Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Combination Guns and Drillings OT: looking for a reline artist

Of course, I should have said a "cheap reline artist"! I have a Savage Model 219 single shot barrel that WAS a new condition .22 Hornet until some genius back in the day rechambered it to .219 Zipper.

I have nothing against the Zipper; the rechamber made (some) sense back when Zipper ctgs. were fairly readily available. Now it doesn't and I'd like to get it back to .22 Hornet. I used to use Mark Boenke for this but haven't been able to get hold of him--called his number but it's been a LONG time and he may just not be interested in more work.

So I'm looking for somebody who will reline the barrel back to .22 Hornet specs for $300-350. The few quotes I've gotten so far have been 'way over that--too much for a 219 in my book. If I had a shop or access to one, I'd do it myself. I don't and I don't want to set up to reload .219 when I'm all set up for the Hornet.

Any suspects? Is Sonny France still working? What say ye?

P.S. yes, I know I can get chamber insert for .219 and shoot .22 Magnums.

P.P.S. And I DO have a blank 219 extractor that can be chamber reamer cut to .22 Hornet so the reline doesn't have to include an extractor rebuild.

You could offer it for sale or trade. If sold put the money toward an already properly chambered 219 in 22 Hornet. I might be interested.

Thanks, I have had offers to buy it. But finding a Model 219 barrel that fits my Utica action in this exterior condition is a real crapshoot; I had enough trouble finding this one!

http://www.redmansrifling.com/relining.htm


Give em a call, see if they will do it.

Replace the barrel.

Thanks, guys!

700LH, I will call Redman's although my previous experience with them was a frustrating mess. In fairness, it was many years ago, and I know that many smiths use their liners now.

pal, if you or anybody else knows of a cherry Model 219 .22 Hornet barrel for under $350 PLEASE let me know! (NOT a 219L).

The one I'm trying to use for this project cost me $75 shipped, which tells you something about the "popularity" of the 'ole Zipper ctg. nowadays....

Rather than buy the right barrel, you bought one that needs to be modified. I don't yet see the big advantage to this. Unless you just got tired of searching for the barrel you need/want. Isn't re-lining a Mickey Mouse way to re-chamber a rifle?

I meant sell the whole rifle and use the proceeds to buy another complete rifle chambered in 22 Hornet.

"Selling the whole rifle" means selling a rifle that already has three fitted barrels: .30-30, 20 guage, and .410. Unlikely that I'd ever find those again, and even if I sold just the .30-30, there would be the hassle/expense of fitting the other barrels to the .22 Hornet, assuming that it is the right variation of the 219. "It's complicated...." A reline isn't.

You need to understand Savage 219/220 guns better. Finding the proper fitting barrel for the various series of the guns is of prime concern. Re-lining or re-chambering is the lesser concern.

I DID get tired of searching for just the right barrel, and I'm sure the websites and forums that have "WTB" classified forums probably got tired of me looking, with endless BTTs week after week! So I bought the nearest I could find--"close but no cigar."

Relining is only "Mickey Mouse" if you do it wrong or for the wrong rifle. For the RIGHT rifle, it's been an established practice since the invention of the self-contained cartridge. A real artist like Mark Boehnke can reline a bore so perfectly that you can't tell it's been done (I have several Winchester 1885s done by him that prove it).

Now it's mainly used to renew the bores on older rifles that have been abused (or, more rarely, worn out with long use) or to convert them to a cartridge that is more current and easier to get (what I'm trying to do).

I've always thought that it was a final option, a last resort.

Sell that rifle as it is. There is nothing special about that model.

Shop for a well made rifle in the cartridge you want.

M43 on Gun Broker

Just saw this, thought of this thread.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=514636001

Looks like rust.

My apologies. I missed that there were other barrels. Relining is a viable option then. I had Mark reline a 22WRF once upon a time. I talked with a friend in K Falls a couple of years ago who knows him well and said he had retired. It seems like he said he had moved south, maybe NM or AZ. I could be mistaken on that part but I do recall him saying Mark had retired. He did great work. Without magnification, you'd never be able to tell the gun was relined.

I know you'd like a 22 Hornet but 219 brass isn't too difficult to make especially if you run onto some 25-35 brass. It's a pretty good cartridge, though considerably more gun than the Hornet. I'd be tempted to work with it and see if didn't grow on me. That's a nice set up with three other barrels.

I suppose your looking for one like this. Sorry, just gave it to my niece for her first varmint rifle.

700LH, my two 219s and my 220 are in considerably better shape than that one, but it is interesting that it seems to have a serial number. Most of them don't, and nobody seems to know why some do. None of them needed one by federal law, except some of the last ones made (219L. Ugh.)

Erich, that's nice 'un! Probably a Chicopee Falls 219B? 219s have been many folks "first varmint rifle!"

Thanks, guys, for all the input to an OT thread!

I found a 'smith to do the work at my price point, and am packing the job up to send to him. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Next step; replenishing my supply of 'Lil Gun!

Would I have any first hand knowledge regarding a couple of those barrels?

Yeah, Bruce, you might just be familiar with the .30-30 and the .410!