.35 Cal Midbore Madness - Help!

Gunslinger

Gunslinger

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With the last few threads on .35's I've decided to ask for some help with my affliction. I have a bit of a problem with midbore .35 cal rifles and finances. I like them all but really can't justify the overlapping when there's so many other shiny trinkets that seduce, something has to go. I have three that must be reduced to one.

First is a Brno ZG47 in 9.3x62 23" barrel, classic! Plan is to restock, case colour the receiver, rust blue the trigger guard, bolt & handle, floor plate, install a rust blued 21" Lothar Walther octagonal barrel with rib long term project that likely won't be cheap. If the barrel works out too expensive I'll just cut the one on it down to 21" and install a NECG banded front sight. Sorry I'm a short barrel guy, the longest barrel I have in my collection is 22", short and handy does it for me.

Second is a Ruger 77RS tang model in .358 Win 19" barrel I lucked into NIB. Apparently there were only 758 made in 1989 for a US distributor. This is a tang model with the older gloss bluing and iron sights. I removed the leaf sights and installed a NECG rear aperture sight to see what it looked like, perfect brush buster and handles like a dream (second photo), almost reminiscent of a mini safari rifle, just needs a ebony forend!

Third is a Ruger Hawkeye in .350 Rem Mag. Plan was to chop the barrel to 20" and install a NECG banded front sight, then restock it in a quality synthetic. What I like about the .350 RM is it's the perfect do everything handy rifle package, there's not much short of dangerous African game it can't handle and even then it's not totally out of it's league in the right hands. Nice thing is the Ruger mag box allows bullets for the .350RM to be seated out a tad further, plus they don't make this model anymore so I may never see one again.

I'm really torn on which two to sell. I'm leaning heavily on keeping the ZG47, in fact as much as I know two have to go it's a non starter thinking about selling it. I've already listed the .350 RM for sale but every time I go through the safe and pick it up I'm hoping it'll just sit. The .358 Win is so sweet I haven't brought myself to putting it up for sale, I keep wanting just one more kiss from her, but deep inside I know it won't get used as much as the ZG47 if I fix it up like I want to. Then there's the hoarder in me who says shut up and keep them all. This must be what it's like to be a woman making a decision. Logic must prevail however! Opinions please.........



 
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The 35's are great, stupid me got rid of a 35 Whelen. I only used cast bullets in it and it was a gem. Took a few deer with it, wonderful performance with cast. I can't be of any help here because all 3 are so nice. I've always wanted a 358 but then the 350 is the ballistic twin of the 35 Whelen so I kinda favour that one. I've never had or tried a 9.3 but read they're great as well. All nice looking rigs so I'll toss a coin................(Keep the.....). Keep them all, life is far to short to not have what you have.
 
I like the medium capacity medium bores. This began 40 years ago with purchase of a .350 Remington and continues today with the 9.3X62. The rifles can be kept short and light weight, yet still pack a punch. I was planning to convert my M-7 Remington to 9.3-284, but now it seems that my new mountain rifle will be a 9.3X62 based on a 700 Remington which I hope to keep to 6 pounds.
 
Back away from the BRNO! No fooling with that rifle on pain of frozen-fish-flogging. It's already .008" better than any 35 you could turn it into.
 
I agree a flogging would be in order if I turned the ZG47 into a .35, a 9.3x62 she will forever be. The stock has some notches cut underneath by some Neanderthal so it'll have to be changed. Everything else is good apart from finish, but I do think a 9.3x62 octagonal barrel with rib would be classy. It would be a forever gun so I'm not too concerned about resale, but I do understand the feelings around messing with perfection. Imagine something like this ZG47.

 
You'll NEVER see another one of those Ruger short 358s probably - so be sure to shed a tear if you send it down the road. There are a few of those Stainless Rugers in 350RM out there and you could likely get another (I have two of them - one I rechambered to 350WSM) - so maybe that one should be the first to go.The other two are so nice no help here.
 
Gunslinger said:
I agree a flogging would be in order if I turned the ZG47 into a .35, a 9.3x62 she will forever be. The stock has some notches cut underneath by some Neanderthal so it'll have to be changed. Everything else is good apart from finish, but I do think a 9.3x62 octagonal barrel with rib would be classy. It would be a forever gun so I'm not too concerned about resale, but I do understand the feelings around messing with perfection. Imagine something like this ZG47.

Click to expand...

I'm putting my fish back in the freezer, but don't forget that I still have it.

If it ends up looking like the photo you'll be a lucky man.
 
Gunslinger said:
I agree a flogging would be in order if I turned the ZG47 into a .35, a 9.3x62 she will forever be. The stock has some notches cut underneath by some Neanderthal so it'll have to be changed. Everything else is good apart from finish, but I do think a 9.3x62 octagonal barrel with rib would be classy. It would be a forever gun so I'm not too concerned about resale, but I do understand the feelings around messing with perfection. Imagine something like this ZG47.

Click to expand...

Great, you had to show me that. Now I wondering what Ralph Martini can do with mine.
 
You're planning on changing so much on the Brno 9.3, that if it were me, I'd get a military Mauser 98 action and start from scratch. The Brno looks pretty close to perfect to my eyes.
 
If you plan to hunt with it, then you need to keep the most suitable, most accurate of the three. If it will remain a safe queen, here's my opinion:

- the Ruger Hawkeye with its synthetic stock and stainless steel has no soul - it has to go;
- the Brno is not a 35 Cal, any more than a 6.5X55 is a "Quarterbore", but that can be overlooked. You plan to completely re-do it (including replacing that awful Euro-stock), so any action you might use for a build in the future would do; and
- the Ruger 77RS is unique and irreplaceable (but that doesn't mean valuable). Keep it, or forever regret selling it.
 
I wouldn't suggest selling any of them unless you are are the point of having your vehicle re-posessed or something.

The Brno ZG47 I would keep, even if I sold every other rifle I owned before it.

Actually I don't see these three rifles as complete duplicates either - there is definitely something making a guy wanting to keep each of them.
 
Which one to keep really depends on what you plan on hunting with it and where.

That little 358 sure would be a sweet deer rifle loaded with 200s with the option of heavier bullets for moose/bear. I'll take it!
 
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