Reboring worn/ pitted barrel?

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kferguson

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Is it feasible to have a worn 30-30 barrel rebored, rechambered and rifled to 38/55? I believe they use the same parent brass. If so, who does this work in Canada?
Thanks!
 
I dont think the 30-30 barrel will be thick enough to go that far. 32 special might work. A rebarrel might be cheaper if you find a used one.
 
toebako said:
I dont think the 30-30 barrel will be thick enough to go that far. 32 special might work. A rebarrel might be cheaper if you find a used one.
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I think the .30/30 barrels are the same contour as .32 Specials and .38/55's. If yours is a carbine you can buy a period replacement .30/30 fairly reasonable. Rifle length barrels are more expensive if you want a vintage barrel. Sometimes you can find an 1894 rifle that has had the receiver drilled or the stock broken but still has a good bore. You can buy one for a decent price and part out the rest of the donor rifle and get some of your cash back.
 
I have a factory 30-30 M94 Winny, and a factory M94 in 38-55.
The outside diameters of the two are identical.
I would have no issue with reboring a worn or pitted 30-30 to 38-55.
Ron Smith would be my choice, as well.
Eagleye.
 
Only thing with a re-bore to 38-55 you have the choice of .378 or for better bullet selection a lot of guys go .375 Not sure a 30-30 could be worn out from shooting it,neglected yes or damaged from cleaning improperly ............Harold
 
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The rifle in question is a Savage 99 SRC. The dealer lists it as having a"very poor bore". For a dealer to say that, it must look like a mile of bad road. This is a project idea I'm toying with. I don't think replacement Savage 99 barrels are a common item, hence my reboring question. Thanks for all the replies so far.
 
That muddies the water somewhat cause now you will have to contend with the spool magazine as well.Could be fun getting it to work with a different case.....unless you went to 30-30 opened up to .35[ .35 lever power I think was the handle].......Harold
 
If the rifle in question is a Savage personally I would pass and wait for another one. They come up for sale fairly often and are quite reasonable compared to older Winchesters. The .30/30 99 Savage isn't in high demand.
 
38/55 is the same case, albeit with slightly changed dimensions. Hey, I like the .35 wildcat idea, to take advantage of readily available bullets, or .375, or.....? What do you folks know about this?
 
Depends what you're looking to do with it, but there are a few choices in .379 bullets. Barnes still makes em I believe. And cast lead works great in slow lever cartridges like the 38-55
 
kferguson said:
Blastattack,
Can you give me a ballpark figure on cost of this service?
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Unfortunately I cannot remember his price of the top of my head. I recall him saying that it's cheaper than a new barrel (which is $390), however he may have meant an installed new barrel (~$600). Best to give him a call and ask for yourself, as re-boring and rechambering varies depending on the complexity of the rifle. His number is 1-403-631-2405

Additionally, I know that he has a couple hundred factory takeoffs in the shop, and I would hazard a guess that a few are from Savage 99s. It would be feasible to buy a smaller caliber barrel and have it re-bored to a larger caliber, or even to your original chambering.
 
Projects and their fun value not withstanding, you could pass on this rifle and buy one in excellent condition cheaper than a rebore. Run of the mill 99's in good to excellent shape go between $350 - 600, so even if you got the 99 for 100 bucks and 600 for a rebore and rechamber, well you do the math...........
 
If you got that kinda of money make your wildcat off 30-30. 338 Marlin Express bullets on a 30-30 case would be interesting. Rebore the barrel to 338 and get a 30-30 classic Lee loader renecked to 338 for loading.
 
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