger Single six, with the old crimped 22 shotshells, off and on for years, shooting stuff like flying wood boring bees, around the house, and stuff. Marlin used to make what they called a garden gun which was a smooth bore bolt action 22 rifle configuration, so I got the idea to take a 22 revolver and bore out the barrel in hopes of getting a better pattern by eliminating the rifling for a few inches.

I don't know if it would be legal to bore the whole barrel on a handgun, without going through the permit process, but I am pretty sure it would be ok to bore out all but, oh lets say the first 2 inches or so, and have the rest be smooth bore. That way it would probably still shoot ball ammo even.

I hate to mess up a Ruger, as expensive as they are anymore, at least not on the first try, but a cheap Heritage is only a little over a hundred dollars, so not much of a loss.

Has anyone on here done it? What do you think of my idea? The potential benefits, might not be worth the trouble, but then again, who knows? 4 to 5 inches of smooth bore, might be enough for the shot to settle out and reduce the probable spin effect and blow out of the patterns. I am tempted to try it.

I always wanted to set up a pair of cap and ball revolver's similar to what you are thinking to use while mowing the fields and instead of calling them Horse pistol's, i would call em Tractor pistol's.

I load 45acp shot shells now for that role, and works well but it pains me to loose the cases.

The gas seal on the shortened Rem .410 wad barely engraves on my ACP's shallow rifling, so the doughnut effect is a non issue. Dead rats at 30-40 feet no problem.

I read somewhere that after the cattle drives were over there were a lot of cheap used revolver's

on the market,and a few gunsmiths of that era specialized in converting them for use with shot.

-------J

[soon 2 retire]

If you could use a reamer to remove the bulk of the material and then switch to a flex hone and hone until just a hint of spiral remained, I think that would still be considered rifling and therefore legal. Wouldn't that accomplish what you want? Or, am I wrong in thinking it would be legal?


Bob in Friday Harbor, WA

[Lastmohecken]

If you could use a reamer to remove the bulk of the material and then switch to a flex hone and hone until just a hint of spiral remained, I think that would still be considered rifling and therefore legal. Wouldn't that accomplish what you want? Or, am I wrong in thinking it would be legal?


Bob in Friday Harbor, WA

Oh, I think it would still be legal.

I am just contemplating a combination that would improve patterns enough to make it worthwhile to go to the trouble. Maybe a jug choke of sorts would improve the pattern?

[marlinman93]

When you're aall done with the barrel work, and whatever other costs you incur, you'll end up disappointed with the performance of .22 Shot cartridges. They've always proven nearly worthless when I tried them.

[JerryB]

All the snakes that I have shot with the CCI .22 shot shells will tell you a head shot will do it every time. The .38, .44, and .45 Colt have all done good too, but I usually have a .22 sixgun with me in the yard or around the barn working.