Winchester 190 Problem

[enerum]

I'm having a problem with a Winchester 190 I recently inherited. On the barrel, it says that it is compatible with .22 S,L,LR. The problem is, when I try to chamber a .22LR, it won't fit - it's just a fraction of an inch too big. I've taken the gun apart and cleaned it thoroughly, and actually tried manually inserting the bullet into the barrel while I had it disassembled to make sure it wasn't a mechanical problem causing it to get stuck, but it still won't fit. I really don't know what to make of this... Has there been some change in the ammo since this gun was manufactured (30+ years)? Even so, I would think .22" in diameter is .22" in diameter no matter how you slice it.

The ammo is a 550rd. Federal value pack from Wal-Mart.

Any ideas?

 

[rcmodel]

Check for carbon build-up in the chamber from shooting shorts. Give the chamber a good cleaning with a bronze bore brush & solvent.

Other then that, it could just be the crappy bulk ammo they sell today.

Nothing else has changed in the last 30 years except the quality of the ammo.

Buy a box of CCI Mini-Mag's, or Winchester Super-X and see if they work.

rc

 

[enerum]

Fixed it

So, apparently, a rim broke off of a cartridge fired in that gun... and the casing (minus the rim) was pushed up into the barrel. That is what was stopping a round from chambering properly. The barrel actually was a fraction of an inch too small.

Thanks for the advice, rc.

 

[rcmodel]

Ah Ha! That would do it all right!

rc

 

[enerum]

Just a thought...

I'm kind of glad that the casing got stuck where it did (and didn't even allow chambering a round). I'd hate to think of what would happen if it stuck further down the barrel, allowing me to chamber and shoot. Guess there's a lesson in that... I had kind of assumed that any gun that came from my grandfather must be in pretty good condition - and yes, I know what they say about assuming . My brother got a similar gun (another old .22 semi-auto, not sure what model), and I can guarantee he didn't thoroughly inspect it before firing it.

I took this one to a gunsmith before I personally took a stab at disassembling/cleaning/fixing it, by the way.

 

[Martyk]

The barrel actually was a fraction of an inch too small.

I don't quite understand this part. How did you determine this? Did you modify it? Are you saying that this was the original reason that a rimless case got stuck in the chamber?