[JBledsoe]

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I received a 38-55 CB that the previous owner said will not shoot accurately. I shot it from the bench and discovered that he is right, 4 to 6 inch groups at 75 yards.
Next I slugged the bore. Whoa! .401 inches? I talked to others and they couldn't believe it either. Eventually took the rifle over to a local gunsmith and we slugged the bore again, .3802...that better but my micrometer said .401? Bad mic or out of calibration.

OK, the barrel is good so I do the usual fore end exam. I found that barrel bands were so tight that a hammer and block of wood were required to remove them. Not good. Then the fore stock would not budge. It was wedged in so tightly that it required the same hammer and block of wood to slowly tap it loose. Lot of sanding and grinding later everything can be assembled or dis-assembled easily by hand. Not rattle loose but no longer tight.

Last was a hand lap of the barrel to smooth it up a bit. 100 passes with lapping compound, cleaned with auto brake cleaner, then 100 passes with JB's bore cleaner, finally cleaned and light oil.

Now it's a one holer at 50 yards.

Thanks to Swany and others who posted accuracy info.

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[Tony65x55]

Congrats on turning the dog into a great shooter. Excellent lesson for us all.

 

[Nightfisher]

What kind of lapping compound did you use?

 

[swany]

That is what I like to hear. Going the long mile to get a good shooter and finding out why it was not.

It would have been a fun one if you first bore slugging was correct, having a 40-55 would have been cool. 8)

 

[robs]

I found that barrel bands were so tight that a hammer and block of wood were required to remove them.

Barrel bands?? 38-55CB has a forend cap (octagon barrel). Just curious :-\

Rob

 

[JBledsoe]

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Swany, yes I was almost disappointed that the first measurement was incorrect. A 40-55 would be cool. ;D

Rob, wrong terminology - It does have a fore end cap and a trunnion and screw setup at the muzzle. The trunnion was so tight that the hammer and block was required for removal. I cut 1/32 or so off the receiver end of the magazine and cured that bind. The fore end and cap was another matter. The cap came off but was binding. The wood was stuck. After a good amount of pounding it came off, too. I opened the channel up with 100 grit sand paper and cut a strong 1/16 off the length.

I should have known that someone would get picky about the details. I posted this with the "C", "RC", and "CS" in mind because that is what most folks have.

Nightfisher, The lapping compound is 400 grit lapping compound available from Brownells and other suppliers.

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[rbyham]

Nice job. Glad you got it shooting.