A wildcat for my 94.

[RangerRiz]

     I just became the owner of a well worn Winchester 94 in 30/30.  It is in now way a collector piece so i will not be destroying the value. I want to have it rechambered to 35-30/30 imp. There are several reasons fo this.  I like the 94 alot more than the 336 so no sugestions of going that way in 35 rem.  It will be first and formost a plinker and i want to be able to shoot 35 cal. pistol bullets.  When i get the chance to go hunting for hogs in Florida with my family I will use it for that. I want the barrel cut to 16 1/4 inches. I will be using it with open sights.  Most likely illiams reviever on the rear.   I also want to have a cartrge keeper inletted in the buttstock, because a previous owner had a sling swivle instaled and got it off center and crooked.  Any how I was wondering if anyone knew of anyone who can do the work.  I was also wondering if I could have the barrel rebored to 35 cal or if i need a new one.  dont even know where  to get a barrel  for a levergun. 

                                                                                                                                                                                               Ranger

[SHOOTALL]

don't know of 35 cal. bbls for mod. 94 when Winchester did it they went to the big bore and called it a 375 win .
have you considered a 32 ? that should be obtainable from a parts source or factory .

[Graybeard]

Contact GBO Sponsor SSK Industries. They do a lot of that type work and I'm pretty sure they both can and will do it for you. www.sskindustries.com

[RangerRiz]

Shootall I am not looking for more power. The main reason i want .35 is so I  can use .35 cal pistol bullets at the range. The bigger cross- section will also be a plus for hunting.  Greaybeard thanks for the heads up.  SSK is just down the road from me. My brothers girlfriend's parrents are just 10 minutes from them and he goes down every couple of months.
                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                                                             Ranger

[SHOOTALL]

sounds good !
good luck , let us know !

[Oldtimer]

In Cartridges of the World, Barnes lists a .35/30-30 wildcat that is just the .30-30 necked up to handle .358 bullets.   He says that the advantage is the long neck of the cartridge relative to the .35 Remington allows the use of heavier bullets.  It is quite an old wildcat as it was used to rebore rifles in just the shape the you describe.  All you really need to make it is an expander to open the neck up.  Lots of outdoor ranges I have been to you could police up enough once-fired .30-30 cases to keep you supplied for the rest of your life.  Good luck, this sounds like a winner of a project.

[RangerRiz]

Thanks for the info Oldtimer. That is exactly what my cartridges of the world said. I have not owned too many rifles and would not have the ones i have if my brother was not such a good horse treader, but i have always been partial to 35 cal. When I read an article in some magazine that suggested using pistol bullets for close work and plinking, I was realy hooked. There are more 9mm and .35 cal bullets than almost any other pistol type.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Ranger

[Lloyd Smale]

it wont be a cheap project no matter how you go about it. Reboring isnt a whole lot cheaper then buying a new barrel. It would make a nice little rifle though.

[Slufoot]

I remember reading a post a while back about someone who had their lever action rifle re-bored by a shop called Reboring by Jes. He is able to re-bore to these calibers according to his add in the Gun List 338, 358, 375, 40, 405, 44 and 458. His add says $180 includes shipping.

[crash87]

RangerRiz, I've been thinking for some time now on the wildcat your interested in. There are a number of rebore specialist out there. Contact them as to what you want as a lot will have a price to rebore a barrel that is sent. If you need them to take it off you'll incur an up charge. But...expect to pay in the range of 250.00 or so. What I planned to do, IF, the rebore specialist didn't have a reamer for the 35-30/30 IMP was to 1st have a gunsmith rechamber it to a 30/30 IMP, the barrel will then be off and it can be sent to have rebored. All that would be needed then would be to have the neck reamed by your smith who will be reinstalling the barrel. This is going to be my approach as I will be using it as a 30/30 Imp. for a while as I want to see what the improvment over the 30/30 actually is. Then have it rebored to the 35 cal. Understand that there is usually an upcharge to work on levers as opposed to bolt actions. At least this has been my experience. Not much but something. I've had 3 rifles rebored to different calibers and one about to be sent out (waiting till after the Christmas rush) and couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome. I have an old Mossberg Model 679 That is going to be the the rifle of choice, probably go with a 1:16 twist. Good luck with the project. CRASH87