Name for .22 rimfire shot-shell modification

[Doc Windshadow]

In the thread about Mice problems I related the story of my Dad back in the 50s modifying a $10 single shot boys rifle the sort with the wire skeleton stock nickel plated and I think perhaps sold as a cycle gun around 1900 (before any of you start telling me this was a valuable collectable it was not in the 1950s nickel was about 5% at best lots of rust pitting and no sights remained on it I think dad found it in the Barn when we bought the farm in 1946).

 

to use it on rodents in the house cellar and barn and barn swallows in the barn without ventilating the roof; Dad drilled out the lands from the muzzle end of the bore for as far as the drill would reach (6 to 7" ?) and this made big improvement in the pattern of Dust shot in the crimped .22 shot shells ( Dad called it "pepper shot" as it was about the size of ground pepper I am guessing it is #12 to 14 shot or so and others call it snake shot)

 

when fired in normal Rifle if you pattern it on paper you will see that the pattern is quite light in the center as the spin the rifle gives the mass of shot tends to cause very open patterns.

 

I recall my dad telling me that this modification had a name but I can not now recall it but it seemed to give an improvement not quite as good as a true smoothbore but a lot better than the stock rifle I also recall using it to practice wing-shooting on dragonflies about age 7 I guess today with the CCI shot shell .22 with the plastic capsule of shot the result would be even better than with the old crimped brass sort.

 

Anyone else recall the this modification and the proper name for it (Bainbridge mod or Rutledge or something like that is sort of floating in my mind but I do not think that is it)

 

Cheers

Windy

[Slowhand Bob, 24229]

No BUT if I remember right there may have been some information in an old book I read many years back by a guy named Mel Tappan. I would also think that if one could get 22 chamber/chamber+barl inserts for the little 410 doubles, it would work even better. Seems all the cool stuff disappeared back when.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Counterbored is what I've seen it called, or on muzzleloaders, starter bored. Makes loading a muzzleloader easier and perhaps gives better accuracy if the ball/slug can be started square in the counterbored area, then forced into the rifling.

 

Good luck, GJ

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

Anyone else recall the this modification and the proper name for it (Bainbridge mod or Rutledge or something like that is sort of floating in my mind but I do not think that is it)

 

Cheers

Windy

 

 

When something is floating around in your brain - more times than not, it's correct.

 

The smooth bore 22's were known as Routledge bored.

Used specifically for shotshells.

 

These smoothbores could be ordered from the gunmakers of the day with that barrel.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Routledge barrel from gunbroker forum -

 

The "Routledge" bore was developed by Fred Routledge for minature bore Skeet shooting.

 

Winchester used it on the Model 61 for approximately 1-year (1939). The first 10-inchs of the bore is smooth-bored at .217", then the final 14-inches is counterbored to .375". Winchester created their own counterbore in 1940, with the difference being that the counterbored part of the barrel was .275" verus .375".

 

 

 

 

Now, this would be quite a bit different from what Windy's dad had done, but something of the same idea. The Routledge was completely smoothbore, no rifling at all.

 

 

And, the shot used in these cartridges is #12 shot. Cartridges still commercially available from several manufacturers.

 

Good luck, GJ

[Doc Windshadow]

Thanks gang! nice to know I had a memory that was in the right ball park;

and special thanks for the details of the real thing rather than my Dad's kitchen table gun-butcher version

 

the depth of knowledge on the wire never fails

 

Cheers

Windy