Is it accurate to say that the barrel bands on classic lever actions should not be lock solid tight but should be left with a little play to avoid weird pressure? Or is that too much of a generalization?Originally Posted by willie
Is it accurate to say that the barrel bands on classic lever actions should not be lock solid tight but should be left with a little play to avoid weird pressure? Or is that too much of a generalization?
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You are correct that barrel bands can be too tight. I should have included this fact in my comment. I think that the barrel band problem is the most common cause of lever gun accuracy issues. I used to read about this same complaint in 1960's literature. Probably such has been known since their introduction.
Oh, pish-posh. Just makes acquiring a stash of ammunition and reloadable casings a bit more time consuming process... (And makes getting a reasonable reloading setup pretty much mandatory.)
If it were easy, anyone could do it.
Apologies, i didnt look at your location. If youre outside of the walmart empires reach, ammo could indeed get expensive. Ive seen ammo there cheaper than I can find it online a times.Perhaps over there, where both cartridges are popular. Over here, I can find .308 anywhere ammunition is sold. In some sort of post-apocalyptic scenario or something, I could find .308 in just about every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse. But .30-30, that's very rare.
My local what now?
So no large discount stores where you are that sell ammo?
In fits of daydreaming year or two ago i was looking at old rundown stone farm houses for sale in Ireland, then gun laws, then ammo suppliers and prices. Dang.
Last edited by Malamute; 12-10-2018 at 07:33 PM.
For my "old world" rifles I've learned that any wood touching the barrel is best left loose, even if it means having a slight rattle. We all know how wood expands and contracts depending on humidity and temp. If it starts out tight on your barrel you can see some major POI shifts as it heats up. I read some suggestions about adding a bead of RTV along the length of the barrel and mag tube, although it was described as "sometimes" helping a rifle.
Unfortunately the classic levergun design is pretty poor when it comes to built in repeatable accuracy. Hanging your magazine off your barrel causes problems.
There was an article by Paco Kelley on the leverguns site* about accurizing lever actions, though one or two things mentioned seemed to contradict some other info on the subject Id seen. Ive seen another bit somewhere else, but where escapes me at thew moment, and I'm not on my normal computer to look for bookmarks. I dont know if anyone has systematically worked to isolate the variables.
The rifles, meaning the fore end has a cap instead of a band, and on Winchesters, theres a magazine ring with a rotary dovetail (meaning not tightly driven in) about 3 1/2" back from the muzzle, they generally seem more consistently accurate than the carbines. Rifles often had a little thicker barrels than carbines also.
*http://www.leverguns.com/articles/Default.htm
ETA looking for accurizing articles, I came across one of William Iorgs posts on the subject. Its a list of articles. I was going to suggest doing a search of his posts on that forum, he has worked with various guns and loads more than anyone else I know of.
https://www.shootersforum.com/leverg...er-action.html
Sam Fadalas book was mentioned by Wiliam Iorg, Ill get it from the library again and read it. If theres anything of note, I'll report back.
Last edited by Malamute; 12-10-2018 at 08:24 PM.
The person having a lever rifle that will keep three shots on the end of a beer can at 100 yards has a short, handy rifle that displays good accuracy. If on demand, the owner can quickly mount this rifle and pop 5 quart cans at 100 yards while rapidly firing one shot after the other, then this guy is a good shot. I have described a rile with which the shooter can display practical accuracy for hunting deer out to 100 yards. The same guy with this rig could shoot the head off of a snake at 50 yards.
In "Accurate Rifle" magazine, McPherson did some articles on accurizing lever actions.
I'll have to keep an eye out. Only Marlin they had on their site last time I checked was an X7 in .243.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."
Disclaimer: I have previously worked in the firearms industry as an engineer. Thoughts and opinions expressed here are mine alone and not those of my prior employers.
I’d ask AAC directly, in writing. In my case, I run an SRT Matrix 9mm can on a 77/357 & SBR Contender. I only use magnums in the 16” gun, limit the SBR to 38 spl (250 grains at 850fps) when using the can, as the pressure difference at the muzzle between 10” & 16” is substantial. Got the go ahead direct from Doug Melton complete with the reassurance that he’s run them in much higher stress testing.
Last edited by jandbj; 12-11-2018 at 06:44 AM.
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