Changing Caliber of a Ross M-10?

Drachenblut

Drachenblut

BANNED
BANNED
BANNED
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
91   0   1
Location
Smithers, B.C.
Hello,

I have seen/heard of several people changing the Ross M-10 rifle (usually sporters) from the venerable .303 British into different calibres. I am curious what re-chamberings have been done in the knowledge of people here. How powerful a calibre can the rifle take? I have heard rumours of the action withstanding damaging loads up to 110,000 PSI. I don't know if this is true or not.

Let's hear what calibres have been changed for this old war horse!

P.S. I own a Ross M-10 and don't think I would change the calibre, this is out of pure curiosity!
 
Rechamber or rebarrel?
As far as action strength goes, 1910 Rosses are strong, so that is not an issue.
Rechambering would be a waste of time unless the bore was perfect. .303 Improved, .303/.300 Magnum (case neck opened for .303 bullets) would be options. Both of these have magazine issues.
Rebarreling could include most any belted magnum, but the magazine has to be considered. Russians did them in 7.62x54R. The bolt face and extractor are sized for the .303.
Barrel shank is large in diameter, and breechface cuts are eccentric.
Reworking one of these would be a labour of love, and would be expensive if a 'smith had to be paid.
I have a 1905R sporting rifle, and would like to have a spare barrel with a washed out bore rebored to .35. .35/.303. Very similar to the .35 Winchester, which was an optional chambering in these sporters.
 
I have one rebarreled into 6.5 303 improved and one rebore into 35/303. I have seen and shot one in 264 winchester mag and in 300 weatherby mag
John
 
tiriaq said:
Rechamber or rebarrel?
As far as action strength goes, 1910 Rosses are strong, so that is not an issue.
Rechambering would be a waste of time unless the bore was perfect. .303 Improved, .303/.300 Magnum (case neck opened for .303 bullets) would be options. Both of these have magazine issues.
Rebarreling could include most any belted magnum, but the magazine has to be considered. Russians did them in 7.62x54R. The bolt face and extractor are sized for the .303.
Barrel shank is large in diameter, and breechface cuts are eccentric.
Reworking one of these would be a labour of love, and would be expensive if a 'smith had to be paid.
I have a 1905R sporting rifle, and would like to have a spare barrel with a washed out bore rebored to .35. .35/.303. Very similar to the .35 Winchester, which was an optional chambering in these sporters.
Click to expand...

One things for sure: changing the barrel was never easier, except maybe on a Blaser. Undo locking screw, a rap or two with a soft hammer and about 1.5 turns and out it comes by hand.
 
RRCo. said:
One things for sure: changing the barrel was never easier, except maybe on a Blaser. Undo locking screw, a rap or two with a soft hammer and about 1.5 turns and out it comes by hand.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but that's not true.

The 1905 short rifle and 1905-R sporter had a thin barrel, which was easily removable using your method, that's the one you're thinking of. Barrel thread is LH. (they don't always come apart easily though)

The 1905-E and Mk II**, and the Mk III went to a much heavier barrel with a RH thread.

Those barrels are torqued tightly in, requiring barrel vice and action wrench.
 
cantom said:
Sorry, but that's not true.

The 1905 short rifle and 1905-R sporter had a thin barrel, which was easily removable using your method, that's the one you're thinking of. Barrel thread is LH. (they don't always come apart easily though)

The 1905-E and Mk II**, and the Mk III went to a much heavier barrel with a RH thread.

Those barrels are torqued tightly in, requiring barrel vice and action wrench.
Click to expand...

tiriaq said:
I have a 1905R sporting rifle, and would like to have a spare barrel with a washed out bore rebored to .35. .35/.303. Very similar to the .35 Winchester, which was an optional chambering in these sporters.
Click to expand...

See what I'm referring to?;)

Yes, I know the other ones are tight...
 
Having pulled a number of 1910 barrels, I'd suggest that these suckers can be tight. Akin to working with P14/M1917 rifles.
As far as cartridge conversion and magazine adaptation go, has anyone here ever taken a Mk. III action and altered it to a Mauser style magazine like the M-10 .280?
 
cantom said:
Oh, okay, got it. :redface: If you were referring to Tiriaq's 1905-R then sorry. I thought you were talking to the OP about his M-10 marked action.
Click to expand...

I watched my gunsmith pull about 3 Mk III barrels in succession. With a good, very tight barrel vice block and a good action wrench, it looked almost routine. He didn't strain that much.

The problem I had was, the barrels didn't swap to other receivers well. I had a full length barrel I wanted to put into another receiver, but no go. It ended up 180 degrees out. It ended up it was not successful swapping the barrels around. They're not as universally installable as a Lee Enfield No 4 barrel.
 
cantom said:
I watched my gunsmith pull about 3 Mk III barrels in succession. With a good, very tight barrel vice block and a good action wrench, it looked almost routine. He didn't strain that much.

The problem I had was, the barrels didn't swap to other receivers well. I had a full length barrel I wanted to put into another receiver, but no go. It ended up 180 degrees out. It ended up it was not successful swapping the barrels around. They're not as universally installable as a Lee Enfield No 4 barrel.
Click to expand...

Just as per the No4 barrel, turning a shoulder on the barrel reinforce and using a breeching washer is always an option. Done well, it would hardly be noticeable with the right finishing.
 
I have a gunsmith friend (now retired and in poor health too) who made one into a 7mm Magnum.
 
If it had been previously bubba'd or was a sporter to start with, I can see the reasoning, but doing that to a full military Ross should be a hanging offense! They aren't making them anymore and you lose another bit of Canadian history.
 
John Sukey said:
If it had been previously bubba'd or was a sporter to start with, I can see the reasoning, but doing that to a full military Ross should be a hanging offense! They aren't making them anymore and you lose another bit of Canadian history.
Click to expand...

Most of the military Rosses which I see have been bubba'd beyond salvation. Frequently they are not even a good source of parts for restoring a rifle. Once the barrel is chopped, the stock cut behind the rear band, the bore allowed to corrode, there isn't much left.
Intact military specimens are rare; ones in superior condition are very seldom encountered, and are now commanding serious prices when they do surface.

Taking a Ross action, rebarrelling and restocking it, is not a beginner's project.
 
If the Bubba rifle in question is a .303, do think about converting to the legendary .280 Ross but with a normal .276 bore/ .284 groove barrel.

Action is long enough to handle it, strong enough to stand anything short of a truckload of Forcite. Rifle will require a commercial-type magazine, or you might custom-build a Lee box magazine for the .280, have quick-change mags for all those charging lions and now-homeless wandering Tigers. Great on Moose, too: excellent stew.

7mm Remington has been done many times, works well, but why not go with the REAL maggie: .280 Ross. You can fake brass from .300H&H, use any standard 7mm slug.

It would be fun.

But NOT to an original unBubba'd rifle or one which still is saveable.

Epps can do the work. They have the reamers AND the experience.
.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom