Cost to rechamber a barrel

[grumpyErik]

I would like to rechamber a 30/30 handi to 30/40 Krag. What would a good ballpark figure be on the cost of such work? Oh, and would I have to get work done on the extractor?

It's not that I dislike the 30/30 but, just have a soft spot for the old warhorse. 

[R.W.Dale]

I've rented chamber reamers and hand reamed barrels before using a 3/8" drive speed handle with a weeble wobble and some added weight. The couple three I've done turned out rather well. However some would blanch at this prospect and it very well may not be for you. Once I get my paws on either a 308 or a 30-30 bbl I'll be using this method to ream it out to a .308 bored 7.62x54r

Renting a reamer and a set of headspace gauges will run about $40, however this will only work with ream jobs where the reamer and or pilot can get a good start into the chamber/bore as with 30-30 to 30-40

[Spanky]

I would like to rechamber a 30/30 handi to 30/40 Krag. What would a good ballpark figure be on the cost of such work? Oh, and would I have to get work done on the extractor?

It's not that I dislike the 30/30 but, just have a soft spot for the old warhorse. 

My thoughts exactly.
I'd love to have a 30-40 Handi.


Spanky

[AtlLaw]

Some time back a bunch of the subscribers on the Yahoo NEF list had it done; all at the same time.  After some concern with the time the 'smith was taking to start on their barrels, they were done and returned.  I don't remember what the cost was but everyone was very happy.

Conversely, I had mine done by a local 'smith, it never would eject, the chamber was polished out of round by said 'smith so much that, while it would eject finally, I had to double tap the primer to get it to fire!     Gave it to a member here who says it fires every time for him and puts them in an inch or so...  he loves it...

So I gave up on the 30/40 idea.  It's a good 'un though!   

[grumpyErik]

I would never do this myself. It will have to go to a smith. I am not exactly handi. Do any of you know of a smith who does this kind of work well.

[quickdtoo]

Hand reaming for straight walled cartridges is easy, but for bottlenecked rounds like the 30-40 where there's a lot of metal being worked, I'd go with a smith, I've paid anywhere from $50 to $135, and always got a great shooting barrel. I've done a 30-30 Ackley by hand with no problems tho, but there's not a lot of metal removed. I'd just hate to ruin a good barrel to save less than $50, the reamer rental will cost over $30 including shipping.

Tim

[PHATINJUN]

Grumpy I have just gotten my 30-30 bbl and am going to have this done also. The last bbl I had done was 223to225 it was done by a smith out in Oaklahoma I rented the reamer and sent all to him it cost me less than $100 including reamer and shipping. I did the extractor work my self and all is fine with it. I have not looked at this extractor yet or even know if I can use the same one for the 30-40 I also have not made contact yet with the smith to see if he will do it but I don't know why he wouldn't. If you or any one else is interested let me know and we will see what can be worked out and I will make a call to him. I was not going to get gung Ho about it til after the first of the yr. Let me know I'm doing it for sure. Kurt

[quickdtoo]

The 30-30 extractor/ejector should work after being cut down a little, the 30-40 has a slightly bigger rim. 

Tim

[trotterlg]

What I have found on reamer rentals is they are a rip off.  First they won't rent you just one, you have to rent a rougher and the finish reamer.  A new fixed pilot reamer from PTG will cost you $95.00 and you can ream a bunch of chambers with it and sell it on Ebay for $50.00 for a cost savings over renting the two and paying the shipping.  Before you do a rental look into just buying what you need and have a fresh one.  If you can find someone with a lathe is is dead easy to do, even by hand with a sharp reamer it is not though, main thing is to set it up so you can walk around the barrel while reaming it, like in a floor vice with the barrel vertical, this will result in a very nice chamber.  Remember, with a Handi rifle you only get one try are reaming it, cut it too deep and it is a grape stake.  Larry

[quickdtoo]

From those that have actually rented a reamer from GBO sponsor 4D, there's no other reamers required than what you order, you place your order for the reamer you want online, and 2 days later you get the reamer in the mail, you have 10 days to return it,  pretty simple if you ask me. 

Tim

http://www.4-dproducts.com/

[LaOtto222]

I would thing you could get a reputable gunsmith to do a rechamber in the $75 - $100 (+ shipping both ways) range. You will have to call around to find one that has a 30-40 reamer then find out how much they will charge. If you can not find a gunsmith with a reamer already, the reamer rental would be extra. If you want the ejector modified that expense would be in addition to the reaming and shipping charges. Personally, I would not do a 30-30 to 30-40 by hand, just too much metal removal and chance of doing it off center.

I have also rented from 4D. I did a 357 to 357 Max. Only the one reamer was needed and I had 10 days to get set up and ream the barrel, which took all of 15 minutes including setting up the vice. I can't remember the exact cost but I think it was under $40 including the shipping. I placed the order on line and got a phone call about 1  1/2 hours later to make sure I was going to get what I wanted.

