Boring out a BSA featherweight to .35 Whelen?

unstableryan

unstableryan

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Hello,

I'm always wondering about the newest toy in the toybox and I thought of something. I would like any advice or recommendations either way.

I got this rifle in a deal and I got a good deal. How good or bad of an idea is it to send it away for reboring to .35 whelen? I can measure it later when I get home, but is there enough barrel?
IMG_0396_zps0lcwvzcl.jpg
 
It cost me 700+ dollars to rebarrel that same rifle to 338-06 a few years ago. IMHO yours seems to be in too nice a condition to monkey with.
 
BigUglyMan said:
She gets awfully narrow out there at the pointy end. Without measurements it's hard to be sure. It'll be exuberant once you get it done!
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"Exuberant" is polite for kick like a mule.

Rebarrel it if you must have a 35 whelan on this receiver.

One other thing, the stocks on this model BSA are very prone to cracking. That little round brown spot, just between the trigger guard and mag well is a tapered "wood" dowel that has been glued in place to prevent cracking during recoil. The glue used has often deteriorated to the point the dowel can be easily driven out. If you go through with this project, I suggest you glass bed the inletting and use some sort of strong mesh in the mix to hold it together. I've had several of these rifles where the dowel fell out and the stock was cracked all the way back into the wrist. One went off to one side and the stock was split just over the trigger.

Did I mention this thing will kick like a mule?????

IMHO there isn't enough metal in the barrel for such a project. That's a nice Monarch Deluxe Featherweight and there is a very good reason it has an integral muzzle break.

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This is a great classic rifle, I’d leave it, lots of used 35’s come up on ee, many magnufacture the 9.3x 62 now as well, same in my books. I used the Whelen for many years, I consider it along with the 9.3 and 338 as the most versatile out there. I used my whelen on 200lb to 1800lb game without a hiccup.
 
mbogo3 said:
We know where Whelan got his idea for the .35 .................the 9.3x62
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Stay on subject.
I don't need your patronizing here as well b/c
yeah, I heard that before....
"Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles"
and they still lost two world wars....
How much proof do you need that 30-06 Spr is better than 8x57 ?
 
The factory barrel on my Husky 9.3x62 measures .590" at the muzzle, if that's any help.

Maybe shoot it as is and see how you like the recoil, because it won't get any better as a Whelen.
 
gunrunner8 said:
Stay on subject.
I don't need your patronizing here as well b/c
yeah, I heard that before....
"Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles"
and they still lost two world wars....
How much proof do you need that 30-06 Spr is better than 8x57 ?
Click to expand...
You need some prune juice by the sounds of things.If you're so smart why are you asking questions ?I've likely forgotten more than you know. Blocked for being rude.
 
IIRC from Roy Dunlap's book....
Usually SS barrel chambered with high intensity cartridge needs min .125" muzzle thickness and .110" in long barrel 24" and longer.
CM barrel (HT 4140 equivalent) needs at least .110" muzzle thickness and no less than .100" in long barrel.
Those are bare minimums, little or a bit more will reward you with less vibration and more accuracy.
I have couple of 35 Whelens and the one barrel is .625" at muzzle the other is .675".
 
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Thanks for the ideas and information everyone. Maybe I'm better off selling one of them and putting it towards a .35 instead, they are just pretty rifles. It's time to trim a few other randoms out of the cabinets as well so that they all fit nicer.

In centerfire hunting style rifles, I have .223, .243, 6.5x55, .270, 30-06, .375 h&h, .44 mag and 45-70. The wife has claimed the .243 as her hunting rifle (thank god not the 6.5) and I'm probably acquiring a 25-06 soon as a good friend of my dad's passed away and I'm dealing with his guns for them. I was just thinking about trading one of the middle sized guns into another larger one. I'm not into overkill on little whitetails, I am just kinda enjoying shooting larger rifles lately and I handload for everything, so cost isn't a problem.
 
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