Bought a Ross sporter by bubba off the EE...the great barrel turned out not so great...its the mk3/m10 with the bolt intact (no pin driven through the center of the bolt housing)....any good or better barrels kicking around? I have a weak spot for these but don't know if its worth trying to fix...the local gun shows seem to always have Ross rifles with "fair" bores like mine still going for pretty good dollars and I wonder if mine is worth something more because of the unmodified bolt? If I was able to find a replacement barrel how easy are the barrels to change over without gunsmithing type wrenches etc...(well padded vice and pipe wrench which I have used for mausers and lee enfields in the past)....any advice, pointers etc????
Ross rifle barrel blues
- Thread starter wannabe
- Start date
I don't think there is any lower cost easy way to get a new barrel installed.
Any rifle you buy to salvage the barrel would likely cost more than yours did.
Reboring to .a 35 wildcat would be an option, but your rifle likely has the enlarged chamber which would be an additional complication.
Can't see that a pinned or unpinned bolt sleeve would affect the value of a sported rifle. That pin is a WW2 modification.
A rebarrel with a new blank is an option, but might not make economic sense. A Mk.III rifle requires a large shank diameter. Threads are square, and there are breech face cuts, which complicate the machining. Then there are sights and finishing to consider.
There have been custom rifles made up on Mk. III actions - new stocks and barrels. But these projects are advanced and can be costly.
Mk. III barrels tend to be torqued in tight. Removing one without damaging barrel or receiver needs proper tools. A padded vise and pipe wrench aren't likely to do the job.
I would suggest that you shoot the rifle, and if performance is adequate just use it as is.
Any rifle you buy to salvage the barrel would likely cost more than yours did.
Reboring to .a 35 wildcat would be an option, but your rifle likely has the enlarged chamber which would be an additional complication.
Can't see that a pinned or unpinned bolt sleeve would affect the value of a sported rifle. That pin is a WW2 modification.
A rebarrel with a new blank is an option, but might not make economic sense. A Mk.III rifle requires a large shank diameter. Threads are square, and there are breech face cuts, which complicate the machining. Then there are sights and finishing to consider.
There have been custom rifles made up on Mk. III actions - new stocks and barrels. But these projects are advanced and can be costly.
Mk. III barrels tend to be torqued in tight. Removing one without damaging barrel or receiver needs proper tools. A padded vise and pipe wrench aren't likely to do the job.
I would suggest that you shoot the rifle, and if performance is adequate just use it as is.
W/E
Yours is a MKIII even tho it has M-10 on the breech (way to delineate Army rifle from the sporter (M-10) used by collectors and old farts like me.
Do yourself a favour and put it back up on the EE. The only good thing about the MKIIIs is their “collector” value (for military collectors). They are overly heavy and especially barrel heavy to carry in the woods and really not worth resuscitating if Bubba’d, as they are just “reproductions” not refurbished.
If you are contemplating competition, a 2* 1905 is your meat.
The 10 series Rosses for all around shooting/hunting/ease of ammo, are best represented by the E or R-10 (.303) with the slim (light) M-10 contour barrels. A pleasure to handle and carry in the woods, and will shoot just as well as any MKIII.
E-05 in .35 Winchester is one of my all time favorites for hunting and handles like a Sedgley or a Neidner.
Now if ya wanna talk “ne plus ultra” hunt down a .280 SDS w/ a Lyman 50 and you will be a happy man forever!
OGC
Yours is a MKIII even tho it has M-10 on the breech (way to delineate Army rifle from the sporter (M-10) used by collectors and old farts like me.
Do yourself a favour and put it back up on the EE. The only good thing about the MKIIIs is their “collector” value (for military collectors). They are overly heavy and especially barrel heavy to carry in the woods and really not worth resuscitating if Bubba’d, as they are just “reproductions” not refurbished.
If you are contemplating competition, a 2* 1905 is your meat.
The 10 series Rosses for all around shooting/hunting/ease of ammo, are best represented by the E or R-10 (.303) with the slim (light) M-10 contour barrels. A pleasure to handle and carry in the woods, and will shoot just as well as any MKIII.
E-05 in .35 Winchester is one of my all time favorites for hunting and handles like a Sedgley or a Neidner.
Now if ya wanna talk “ne plus ultra” hunt down a .280 SDS w/ a Lyman 50 and you will be a happy man forever!
OGC
Blastattack
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg MB
The no pin bolt is irrelevant. I'd probably consider that a defect, considering it allows for unsafe disassembly. Being that is it sporterized, nobody is going to care about that. It's interesting but doesn't have any meaningful impact on value. If the barrel is full length, it may command a small premium to someone looking to restore, but if the barrel is shortened, it's not worth a whole lot to anyone, especially if the bore isn't very good.
As for gunsmithing, you need tools. I made an action wrench and an appropriate barrel sleeve, and the thing came apart readily, but I would not attempt to do so without proper tooling. Use of a pipe wrench on a firearm is beyond moronic, and shows a complete lack of care and attention for the firearm. The risk of destroying things is very high without using proper tools.
Shoot it first, I have a home guard Ross with a fair bore. It will touch bullet holes at 100m regularly. Most accurate iron sight rifle I own.
Sierra 180gr hunting bullets work for me over IMR 4895. I shoot a light load of 47gr powder. Case length overall same as what military ammo would be. Have to look it up, it's seated pretty far out.
Good luck.
Sierra 180gr hunting bullets work for me over IMR 4895. I shoot a light load of 47gr powder. Case length overall same as what military ammo would be. Have to look it up, it's seated pretty far out.
Good luck.
Check out Sierra bullets , and get Spitzer flat base bullets for better accuracy, boat tail bullets are not as accurate in a worn barrel
Most of my Ross rifles, both factory sporters and bubba'ed military MKIII's have dark bores and some are just plain sewer pipes.
I do have a R10 sporter, all original, that shoots pie plate size groups at 50 yards with jacketed 180 grain Sierra Gameking bullets. These are .311 dia.
It shoots 2 inch groups with 180 grain cast (lubed and gas checked) bullets that I got from the Bullet Barn a few years ago. These bullets are .313 dia.
As several have said, shoot your rig first before crawling down the rabbit hole of having it re-barrelled.
I do have a R10 sporter, all original, that shoots pie plate size groups at 50 yards with jacketed 180 grain Sierra Gameking bullets. These are .311 dia.
It shoots 2 inch groups with 180 grain cast (lubed and gas checked) bullets that I got from the Bullet Barn a few years ago. These bullets are .313 dia.
As several have said, shoot your rig first before crawling down the rabbit hole of having it re-barrelled.
- Location
- WMU248 near Edmonton
that .35 1905 E looks good
I have a 1905R that I will someday need to do something with.
I have a 1905R that I will someday need to do something with.
That is a beauty OGC.
I have a re-finished 1905R that I picked up about 10 years back from a CGN member on the EE.
Wonderful little rig to carry in the field and with original open sights, it shoots really well too.