I was thinking about hand reaming a short chambered 221 Fire Ball to 222 Remington for a 700 Remington BDL a while back. I was strongly advised against it by several people on this site in the gunsmith section. There is just too much metal to be removed, with a great chance of reaming the chamber out of round. It is difficult to keep the reamer centered (with out reaming the sides even a little) for the entire depth of about .3" I had to ream the shoulder. I ended up renting a reamer to make it a full depth 221 FB. I ended up hand reaming about .011" or .012". It turned out well. I have a 22 Hornet SL barrel that I have been thinking about getting reamed to 22 K Hornet and will more than likely sent it out to have done if I make up my mind to do it.

JFEI - Never, ever ream a chamber with a hand drill (powered or other wise); I do not care how short you are going to ream it. Do not use a drill press for reaming a chamber, unless you know there is minimal quill run out and you can get it set up perfectly straight and centered with the quill and bore. It would act as a vertical lathe. I have a drill press, but do not have the measuring equipment to ensure all the above measurements can be done precisely. It is much more difficult to do than you might think. Once you ream a chamber out of round, off center or not perfectly straight with the bore, even a little; the barrel will be a tomato stake. It is a chance I do not want to risk.

[FW Conch]

? LaOtto- what about the "throat" if you "do it yourself" ? Jim

[R.W.Dale]

the barrel will be a tomato stake. It is a chance I do not want to risk.

NAH it's not that bad  you simply ream to the next bigger case then.

If handi barrels cost $300 I wouldn't think of hand reaming but when they cost less than $100 I'm more than willing to risk breaking a couple eggs. The trick to hand reaming is to use a "speed handle" with a universal joint so you can ream with a continuous motion and the reamer can find it's own way. In my opinion using a T handle would indeed be a complete waste of a good barrel.

But granted it isn't for everybody,

the last bbl I reamed was a takeoff .223 Savage LRPV bbl that over the course of a couple hours got hogged out to .225 win, so far this tube has shot many groups in the .5's

[AtlLaw]

The trick to hand reaming is to use a "speed handle" with a universal joint so you can ream with a continuous motion and the reamer can find it's own way. In my opinion using a T handle would indeed be a complete waste of a good barrel.

Whoa there sports fans!     I never heard of a speed handle!  Tell me more.  Do the rest of you agree?  I understand the reasoning behind the "walk around the barrel."  Is this similar?  where can you get one of these handles?

Remember, I'm fixin to ream my BC to 45/120!

[Badnews Bob]

 Richard. Speed handles can be had just about anywhere that sells hand tools. They look kinda like a jack handle for screw jacks with a spinning knob type handle on one end and 1/4, 3/8, ro 1/2" drive on the working end. I've worn out many of them in the Navy, we weren't allowed to use power tools on jets so thats what we used to get thre job done fast.

[FW Conch]

  krochus, I have often thought that the 7.62x39 would be a good candidate for reaming but isn't it & the 7.62x54R  both really 7.92mm or .311/.312 ? Help Me- Jim

[Lon371]

where can you get one of these handles?

NO! its an automotive tool.

Lonny

[BCall]

Yes the 7.62x54r is technically  supposed to be .311-.312, but on most dies you could simply put a .308 expander ball in instead of the standard one, and shoot .308 instead. I have plans to do this as well. I think Lee already sells their dies with a .308 expander, and I have seen some listed with both included with the dies. I think it would be a great conversion as long as you didn't shoot factory ammo. I don't know how factory ammo with the larger bullet would work, might make a pressure spike, I don't really know, and don't plan on finding out either. HTH, Billy

[PHATINJUN]

I used 4-D rental when I did mine and it was very easy no hassle to do. Just the one reamer was needed as I think all that would be needed for this rechamber and i did the extractor myself with the dremel. Kurt

[quickdtoo]

I used my drill press to cut the last ejector down, chuck a small dremel stone up, and use the table to steady it, a $40 cross slide machinist's vice from Harbor Freight should work even better. 

Tim

[BCall]

I used 4-D rental when I did mine and it was very easy no hassle to do. Just the one reamer was needed as I think all that would be needed for this rechamber and i did the extractor myself with the dremel. Kurt

Which caliber did you do?

[R.W.Dale]

Yes the 7.62x54r is technically  supposed to be .311-.312, but on most dies you could simply put a .308 expander ball in instead of the standard one, and shoot .308 instead. I have plans to do this as well. I think Lee already sells their dies with a .308 expander, and I have seen some listed with both included with the dies. I think it would be a great conversion as long as you didn't shoot factory ammo. I don't know how factory ammo with the larger bullet would work, might make a pressure spike, I don't really know, and don't plan on finding out either. HTH, Billy

I plan on shooting .308 bullet handloads however

I don't think even factory ammo would be a problem provided you stuck with loads no larger than .310 which incidentally is 98% of x54r ammo. At only .002 oversized it's really no different than many .310 or smaller 7.62x39's shooting .311 bullets. I've done extensive research on the subject and apparently it takes surprisingly little pressure to swage a bullet down even a very drastic amount. The infamous 6.5x50 jap to 30-06 is one well studied example I looked at.

