22 special-22 wrf anyone have one?

[revjen45]

OK. Forget it then.

 

[jrd541280]

i called a few of the bbl mfgs asking about a bbl replacement. was told no, not interested. liner jobs are 350+shipping both ways and the accuracy is from dime to 3" groups at 50yds. depending on which youexpert video you watch. not giving up yet though. that's how you learn. they are neat old guns.

 

[jrd541280]

IIRC, the M90 in .22 WRF can be converted to shoot .22 WRM.
Don't try it without looking into it further.

i'm thinking the carrier would have to be modified for the longer cartridge length. same bore dia. though. would make it easier to find ammo though.

 

[revjen45]

When I was in gunsmithing school one of the other students did that conversion, and it did involve modding the carrier. Memory says he used a letter N drill bit ( dia. .302; .22 WRF/WMR rim dia. .294). That was in about 1981 so I have slept since then.

"The 22 WRF bullet diameter is actually .224, and it can be safely shot through a barrel made for the 22 LR. Bert WACA 6571L, Historian & Board of Director Member"
So a Brownell's .22 bbl liner should work, and IIRC they offer a bit you can run with a hand drill.

 

[OcelotZ3]

When I was in gunsmithing school one of the other students did that conversion, and it did involve modding the carrier. Memory says he used a letter N drill bit ( dia. .302; .22 WRF/WMR rim dia. .294). That was in about 1981 so I have slept since then.

"The 22 WRF bullet diameter is actually .224, and it can be safely shot through a barrel made for the 22 LR. Bert WACA 6571L, Historian & Board of Director Member"
So a Brownell's .22 bbl liner should work, and IIRC they offer a bit you can run with a hand drill.

Interesting that they say you can use a hand drill with that.

Let's see, so from what I understand, the minimum needed to keep 22wrf is:

drill bit to handle 25" (bit is half that length due to drilling from both sides)
22wrf chamber reamer (can this be done without a lathe? Seems risky)
22lr liner (needs to be greater than 25" because the existing barrel is 25" and they suggest longer)

The total from Brownells without shipping would be $277... Let's call it $300 with shipping. Not a lot cheaper than the $350 from the relining companies.

One might be able to squeeze a 25" liner length into the 25" barrel and save $35 or so. It's not how I saw it done in a relining video from Midway, but perhaps one could use the one that is exactly the same size.

The other option is to go to 22lr which requires the new internal parts which are tough to find and expensive. Don't know if the liner has the chamber already drilled, but it *seems* like it might, so that would at least save the cost of a reamer.


Definitely an option, but not that much cheaper when talking the tools necessary to complete the job.

 

[revjen45]

"Definitely an option, but not that much cheaper when talking the tools necessary to complete the job."

Yup, so my (retired) professional opinion is to live with what ya got or pay a gunsmith to do it. You are absolutely right that the effort involved negates any saving from DIY.
Or this depraved thought: is replacing the barrel an option?
Is your main interest in using it or just cherishing it as a family heirloom?

 

[OcelotZ3]

"Definitely an option, but not that much cheaper when talking the tools necessary to complete the job."

Yup, so my (retired) professional opinion is to live with what ya got or pay a gunsmith to do it. You are absolutely right that the effort involved negates any saving from DIY.
Or this depraved thought: is replacing the barrel an option?
Is your main interest in using it or just cherishing it as a family heirloom?

Not a family heirloom.

Pretty sure my father bought it at a garage sale somewhere and it went into the gun room until he died. He wasn't into shooting, just collecting, and almost 100% exclusively military weapons, not civilian.

I've held onto it because I really like the design and it's one of a few pump rimfires. I just wish I could shoot it at 50yds and actually hit a target with it... But the barrel is crap.

A new barrel is difficult to find (I've been told), and I haven't put much effort into it but it seems correct. So many of these ended up with destroyed barrels that they have been mostly snapped up.

I might continue to work on the barrel some more, as I've done on and off the last 15 years... I guess since it was keyholing at 25yds a couple of times ago, and is now not at 50yds (when it actually hits the target), that's an improvement!

 

[Spitpatch]

Outers marketed an electronic lead/copper remover some years ago. (I have one.) It operates on the principle of electrolysis (same as electroplating, but in reverse). Mine sees only occasional use, but when employed, the results are amazing. It removes ALL of anything from the barrel without damaging the barrel. It has rejuvenated old .22's, abused centerfire revolvers, and high-powered rifles.

As to the WRF cartridge, Yes, Winchester (and CCI and I believe more recently Aguila) do runs of it every now and then (the heavy solid bullet AND hollowpoints) because there are so many of guns so chambered still operational. Nearly every decent gun show will have some on a table or two. (prices have increased but proportionally somewhat less than long rifle). My 1890 is a tackdriver. I "hoarded" WRF before hoarding anything became cool because that gun is so much fun and a VERY good killer.

But not just for the '90:

The WRF cartridge can be chambered and fired accurately and reliably in any gun chambered for the WMR. It is an excellent option when the legendary destructiveness of the WMR is not desired. It turns a Single Six Convertible into a "three cartridge" pistol.

Be very careful using metallic brushes to scrub the bore of your old '90. That barrel steel is pretty soft. Lacking an Outers device, try lead removal cloth (yellow thick linen with caky mild abrasive). As long as you are still getting black on it, you have more work to do. I sincerely doubt there is much (if any) copper residue in that barrel.

When you blanche at the cost of relining (if finally necessary), please refer to the price of any decent new .22. You'll end up with something WAY better.

 

[Lilhigbee]

For reference, the most common caliber for a Model 1890 is .22 Short, then .22WRF, then .22 Long, and the rarest is .22LR.