25/06 barrel cut down for 25/20?

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brybenn

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Hey all. This will be the last year for my 25/06 barrel I think. The throat looks scaly but it still shoots good and has sharp rifling however I'd like to replace it with a longer barrel.
My question is would a 22" barrel with a scaly throat be able to be cut down and re chambered for a single shot 25/20? I'd like to have a short barreled light single shot for shooting cast bullets.
The rifling is 1/10
Would it leave enough barrel to be legal?
 
The answer to your question can't be given unless we know what type of rifle you are planning to put it on or how far the throat has been advanced. Shooting cast lead in a scaly bore is a royal pain in the butt. Measure the OD of the rifle where the scale is no longer evident and measure the receiver you want to put it on. That will tell you all you need to know.
 
A .25-06 is exactly what it says. A necked down .30-06. Rimless case's diameter(.473") is much bigger than a .25-20's rim(.408") alone. So it won't be just re-chambering the current chamber area.
You might be able to make a new chamber from what is left after cutting the whole chamber and throat off. A lot depends on the current diameter. Not likely though. Not enough barrel. Length will likely be around 19", assuming 3 gets cut off. Good for length, but not likely diameter.
Like bearhunter says, the rifle's OAL will depend on what action you use.
 
You've got 4 inches to play with to get out ahead of the scaly damaged throat. Of course the chamber itself takes up part of that. But the reamer for the 25-20 round reaches deep too. So it's likely that it would be just fine. You MAY only need to cut off around 2.5 inches then chamber and thread.
 
I'd like to find a suitable action similar to either a martini or Stevens favorite. Stub a Hnr maybe. I'm not sure of their measurements. The first step was to see if I'd have enough barrel. It's only the immediate throat that shows scaring. And only visible for a few millimeters
 
Martini maybe, Favorite, no fricken way!

Sketchy in a Steven Model 44 (a Favorite looking except bigger, built on the same plan, but still not a great CF cal gun). An original Favorite is on the marginal side with new High Velocity rated ammo. The breech block swings on a pin, and that pin, as well as the one that the lever pivots upon, take the entire load of the firing.

The Model 44 is a great gun to make a new build .22 rim fire out of. The factory chambered them in some pretty big cartridges, but quit that really early on in the run, once they found that they did not last! Worse with more moder cartridges in the old cast guns.

A Stevens 44 1/2 would work awesome, as would a Winchester Low Wall or High Wall 1885. Tough as old boots, them, and better looking too. :)

The Martini, if you are not put off by it's looks, is a pretty good pick, but it will take some time or money to come up with stuff like a decent set of sights or a scope mount. A BSA small frame Martini uses a 3/4 inch (IIRC) 16 TPI thread, otherwise you go huge and clunky looking with a full size Martini Henry action.

All sorts of info out there on stubbing the H and R types, and they certainly are cheap enough to play with too.

Cheers
Trev
 
Thanks for the reply. I wasn't sure if the favorites could take the thrust. using a newer made takedown model would be nice. I don't plan on upping velocity very high and using 87 gr cast or maybe the 60 gr flat nose. 44 1/2 actions are not so cheap are they?
 
I have a small receiver Martini that I used a scrapped 25-06 barrel on to make up a wildcat cartridge based on the 357 maxi case and necked down to 25 caliber with a 40 degree shoulder and a single diameter neck.

It is a hot little cartridge and likes 85-100 grain bullets. It is very quick with the lighter bullets and the 100 grain put a bit of stress on the little rifle as it can be difficult to get enough speed out of them in the 1-14 twist rate to stabilize properly.

Sunray tells you the truth. It will cost you as much or more to build the rifle you want to. Maybe a Savage 340 with the 222 or 223 bolt face would work for you if you open up the bolt face and rework the extractor. The 340 Savage is a much underappreciated rifle. Very stiff receivers and some incredibly accurate rifles have been built on them. Not only that, every one of them I've come across is a veritable tack driver right out of the box. Very strong system as well.
 
brybenn said:
Thanks for the reply. I wasn't sure if the favorites could take the thrust. using a newer made takedown model would be nice. I don't plan on upping velocity very high and using 87 gr cast or maybe the 60 gr flat nose. 44 1/2 actions are not so cheap are they?
Click to expand...

That there is the crux of the matter. The days of building a custom on the cheap are pretty much confined to books and magazines from years ago, or doing the whole project from barstock, yourself. Unless your tastes run to the H&R type break opens or similar inexpensive, but not very handsome, donors.

Whether you plan on lively loads or not, you must keep in mind that someone down the road may very well either try hot reloads or factory ammo and do themselves harm with the build. Best to stick to the idea that you build it to take as lively a load is as like to ever be fed it, else you cost someone their eyes or worse.
The Stevens 44 1/2 is about the strongest of the Stevens actions, on par with the Win Low Wall 1885, and is a true falling block action. Gotta be careful if shopping, as I have found 44 actions at gun shows that were "positively identified by a Gunsmith" as being 44 1/2 model, but were not. The price definitely was though. The 44 pivots around a screw as it opens, the 44 1/2 drops in a straight line.

Small Martini actions are a fair bit more common that the Stevens 44 1/2's out there. I would suggest that anything that looks OK for under $300,is probably a deal. Still cheaper than buying a lathe and milling machine, but nowhere near as much fun!
If you do go the DIY route, maybe track down a copy of the book Mister Single shot's book of Rifle Plans by Frank DeHaas. Some good ideas there, as well as in flipping through the various Single Shot rifles and actions books he wrote.

Cheers
Trev
 
bearhunter said:
Sunray tells you the truth. It will cost you as much or more to build the rifle you want to.
Click to expand...

the economics depends on whether or not you have a metal lathe and the ability to do the work yourself. Further you can make a D bit (spade bit) chambering reamer with a integral pilot about 1" long and .001 or .002"under bore diameter to do the chambering rather than buy a new commercial reamer. Modifying the extractor depends on the action you choose to modify; you can add material to a martini extractor for example, by silver soldering metal on then filing or milling to shape. (high temp silver solder)

cheers mooncoon
 
Lot of the economics is about it being a hobby. And a fine one at that. Isn't always about money. I just don't think a typical .25-06 hunting rifle barrel will have enough diameter to form the new chamber and not be too thin. You won't be able to use any of the original chamber due to the size difference. The throat won't matter.
Using a Stevens Favourite would add converting to centre fire. That'd be a major re-design.
 
I mistook the 44 for a favorite when looking at pictures of such rifles. Gun broker has several ideals for sale in 25/20

Thanks for all the replys. I'll just keep looking for a factory rifle after I rebarrel
 
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