 I'll take a pic of my reamer setup, it's a bit cobbled together looking but it works good.  Starting from top to bottom it's a Crafstman speed handle 3/8" drive then there's a heavy 1/2" drive 36mm socket slipped over the end. This weight is to provide a concictant downward cutting force that's low enough to not force the cut and doesn't rely on my pushing the cutter by hand. Next is a 3/8 drive weeble wobble to isolate the reamer form side forces caused by the hand crank. Then at the bottom you simply need to fashion an adapter to go from 3/8 drive male to female for the reamer itself. You can buy such adapters or simply couple two sockets together end to end with a nut and bolt inside each end.

Again reaming a bottlenecked rifle chamber might not be for everyone, however you guys doing straight walled conversions may find it usefull.

[Badnews Bob]

FW the 7.62X39  is also .310 to .312 you can shoot those in a .308 bore, Ruger mini 30s are made with .308 barrels and those have had thousands of surplus shot thru them with no problems.

I think you could make a more accurate rifle by useing a .308 bore say from a .30-30 to rechamber to 7.62x54R  jsut use the .308 sizer and .308 bullets, Much better bullet selection also. You can still use soviet spec loads with out a problem.

[FW Conch]

BCall, I follow what you mean about the dies when the rebore is done on a .308 barrel but if it is done on
the 7.62x39 Handi (.311/.312) the bore fit would be sloppy.  krochus may intend to also do a barrel rebore
but I wouldn't think a .311 bore would clean up a .308   Jim

[FW Conch]

Looks like we all get home @ the same time- I'll let things settle out a bit!  Jim

[LaOtto222]

FW Conch - I do not think doing a throat would be a problem doing it by hand. You are not removing much steel and you are not going to go that far; just go slow and keep the reamer as centered as you can while reaming it. Never turn your reamer backwards and use enough cutting fluid to keep the reamer wet. I have used a regular cutting fluid, but I think that "Tap Magic" or an equivalent would work.

[grumpyErik]

Ok, never mind I found a local smith who has a lot of experience doing this work and has the reamers to get the job done. Cost about $100. Thanks for all the info, this is a really interesting thread though, man I have leaned a lot from your replies! 

[BCall]

BCall, I follow what you mean about the dies when the rebore is done on a .308 barrel but if it is done on
the 7.62x39 Handi (.311/.312) the bore fit would be sloppy.  krochus may intend to also do a barrel rebore
but I wouldn't think a .311 bore would clean up a .308   Jim

Guess I should have clarified, I think the 30-30 rechamber would be better than the 7.62x39. .311 cannot be rebored from .308 that I know of. If it was me(and I plan on doing this in the near future), I would rechamber a 30-30, just as the OP was wanting to do. Better bullet selection, and easier to get a 30-30 barrel. Too many people are looking for a 7.62x39, I would rather rechamber a 30-30, and sell the x39, you get esentially the same thing, and don't lose a highly sought after barrel. That was my original thinking when posting. Billy

[R.W.Dale]

I think you could make a more accurate rifle by useing a .308 bore say from a .30-30 to rechamber to 7.62x54R  jsut use the .308 sizer and .308 bullets, Much better bullet selection also. You can still use soviet spec loads with out a problem.

I've extensively checked and rechecked the chamber dimensions and I'm confident that a 308win chamber will also  clean up with a 7.62x54R reamer with very little reaming. Bacically you'll open up the body taper slightly, barely push the shoulder forward and cut a relief for the rim.

On the subject of bore vs bullet diameter, if your're too worried about the larger bullets through a .308 bore you could always rent a throating reamer and cut a nice long, deep pressure relieving throat

[BCall]

I think you could make a more accurate rifle by useing a .308 bore say from a .30-30 to rechamber to 7.62x54R  jsut use the .308 sizer and .308 bullets, Much better bullet selection also. You can still use soviet spec loads with out a problem.

I've extensively checked and rechecked the chamber dimensions and I'm confident that a 308win chamber will also  clean up with a 7.62x54R reamer with very little reaming. Bacically you'll open up the body taper slightly, barely push the shoulder forward and cut a relief for the rim.

Ammoguide says no, but it would be close. according to Ammoguide, the base of the shoulder is .002 narrower than the 54R, and it is only .0002 longer than the .308 at the base of the shoulder. DOn't know if that would matter on a case that could headspace on the rim, but full length sizing the brass might be a problem, don't know for sure. I would think that a 30-30 barrel would still be a better option. If someone were to try a 308 barrel and it didn't work, the barrel may then be useless, but a 30-30 barrel will work if done properly. JMO, Billy