Cooey-Carcano 7.62x39 Project

I used a Savage 110 barrel. With most of the original chamber cut off, I don't think a shouldered installation on the receiver would have worked.
Carcano threads are about the same diameter as the Savage shank, close to 14tpi. The threads could be cut on a Savage, and a barrel nut used, in lieu of a shoulder.
Thought it would be easier to just turn down and thread the shank to match the take-off 6.5x54 barrel.
A Lee Enfield barrel has a 1" diameter shank, 1-14 (55 degree) threads. If the Lee Enfield shank were shortened, it could be rethreaded for the Carcano, with a shoulder; or for a LE as far as that goes. The front end of a .303 chamber is just about the same as 7.62x39. Adapting the .303 barrel is a very viable option. Good full length LE barrels are a little scarce these days, although ones that have been shortened are reasonably priced.
 
Last edited:
Doing some final inspection, noticed that just inside the mouth of the chamber about 5/8ths of an inch of the original '06 chamber remained. Rats! sez I. Back onto the lathe, ran the reamer in another quarter of an inch. Clean cut all the way. Faced off the barrel until .140" of the gauge protruded. Set up for thread cutting, picked up the barrel threads, cut them a quarter of an inch further along the barrel.
Reinstalled the barrel, headspace is excellent. Handle goes halfway down on the No Go, the stripped bolt closes freely on a cartridge.

The set trigger mechanism was missing the adjusting screw. For reference, a 2-56 screw fits perfectly. Trimmed it to length, trigger mechanism is now working the way it was intended to. Incidentally, the set trigger group can be removed from the trigger guard. Remove the three screws, and tap it up and out. Makes it easier to clean and set up. You see a lot of these Carcano Cooeys with trigger problems.
 
That is the point of converting a C-C or Lee Enfield to 7.62x39. These are probably the easiest to convert. I'd been watching for a modestly priced C-C for some time. I've converted Lee Enfield and C-C rifles before for other people, so I knew what to expect. The C-C for this project cost about $130 all in. The barrel was a take-off I had in hand. I'm going to scope it, because open sights and my eyes just don't get along. Scope will have to be offset to the left, of course. I have a Williams base with offset rings that I will install with an adapter. A dot sight mounted on the receiver ring would be an option, as would a scout scope.

There are the Czech and Ruger bolt actions in the caliber.
 
tiriaq said:
That is the point of converting a C-C or Lee Enfield to 7.62x39. These are probably the easiest to convert. I'd been watching for a modestly priced C-C for some time. I've converted Lee Enfield and C-C rifles before for other people, so I knew what to expect. The C-C for this project cost about $130 all in. The barrel was a take-off I had in hand. I'm going to scope it, because open sights and my eyes just don't get along. Scope will have to be offset to the left, of course. I have a Williams base with offset rings that I will install with an adapter. A dot sight mounted on the receiver ring would be an option, as would a scout scope.

There are the Czech and Ruger bolt actions in the caliber.
Click to expand...

I still seem to find these and lee enfield sporters pretty cheap. And take off barrels usually can be had cheaply too.
 
A cut take-off Lee Enfield barrel isn't all that desirable - can't be used for a restoration. As long as the bore is fine, and it wasn't damaged in removal, one can be great for this sort of project. The price is usually very reasonable. The 110 Savage barrel I used is in the same category. Not much demand for a small shank .30-06 Savage barrel.
Garden variety LE sporters have been going up in price, but are still good project guns. A lot have doggy barrels, though.
 
tiriaq said:
A cut take-off Lee Enfield barrel isn't all that desirable - can't be used for a restoration. As long as the bore is fine, and it wasn't damaged in removal, one can be great for this sort of project. The price is usually very reasonable. The 110 Savage barrel I used is in the same category. Not much demand for a small shank .30-06 Savage barrel.
Garden variety LE sporters have been going up in price, but are still good project guns. A lot have doggy barrels, though.
Click to expand...

I think I’d use a more modern take off barrel threaded into the shank of a the barrel being used.
 
If a barrel has enough meat to be threaded to fit the receiver, then that is certainly an option. If not, making the original barrel shank into an adapter bushing - as was done in the case of the C-C rifles - is an alternative. A bushing can be made from the shank of the original barrel, or from barstock. As long as the barrel is properly fitted, on straight, headspaced, etc. I don't think it makes any functional difference. Using the bushing system, one needs to keep an eye on the diameters. The barrel has to have enough diameter over the chamber to be safe.
 
I've seen a few x39 converted Carcanos on The Other Site for sale a long while ago, alas I did not secure one for myself when the chance was there.
Provided I'd supply my own Carcano, what would the process be for procuring services to have it converted to 7.62 Soviet for my shooting pleasure?
 
Carcano or Cooey-Carcano? If it is an original, the conversion would be more time consuming and expensive.
Rebarreling a C-C as in this thread is pretty straightforward, any gunsmith with the reamer should be able to do it. Just make sure he understands the conversion, and get an estimate of the cost.
 
tiriaq said:
Carcano or Cooey-Carcano? If it is an original, the conversion would be more time consuming and expensive.
Rebarreling a C-C as in this thread is pretty straightforward, any gunsmith with the reamer should be able to do it. Just make sure he understands the conversion, and get an estimate of the cost.
Click to expand...
C-C of course; I've seen a few for sale that have caught my eye just for this purpose. I'm unsure if my gunsmith(s) are aware this conversion is possible, but I'll do some digging around to see if the gunsmith who made and sold x39 Carcanos I've seen previously is still around and willing to do up some more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom