Re-boring & re-chambering

Ambrose

Is that still commonly done as in the old days when we used to convert military rifles? What about opening a bolt face for a larger cartridge? I have a 1903 that has been re-bored and re-chambered to .358 Norma Magnum and a 1903-A3 that has been re-chambered to .300 Winchester Magnum and was wondering if conversions like that are still being done.

nononsense

Ambrose,

Conversions such as you describe are still being done on a daily basis. Not so much with the older military rifles since the values have gone higher but with other less expensive rifles when it is viable to re-bore than re-barrel.

http://www.cutrifle.com/

http://www.deltagunshop.com/clearwater_reboring/

Remember that there are parameters which limit what you can do to any given barrel. Stay within the parameters and enjoy yourself!

Best.

Ray B

Rechambering and to some extent reboring is fairly common, however with recessed boltfaces such as the Rem 700, it's so labor intensive that it's generally better to get a magnum bolt and re-headspace the barrel to it.

nononsense

Ray B,

While you're entitled to your opinion, facts don't always support your premises. In fact, given the rise in prices of bolts, both from primary makers like Remington and those produced as aftermarket accessories from say, PT&G, it's often easier and less expensive to convert the existing bolt rather than wait for one to show up on the open market or pay for the newly minted ones. Add in the headspace adjustment to the barrel and things can really escalate since the barrel has to be pulled and set up in a lathe. You could argue that an individual might use just a reamer and extension to remove a few thousandths by hand but that's not necessarily a professional solution. If the headspace is too long then the barrel is set back and has to be re-timed for top-dead-center requiring a lathe.

The process of bushing a bolt is neither hard or strenuous as long as you have taken the time to understand the process and make the necessary holding fixtures to expedite the machining. Obviously this would not hold true for the individual amateur or gunsmith that does one or two of these a year. Those of us who tackle these projects daily or weekly are able to stay on track for a small profit at least. Besides, clients who depend on us as custom makers, expect this from us without question.

Best.