Accuracy from a worn barrel

[bear tooth billy]

I recently purchased a Winchester 94 in 30/30 mfd 1903. It is in good shape and I looked down the bore at the gun show and looked like decent rifling. I loaded up some 4895 powder in 20, 22, 24 grains, with a .310" bullet. It shot badly, probably 12-18"group at
50 yds. I slugged the bore and it's .312' in the grooves. I thought about relining it but my gunsmith doesn't have the drill bit, and
Redmonds don't make a 30 cal. liner, track of the wolf lists 10-1 instead of the original 12-1 twist rate. I loaded some more rounds
20 gr shot 10" group, 18 shot 4 1/4, 16 shot 2 3/4" at 50 yds, a lot better but I'm hoping to use this gun to shoot long range ncows
matches. I got a few 32/20 bullets that are .313" which I think should fit the bore, but they won't fit through my 30/30 seating die. Would a 7.62 die work for this?, they show a bullet diameter of .313. I have also thought of trying a 7.62 bullet, though they are
a pointed bullet and I would have to single load. Would that bullet in a 30/30 case chamber in the gun? Any ideas will be appreciated

                                                        BTB

[pony express]

While I can't answer as to what larger bullet might fit, maybe there are some other things you could look at. How is the muzzle? If the rifling is excessively worn, maybe it could be helped by re-crowning or even counterboring. You might be able to use your 7.62 (7.62X39, I presume) for seating the bullets. I have a similar vintage '94, and have had decent results with .310 diameter cast bullets, not so good with .308 or .309.

[Cliff Fendley]

Is a 32 special allowed for NCOWS? If so and all else fails I suppose you could have it bored and rechambered.

[w44wcf]

BTB,
I sent you a PM.

w44 wcf

[Coffinmaker]

From my standpoint (retired Gunsmith).  When a barrel is shot out, it's shot out.  Re-bore and re-chamber,  Sleeve,  or replace the barrel.
Let's be honest here.  The '94 was manufactured by the gazillion and putting a new barrel on it isn't going to change much.  Thwere it mine, it'd become a 38-55 toot sweet.

Coffinmaker

[Litl Red]

I recently purchased a Winchester 94 in 30/30 mfd 1903. It is in good shape and I looked down the bore at the gun show and looked like decent rifling. I loaded up some 4895 powder in 20, 22, 24 grains, with a .310" bullet. It shot badly, probably 12-18"group at
50 yds. I slugged the bore and it's .312' in the grooves. I thought about relining it but my gunsmith doesn't have the drill bit, and
Redmonds don't make a 30 cal. liner, track of the wolf lists 10-1 instead of the original 12-1 twist rate. I loaded some more rounds
20 gr shot 10" group, 18 shot 4 1/4, 16 shot 2 3/4" at 50 yds, a lot better but I'm hoping to use this gun to shoot long range ncows
matches. I got a few 32/20 bullets that are .313" which I think should fit the bore, but they won't fit through my 30/30 seating die. Would a 7.62 die work for this?, they show a bullet diameter of .313. I have also thought of trying a 7.62 bullet, though they are
a pointed bullet and I would have to single load. Would that bullet in a 30/30 case chamber in the gun? Any ideas will be appreciated

                                                        BTB

A 7.62 is what they label the .308, 30-06 and such.   So no, those bullets (and dies) aren't going to work. 

Since your seating die won't seat the .313s you've got, you're going to need at least 2 dies you don't have.   Why more than one more?   Because you not only need to seat that size bullet, but you need to expand the brass to suit the bullet otherwise the brass will resize your cast bullets down.   Since you want the bullets to be .313 as they are shoved into the barrel, you need the brass expanded enough it doesn't defeat that.  And if you don't want to overwork your brass, you need to resize it "fatter" than it's being resized.    Using any dies made for .308 or .311 bullets is going to make brass that isn't sized to suit .313 lead ones.

Does RCBS make a set of 30-30 dies for cast bullets?    Their Cowboy dies are for cast.  Can't remember anybody ever advertising dies the appropriate dimensions for cast.   

You want the rifle for long range matches?   Then you don't want lighter bullets like the 32-20 you found, but at least bullets the average weight for 30-30s. 

The 10-1 liner would work as well as the 12-1 for you.   But ask before you buy exactly what the groove measures.  I've gotten .308 instead of .311 at least twice.   These places seem to think we won't know the difference.   I think one of my 32-20s has a 10-1 in it and it shoots the same loads just as good as the other refurbished does.  Getting the right sized dies made far more difference to accuracy than anything.