Rimfire chambering problems
 

This was an estate purchase. Owner was a national champion early 2000s iirc. He called this 001xx Swindlehurst rig "Spanky".....
I was going to shoot a fun match, so grabbed some Lap Red Box, Eley Black and Rem Green w Eley on label .
NONE would chamber. Best l can guess is maybe 2.5mm worth would start but absolutely would go no further.
I asked a few rf shooters at the mixed match and one had an idea.
I will never compete even semi seriously w it. Selling is an option awa altering to shoot reasonable quality ammo.
Solutions are solicited. :)

Why not rechamber. You have a good action and more than likely a very good barrel. The gunsmith's name might be on the barrel, talk to him. Lots of reamer designs out there that will work for what you want.

I would have to agree with Ray on this. It sounds like opening up the throat a bit will get it ready to shoot.

What did he shoot in it if he was a national champion? Unless he made his own ammo, my guess, he bought ammo from a mfg. for it. I have not run into it but I have read that some competition guys have chambers cut for certain brands of ammo, ELY, Lapua, et. Again if he was a national shooter someone should remember the rifle and shooter and be able to get you the information you seek.
Try rimefire central or accurate shooter.

JDM

If the barrel is high round count try to get a closer look at the breech face of the barrel, specifically look near the spot where the firing pin impacts the rim. There may be a chamber burr from impact damage. If you find a burr just file or stone it down.

Thanks to all.
There was some Midas in the gun case.
RareBear, you just might be on to something. I had to break the chamber edge on my S&W Model 41 .22 to get it to stop alibying.
I will run a cotton swab around it. His son was not the brightest bulb.....he may have dry fired it... :/
If I do go with removing a few tenths or so from chamber wall, would renting a hand reamer be a possibility? Which design?...I've read of a Bentz but have no idea what that designates.

If it chambers a round except for the last 2.5mm then I wouldn't think it would be a burr at the chamber mouth causing the issue.
Joe McNeil is probably right that the chamber was cut for certain ammunition.

Given that there are numerous .22 rimfire reamers I would try and find out who the gunsmith was that chambered the barrel, or the gunsmith that built the rifle and see if they would rechamber the barrel for the ammunition you want to use.
Running any reamer, except the reamer that chambered the barrel, into the existing chamber will usually alter the whole chamber not just the throat.

Kiwi

I assume you checked the chamber for build up carbon etc, maybe some mutt was shooting shorts or CBs in it

Kiwi - only .050 - .060 will start, leaving most of the case hanging out.
Going to check today for a burr and run a brush through as well as scope it.

I currently have a semi-auto with extraction issues. A burr appears to be leaving a well defined scratch on a fired brass case. The scratch is oriented with the firing pin strike.