reamer or lap

[mtbugle]

I have a 30-06 win 70 lightweight that is a RMEF sponser rifle. It dosn't get shot much, probably not much more than a box or two in its life. But I shot it a little yesterday and the chamber is a little tight right at the base of the shoulder. I can get a round to chamber with about 8-10 pounds of push on the bolt and that is where the scraping marks show up. It shoots at an inch and under at 100 eventhough the stock touches lightly on one side. So I dont want to mess up the good. Shoud I just lap some with a brass empty casing? Or I do have a reamer, but dont know how it is compared to rest of already cut chamber. I am torn between lightly lapping just corner of shoulder or trying to hand cleanup with reamer.  What do you more experienced hands say?
Thanks Don.

[gunnut69]

I'd burnish the chamber first.. Lapping uses an abrasive and a retention device (i.e. the case or a casting of the chamber) but burnishing removes no metal or at least nearly none. Use a cleaning rod end (where the jag screws in) and install a worn bore brush. Install the rod into a drill motor  (tape will protect the threads) and wrap the brush with steel wool. I'd start with 00 grade. Unravel a ball of the wool to create a skein and use the drill's variable speed to wrap the wool around the brush. Be certain to use a clockwise rotation to avoid having the brush unscrewing. Insert thru the action into the chamber and run the drill at speed while moving the spinning bob front to back in the chamber. At the front [press it into the neck/shoulder area for just a tad longer. This will remove any roughness in the chamber and eliminate most friction. A polishing with 0000 (the finest grade wool) will bring the chamber to a high polish..  To increase the polish you could add SimiChrome polish or perhaps rouge to the bob but then metal would be moving albeit in very tiny amounts. i sounds like you've a tight chamber and the accuracy seems to bear this out. Burnishing should help you loading problems. You didn't say where the scrapes are but if they are on the should then you may have a chamber that's a bit too short. If the marks are on the body near the shoulder then the burnishing has a good chance of helping. If a reamer is needed this requires a delecate touch and I'd strongly recommend a gunsmith if you've not done such things before.. Of course the test of any chamber for length is a headspace gauge set. If the 'GO Guage' won't allow the bolt to close the chamber is too short. I've had this short of thin happen before. The last (that I can recall) was a springfield '03 from the CMP. Info that came out was that the CMP rebarreled some '03s and checked the headspace with a NO GO guage.. Of course it didn't close so they assumed it was safe. It was as it wouldn't close on a loaded round at all without extreme force.. It was actually sizing the case back a bit using the camming action of the Springfield '03..

[mtbugle]

thanks Gunnut. I defently like the burnishing idea first. Yes the scrapes are right where the shoulder and body come together. on the body side of course. I have already checked with a go guage and it is a minimum pass. I am glad I asked before doing something more aggressive.
Thanks Don.

[gunnut69]

Let us know how this works out..  Good luck!