Converting Shotgun to Centerfire???

[bigbush]

well bruno called me back, at 10:30 p.m.! he can get inserts for pretty much anything, but advised me when using a cooey shotgun as the gun to be modified, but suggested not going much higher then 3030 or 303 due to chamber pressure.


for a 10" barrel the price is $150-60 and it just inserts into the barrel of the shotgun. i ordered one in 3030. he had to order it from the manufacture in alsaka and didn't know the turn around time. he said he would call when he orders it and let me know if it was going to take some time.

as far as payment goes, he does not require a deposit or that you pay up front. he orders the part in and will ship to you with an invoice.

sounds like a good guy to deal with. i will keep this thread updated as my deal goes on with bruno.

 

[TheCoachZed]

Keep us updated! I can see a lot of old single shot shotguns being converted if this is a success . . .

 

[bigbush]

ok here is my initial review of this product.​

the MCACE barrel inserts are sold by one guy in canada. his name is Bruno Gross. He is in fairview alberta and owns/operates bullseye reloading supply. he is a great guy! he got the barrel to me in 2 weeks. it had to be brought in from alaska for the caliber i wanted. (30-30). The 10" insert costed by $163 shipped.

the BI (barrel insert) was shipped to me very nicely wrapped in bubble wrap. The muzzle looks to have a poor finish as shown in the attached photos, but i can clean it up so, so no big deal. Also when inserting a cartridge it is difficult to remove it once fired from the chamber because there is no extractor or room to get your finger nail into to remove the casing. (photos will show the tight fit).

The BI goes in nice and snug into the 12ga. barrel and remains firmly inplace with a rubber ring that surrounds the BI. this is the only thing holding it in place. it is easy to remove the BI because the shotguns extractor brings the BI forward when the barrel is opened.

for this project i drilled and tapped some remington 597 sights into a bastard barrel i had lying around. i will have a range report hopefully by next week.

Bullseye Reloading Supplies
Gross Bruno
780-835-4648
PO Box 1798
Fairview, AB T0H 1L0

 

[Can-down]

Thanks for the update Bigbush! I'm looking forward to the range report...the price is a little steep after import, and the quality looks more in line with his listed price of $71.00 US shipped.

It would be nice to get some imported by CanAmmo from China to go with his backpackers and it would be nice if the extractor could be made to work to extract the case

 

[olegs69]

Thanks for the review.
But the product looks kind of flaky.
Looks fun but useless.

 

[AManWithAGun]

Are these inserts smooth bore or rifled ?

 

[bigbush]

they are rifled bores. i'm not expecting to have the worlds best bench rest rifle with this thing, i more did it out of curiousity. i picked up my cooey 84 for $50 on the EE and combine that with $160 for the insert, its still an economical centerfire! beats dropping $300+ on a HR, IMO.

olegs69, yeah, i don't think this is going to be my "go to" rifle!

can-down, i'm thinking someone somewhere with basic rifle barrel making knowledge could easily make these and sell for half the price! i think there would be more guys buying them if the price was lower on them.

 

[AManWithAGun]

can-down, i'm thinking someone somewhere with basic rifle barrel making knowledge could easily make these and sell for half the price! i think there would be more guys buying them if the price was lower on them.

The only thing is, how do you make rifling inside the barrel ? I think that's the step holding most people back.

 

[pharaoh2]

The only thing is, how do you make rifling inside the barrel ? I think that's the step holding most people back.

Nope, you just pre rifle a C-cell battery and let it do the work.


I'm sorry, the shot was there and I took it.

 

[TheCoachZed]

If you used steel-cased ammo, you could use a strong magnet to extract cases? Maybe?

I do think that someone should figure out how to get these in from China.

 

[Covey Ridge]

i picked up my cooey 84 for $50 on the EE and combine that with $160 for the insert, its still an economical centerfire! beats dropping $300+ on a HR, IMO.

$300.00 for a HR which is a real rifle that actually shoots quite well and is available in many fine calibers or $210.00 for a bastardized 30-30 that does not extract? Might be cheaper but for sure it does not beat anything!

 

[bigbush]

Warning

I learned my lesson...

this is what happend to me with my 3030 barrel insert in my cooey 84. On my very first shot the firing pin sheered off. The photos will show that the firing pin actually punctured through the primer. (or thats what it looks like). the casing was stuck in the chamber and i had to pop it out with my cleaning rod. on a positive note, the bullet hit dead center of the target!

 

[Cordur]

In these pictures it looks like the barrel is notched to make removing the casing easier? Or was it just damaged after firing?

 

[gallen270]

sums that up nicely.

firing pin is bushed down on mine. no idea if the spring was lightened.

 

[bigbush]

i notched it out with a dremmel. i usually don't bubba my guns, but i didn't feel bad about it in this case!

upon further inspection, the firing pin is ok. it was just pushed WAY back. i was able to fix it. but i think i will be sticking to 2 3/4 shot though.

 

[tiriaq]

Large diameter shotgun firing pin intended for low pressure shotgun shells does not work with high pressure rifle cartridges. These need a smaller diameter pin.
My H&R has two barrels, 12ga and .357 Maximum. The small diameter firing pin works fine for rifle and shotgun.