Rebarrel Rem 788 from 308 to .44 AutoMag

[lgm270]

Many have spoken fondly of the Remington 788 chambered for the .44 magnum.  Why couldn't you rebarrel a 308 for the rimless .44 Auto Mag and have substantially  the same thing?   

Maybe some  prob's feeding the shorter auto mag round from the 308 length magazine, but nothing that could not be worked out.

[cetme]

yes if you wanted a single shot. With the way 788's are made it would be a chore to change out the magazine.

[lgm270]

Yes, I'm afraid your right about the magazine.  Back to the drawing board.

[260 AAR]

As the 44 AMP is based on a cut down 308 case a 308 or [possibly] a 22-250 mag might work ok. If you want to try a 44 AMP round let me know. I think it might just work but I`ll still keep my 788 in the 44 Mag.LOL
Aloha, Mark

[Mikey]

I think the only problem you might encounter is in cycling a shorter cartridge (44 automag) through the action of a longer 308.  The actions are the same length, the bolts (and bolt face) are the same size and the magazine is wide enough to hold the automag round, because it is based on the 308 case.  For that matter, you could probably extend the cartidge length to the same as the 445 (longer than the automag) and load your bullets out farther.  Just a thought.  Mikey.

[smk]

Are you figuring on headspacing on the case mouth like a pistol? I have heard of people doing that with rifles, but it adds another level of difficulty to the project.

[lgm270]

Having read about  longer versions of this round on line, I assumed it would headspace on the mouth, like the regular 44 automag. Considering the complexity and pitfalls of this project, I've decided not to do it. Just  th ought it would be interesting.  788's in .44 mag are very rare and the idea of just  re-barreling was appealing, but not any more.