Savage 99 - Rebore a .308 to .358?

CoryTheCowboy

CoryTheCowboy

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A decrepit duck blind in Atikokan, ON
Hey folks,

I've got the hankering for a Savage 99 in .358 and while I know they made them in the factory "Brush Gun", they seem to be rare and pricey.

I'm wondering if I could find a "donor" rifle in .308 and have it rebored to .358? I prefer the rotary magazine to the removable clip and as I understand it the rotary magazines are cartridge specific, but since the .358 is just a necked up .308 I figure it should be a simple conversion?

Is there anything obvious I'm missing with my thoughts? Any suggestions for who could do the job?

Thanks,

Cory
 
Another question, if this would work with a 308, what other calibers might work for this sort of conversion? I've always wanted a 99, and a 35cal would be just swell...
 
Like 338 Federal. It would be great if a company did up some replacement barrels. I don't think that that there would be a lot required to make it work.
 
Just try a few 358 rounds in a rotary mag 99, and see if they will spool around the receiver. The reboring part is easy, and much cheaper than rebarreling.

Somewhere around here I have a loaded 35-300 Savage round. You certainly know that wasn't a factory offering. Alvaan Petersen in Riverhurst, Saskatchewan, was the maker. I visited him in 1966.

The job was simple:

1)Send a graying rat 99 with a very poor bore to The Rifle Ranch to be rebored to 358.

2)Send 300 Savage dies with the rifle.

3)Wait four months, or so.............

4)Get back same gray rat with shiny new bore, and the dies recut, both now in 35-300 Savage!

250 gr Speers and 3031... accurate and deadly out to 200 yards!

Ted
 
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Well CTC........iff'in you decide awn this project, please keep yer camera close by and
bring forth them photos with instruckshuns.

Sounds like a kewl.....:cool:..... prawject.

Edit to note: I'd send MadDawg Joe a p.m. and see if he has anything charitable to use?
 
I thought M99’s were “impossible” to rebarrel as the barrel is press-fit into the action? Wouldn’t that make it very difficult to pull the barrel out to re-bore etc. etc.?

That said, sounds like a winner..... I’ve always had a soft spot for 358.

I have no first hand knowledge of the Savage M99.

John
 
m14medic.ca said:
I thought M99’s were “impossible” to rebarrel as the barrel is press-fit into the action? Wouldn’t that make it very difficult to pull the barrel out to re-bore etc. etc.?

That said, sounds like a winner..... I’ve always had a soft spot for 358.

I have no first hand knowledge of the Savage M99.

John
Click to expand...

They are screwed in.

Mik123 said:
Ron Smith in Alberta can do it. You will have to pay for the reamer if he doesn't have it and it might be a bit of a wait.
Click to expand...

He has thee reamer.

Ted
 
I decided to go with my 35/300, maybe less practicality (or at least factory ammunition) than the .358, but why not?

I mocked up some rounds using an old set of .35 Whelen dies (sized with .300 SAV, expanded neck and seated bullets with the .35 Whelen)

All I had kicking around were some Barnes 225 gr. bullets, not that I expect to use them, but they look like they mean business

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Borrowed my Dad's 99F and 3 shells fed like butter. Anymore than that they hung up in the mag. I usually just stick 3 in as habit from duck hunting, so if I can't figure it out easily, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Now that I know they'll feed, the hunt really starts for a .300 Savage and start the .35/300 project wheels turning (.358 Savage? .35 Savage? .35 Cowboy? ;))

Cory
 
Hmmm... Aside from the wildcat factor, the 35 Cowboy suffers from the base of the bullet consuming valuable space in the cartridge. If you went to 308 you'd get a longer neck.... Considering you are going to buy a rifle for this effort, a 308 would cost ~ the same as a 300 Savage....
Then again, maybe you do want a rifle that maxes out at 1800 fps.
 
Sorry if I wasn't clear, I'm not planning to use the Barnes, it's just what I had on hand. The 165 gr. 30 cal Interlock (which is what I shot in the .300) is 1.152" long and a .Hormady 358 200 gr. is 1.155" long and a Sierra 225 gr. Gameking is 1.157", so I don't think I'll lose that much capacity?

Cory
 
Just go .358 at least you can sell it later if you get bored with it. Selling a wildcat .............NFL
 
This sounds very interesting. I have a M99 300 savage, Ruger 77RSI 358 win, and a 358 N.M.. The 35-300 is logically the next step. Can you inform us of the boring,rifling costs, and wait times please.
 
Ron Smith in Alberta can do it. You will have to pay for the reamer if he doesn't have it and it might be a bit of a wait.

he does had a 788 that was prity well shot out rebored to 358. cost was around 700
 
cosmic said:
Hmmm... Aside from the wildcat factor, the 35 Cowboy suffers from the base of the bullet consuming valuable space in the cartridge. If you went to 308 you'd get a longer neck.... Considering you are going to buy a rifle for this effort, a 308 would cost ~ the same as a 300 Savage....
Then again, maybe you do want a rifle that maxes out at 1800 fps.
Click to expand...

nomad 68 said:
I agree with cosmic. That bullet eats up way too much space. I'd be surprised if you even got 1800 out of it.
Click to expand...

I'm sure Cory won't be using monolithic solids in the 35 Cowboy. A Speer 220 flat or 250 round nose bullet will certainly work, and both will get beyond 2000 fps in the 99.

It will be sort of a 35-35 using IMR3031 and bullets that weigh about 50% more than its little cousin.

Ted
 
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