So a few weeks ago I decided to take on this winter project for no better reason than to see if it could be done with layman's tools on a budget. So I picked up a .25RF, Eaton's "Eatonia" (Cooey Canuck I believe) barreled receiver, a bag of .25 ACP brass, and some .25 cal "Grizzley" HP airgun pellets that are sorta like shallow Minie Balls with hollow points.
First off, it had to be converted to Center-fire. I picked up a bolt local for a few bucks and disassembled it completely. This was actually the most difficult part of this whole project as those little Cooey bolts don't like to come apart after 50-60 years or so of being one assembly.
I removed the firing pin and it's retaining pin and drilled a new hole in the center. I was gonna weld over the old firing pin hole but I just didn't see the need to. I then had to make a new firing pin and figured the best thing to do was to get another striker from another cooey bolt (I had an old broken one) and make it out of that. The striker is basically shaped like a nail without a point and the head of the "nail" is what hits the firing pin. The head is the same size as the inner diameter of the bolt so all you have to do is trim it to length and spin the shank in a drill press while filing and sanding it to shape out a pin the diameter of the new hole drilled in the bolt face.
You end up with a firing pin shaped like a steel thumb-tac. I cut a small hole in the rim of it for a retaining pin as this firing pin, like the original RF one, is free floating. I wish I had taken a pic of the firing pin but I forgot to and I really don't feel like taking this bolt apart again.
I had to drill a new hole in the bolt body for a new retaining pin. I used a roll pin.
Now as for the barrel, I had read on other forums that it would have to be sleeved, or have the chamber end cut down, reamed and reinstalled. I really don't see why any of this was necessary. I don't have any .25RF on hand but from what I have researched, the case diameter is the same as .25ACP. It's longer, but so is .22LR vs .22 short and there's no problem there (my barrel is also spot on 18 inches long so cutting it down even a mm is not an option, legally). The only big issue is the rim and extractor grove. Now the .25ACP does have a rim, so it will headspace, but it's not very big and it's meant to be extracted from the grove. So I had to figure out extraction.
It was really as simple as just trimming the section of chamber that's swept by the extractor as the bolt rotates closed. I did this with a dremmel and grinding bit without even removing the barrel from the receiver. I didn't even have to tinker with the actual extractor at all. It extracts just fine after giving it clearance to snap into the cartridge extractor groove.
Now, I did have to tighten the headspace. Which, on a single shot Cooey, is as simple as adding a bit of material to the locking lug part of the bolt handle and filing/sanding/polishing to fit. I did this with a 130 AMP, Princess auto flux-core mig welder.
I'm not sure if I had to adjust the headspace because of the differences in rim thickness between .25RF and .25ACP or just because the bolt was not original to the barreled receiver. I don't have any data on the thickness of the .25RF rim.
After that, it was just cosmetics. Finding and finishing a stock, making it fit as it wasn't the correct one for the receiver, and adding a rear sight. None of which would be required if you already had a complete rifle and not just a barreled receiver.
I have since test fired this 25 times with handloaded .25 ACP (2.0gr Unique with 31gr cast HP bullets) with no ill effects or signs of trouble. Cases extract fine. Ejection is a little weak as there is no real ejector, but they are never held onto the bolt after they exit the chamber and for a single shot that will do.
I haven't tested accuracy past 25 yards yet as most of the ammo I made I fired off before I got a stock or sites just to test function, but it I shot 5 rounds in a group about 1" or so at that range.
For those of you wondering, handloading .25ACP is just a tedious as you would imagine and finding bullets is not easy. I only did it because I could find no factory ammo locally.
For those wondering what good a rifle in .25ACP is....I have no answer other than to say that you have one, or to shoot a rifle that you previously couldn't due to .25RF not being produced anymore. Only the latter is worth while for most people.
First off, it had to be converted to Center-fire. I picked up a bolt local for a few bucks and disassembled it completely. This was actually the most difficult part of this whole project as those little Cooey bolts don't like to come apart after 50-60 years or so of being one assembly.
I removed the firing pin and it's retaining pin and drilled a new hole in the center. I was gonna weld over the old firing pin hole but I just didn't see the need to. I then had to make a new firing pin and figured the best thing to do was to get another striker from another cooey bolt (I had an old broken one) and make it out of that. The striker is basically shaped like a nail without a point and the head of the "nail" is what hits the firing pin. The head is the same size as the inner diameter of the bolt so all you have to do is trim it to length and spin the shank in a drill press while filing and sanding it to shape out a pin the diameter of the new hole drilled in the bolt face.
You end up with a firing pin shaped like a steel thumb-tac. I cut a small hole in the rim of it for a retaining pin as this firing pin, like the original RF one, is free floating. I wish I had taken a pic of the firing pin but I forgot to and I really don't feel like taking this bolt apart again.
I had to drill a new hole in the bolt body for a new retaining pin. I used a roll pin.
Now as for the barrel, I had read on other forums that it would have to be sleeved, or have the chamber end cut down, reamed and reinstalled. I really don't see why any of this was necessary. I don't have any .25RF on hand but from what I have researched, the case diameter is the same as .25ACP. It's longer, but so is .22LR vs .22 short and there's no problem there (my barrel is also spot on 18 inches long so cutting it down even a mm is not an option, legally). The only big issue is the rim and extractor grove. Now the .25ACP does have a rim, so it will headspace, but it's not very big and it's meant to be extracted from the grove. So I had to figure out extraction.
It was really as simple as just trimming the section of chamber that's swept by the extractor as the bolt rotates closed. I did this with a dremmel and grinding bit without even removing the barrel from the receiver. I didn't even have to tinker with the actual extractor at all. It extracts just fine after giving it clearance to snap into the cartridge extractor groove.
Now, I did have to tighten the headspace. Which, on a single shot Cooey, is as simple as adding a bit of material to the locking lug part of the bolt handle and filing/sanding/polishing to fit. I did this with a 130 AMP, Princess auto flux-core mig welder.
I'm not sure if I had to adjust the headspace because of the differences in rim thickness between .25RF and .25ACP or just because the bolt was not original to the barreled receiver. I don't have any data on the thickness of the .25RF rim.
After that, it was just cosmetics. Finding and finishing a stock, making it fit as it wasn't the correct one for the receiver, and adding a rear sight. None of which would be required if you already had a complete rifle and not just a barreled receiver.
I have since test fired this 25 times with handloaded .25 ACP (2.0gr Unique with 31gr cast HP bullets) with no ill effects or signs of trouble. Cases extract fine. Ejection is a little weak as there is no real ejector, but they are never held onto the bolt after they exit the chamber and for a single shot that will do.
I haven't tested accuracy past 25 yards yet as most of the ammo I made I fired off before I got a stock or sites just to test function, but it I shot 5 rounds in a group about 1" or so at that range.
For those of you wondering, handloading .25ACP is just a tedious as you would imagine and finding bullets is not easy. I only did it because I could find no factory ammo locally.
For those wondering what good a rifle in .25ACP is....I have no answer other than to say that you have one, or to shoot a rifle that you previously couldn't due to .25RF not being produced anymore. Only the latter is worth while for most people.
