Can the 22 LR barrel be rechambered

[kenbev]

I have two 22LR barrels, one Sporter and one Versa Pack. Can either of these barrels be re-chambered to a 218 Bee or something similar.

[quickdtoo]

Sure, but it may not shoot the best, depends on the bore size, Elk Ridge's charts show the 22Lr as having a tighter bore than the .224" bores of the centerfires. I'd slug the bore to see what it is, see FAQs.  Check the twist too.

Tim

http://www.reamerrentals.com/rimfiretable.htm

http://www.reamerrentals.com/barrel_bore_size.htm

[mcwoodduck]

A Friend of mine had an older Stevens crack shot that someone made into a 22 hornet.  there were ignition problems as well as accuracy in turning the rim fire to a center fire.  The firing pin does not hit the primers right.   It may be different on the Handi but looking at my UVH I can not see how.  My suggestion is to either sell the 22LR barrel or if your looking for something with a little more punch to go 22 Mag. and use some of the high tech lighter bullets like the Remington 33 grain ballistic tips.  Or go with the standard 40 grain for more penetration.  MY 22 mag Ultimate Varmint hunter works great and with the light bullets it splatters ground squirrels and other varmints and with the 40 grain fmj's it hunts tree squirrels and cotton tails.  I use the Fed 50 grain JHP for coyote.  Any gun smith can turn a Long rifle into a mag easily.

[stimpylu32]

Kenbev

Sure it can be done , the only down side is if the bore is smaller your bullet choices will be limited , You can still get some bullets in the .222 dia. if need be as well as having cast bullets sized down .

One thing to remember is if the bore is smaller you will have to turn down the expander ball in the reloading die to the proper dia. and that is if your die will draw the nech down enough to allow for proper neck tention . you could also have a neck sizing die made but thats still more $$$s .

First thing that i would do is slug the bore's , you may be lucky and have one that is or real close to .224

stimpy

[zasxcd]

The nominal bullet diameter of the .22 Long Rifle is .222 or .223. The original version of the Hornet used .223 bullets for this exact reason. However, be aware that the steel used in the barrels of rimfires is not the same as for centerfires, it is significantly softer. Don't get ridiculous, a .22 Hornet or .218 Bee is do-able, but then, why not just get a barrel that came from the factory in Hornet?

[stimpylu32]

Kenbev

Something to consider is that the versa-pac barrel has an off-set chamber to allow it to be used on the CF frames , so it will not line up with the firing pin as a centerfire barrel , the Sportster will be a better choice , the 22 mag that i did in 218 Bee works just fine on the CF frame .

stimpy

[kenbev]

Thanks fellows, you have answered my question....

[coyotejoe]

There are people looking for that versapack barrel, you could sell it here on the classifieds and get a new Hornet barrel from H&R. You also can rent a .22 WMR reamer and rechamber a longrifle barrel yourself, it is an easy home shop job.

[kenbev]

Nothing is for sale. I have all of the calibers that are available. I was just thinking about something that H&R/NEF don't make...

[mcwoodduck]

It would probably be better/ easier to re chamber a 22 hornet barrel to 218 bee than the 22LR.
Heck with 2 barrels keep one with iron sights and scope the other.