Which .22LR Chamber?

[BenY 2013]

I tried to ask this over at RFC and didn't get alot of help. Plus I like you guys better! So..

I have been wanting to chamber a .22 barrel for a project I have going. I am not wanting a bench rest gun; however, I would like for the gun to be as accurate as possible! So which chamber reamer should I get? I have been looking at Match, PTG Match, Eley EPS, Winchester 52D, Lilja, and Anschutz. This will be on a bolt action repeater, will be shooting some cheaper match ammo most likely (Wolf, SK, etc.). Any thoughts/recommendations? Thank you!

 

[justin amateur]

I've got the Lilja Varmint Taper 22lr on my CZ 455.
The chamber as cut by Lilja is an extremely tight fit.
Brass is in contact with the chamber walls all the way in,
bullet engages the rifling with about an 1/8th inch of brass left to go.
Removing an unfired round can be problematic.
I do not use the 5 shot magazine, only the single shot adapter
to ensure proper feeding of each round into the chamber.

Less expensive ammunition, like CCI SV or Eley Sport, the brass will sometimes fail to extract.
Requires a bit of work to pull the spent shell out. Mid to high end ammo has no problem.
The Lilja does well with Wolf MT and ME, Lapua Center X and Midas+, and Eley Tenex.
No extraction problems with the better quality ammo. MT and Center X shoot the same,
ME, Midas + and Tenex provide more consistent trajectories, predictable accuracy.
CCI Pistol Match, Fiocchi Pistol Match and SK Pistol Match are my preferred ammo
with best cost to accuracy for range use/practice. I save the high end ammo for lunch shoots.
Lunch shoots? That's where you get 1 shot at 100 yards, round furthest from the bullseye buys lunch.

 

[9H_Cracka]

Personally I'd go with the EPS chamber. That is what is in mine. My Annie was trued/threaded/barreled by the great (late) bench gun maker Bill Myers (Bill Myers has left the range. [Archive] - Benchrest Central Forums) with the EPS chamber. It shoots the EPS bullet very well and also the traditional Eley bullet shapes which are a similar profile to the SK/Wolf bullet.

Keep in mind that he and Bill Calfee had input on this reamer, and one other key characteristic of it is the parallel chamber walls, rather than a funnel, which 22LR chambers have had since the cartridge's inception. This means for your use you'll want to keep the chamber clean for reliable extraction in a "field use" environment. I've gone 400+ rounds indoors with mine and no extraction issues, so it is not something to be concerned about per se, rather something to be aware of.

 

[Travis224]

The majority of gunsmiths will use the 52d reamer as it will run all ammo pretty well, you just need to find the right lot #.

 

[BenY 2013]

I am hoping to do the work myself. I have all of the equipment, just need the reamer!

I was kind of leaning towards the Match chambers, surprised no one has suggested them!

 

[9H_Cracka]

I was kind of leaning towards the Match chambers, surprised no one has suggested them!

That's because "Match" is too generic for one to draw any conclusions regarding what reamer it actually is.

Go for the "Match" if that strikes your fancy.

Without comparing blueprints and knowing how to read them, you are just guessing when going the "Match" route.

 

[BenY 2013]

I understand that they are all "Match" I meant the Match or PTG Match reamer. I am a little scared that if I go with too tight of a chamber that I will have extraction failures on live rounds. Especially since I sometimes use Remington Subs in hunting or plinking situations. I do appreciate the input still! I am very new to this and am trying to learn all that I can!

 

[gszeto99]

Go with "PTG LR Match" if you are unsure about extraction with live ammo. It is a great reamer that engages the bullet in the rifling when loaded but you can still extract. I also use this reamer for one of my 10/22 experimental builds. This reamer is tighter than the "PTG Match" as well as the "Bentz" reamer. Go to the PTG website for specifics on reamer dimensions.

Hope this helps,

Gene

 

[Tuna921]

Personally I'd go with the EPS chamber. That is what is in mine. My Annie was trued/threaded/barreled by the great (late) bench gun maker Bill Myers (Bill Myers has left the range. [Archive] - Benchrest Central Forums) with the EPS chamber. It shoots the EPS bullet very well and also the traditional Eley bullet shapes which are a similar profile to the SK/Wolf bullet.

Keep in mind that he and Bill Calfee had input on this reamer, and one other key characteristic of it is the parallel chamber walls, rather than a funnel, which 22LR chambers have had since the cartridge's inception. This means for your use you'll want to keep the chamber clean for reliable extraction in a "field use" environment. I've gone 400+ rounds indoors with mine and no extraction issues, so it is not something to be concerned about per se, rather something to be aware of.

What he said .........My smith builds my match rifles using a .2250 with 2 degree lead........not to tight to extract but holds the round firmly.but I also don't feed out of a mag, ELEY is the best match round for 50 yards maybe RWS for 100 plus

JIm

 

[smag]

Just did some new chambers done in 6 groove barrels with the EPS Ultimate reamer 2 degree lead. Loves SK/Wolf (if you cull the turds out) @100yds also RWS @ 100yds. Eley is the ticket for 50yds. On a repeater you may have issue with pulling non fired rounds? Or not.

 

[9H_Cracka]

No issue with extraction on my rifle of live rounds.

 

[Tuna921]

Don't think you will have that issue.......I am curious to try the new Eley Edge that will be here in a few weeks .....

 

[Goin'Hot]

My barrel was chambered with the Anschutz reamer and I have found the the following in regards to chambering:

Hard to chamber - Rem Subsonic, Blazer, CCI Std Vel, Lapua Center X, ELEY Subsonic.

Easy to chamber - Win 333 Bulk, Fed Value Pack, Wolf MT & ME, CCI Mini Mag, ELEY Match EPS, ELEY Match Extra.

I can chamber the "hard stuff" but the additional pressure required to close the bolt makes it a HUGE aggravation. I have not tried to extract a live round so, I can't comment on that.

 

[shooter65]

Lilja chamber