Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only 450 Marlin Bolt Action??

How's about this for a strange one. While digging around W-W's site, looking for any way possible to avoid work, I went to the M70 Classic, Custom Short Action page http://www.winchester-guns.com/prod...535&type_id=915&cat=013C to oogle. 2/3 of the way down the list of available calibers is the 450 Marlin.

Is that different, or what??

R-WEST

The .450 has been a custom shop option for awhile. I'd love to have one but it's too rich for my blood. A standard production model 70 carbine or Rem. Seven would be fabulous in .450. Even better, I'd like to see a Browning BAR carbine in .450!

Buy an old short action rifle, reface the bolt and rebarrel. Would save about $1500.

It not too different than having to custom a .458"x2" American in the past.

2nd Jackfish here ...

Cheapest route ...

Start with a short action Savage as the donor with mag bolt face

1. Remove barrel
2. order a prechambered / threaded / contour of your liking barrel from the barrel manufacter of your choice
3. mount / space barrel back on the Savage action

I know many do not like the looks of the Savage barrel mounting system but I can not think of a simplier or easier method for barrel mounting and spacing.

Using my prefferd barrel maker and getting Chrome moly barrel contoured, chambered and threaded is $265 total for barrel.

Figure apx $250 for the Savage donor if you take your time and shop around.

This brings the total to just over $500. So for between $500 to $600 you could get a bolt 450 Marlin up and running. Now add to your taste ... orginal stock or replace with after market, Open sights or scope, sling of your choice and taste. Still should be able to keep whole package under $1000 but that is accoring to each taste and wallet.

I agree this makes for a good close heavy cover bolt gun.

Yeah Winchester takes a big bite with their Custom M70 but you can get the same action chambered for the .450 Marlin from Clark's for around $800.00. In fact they offer the .450 Marlin in the Win. M70, Ruger M77 or Rem. M700 barreled actions or a complete rifle for an additional $350.00. I choose the M70 barreled action for my rifle and have never regretted it. I also built Ruger No.1 in the .450 Marlin, sort of a modern day buffalo rifle. Also, point of note, is Charlie Sisk is building rifles chambered for the .450 Marlin. Browning already chambers their BLR for the .450 Marlin and it works great due to the fact that it lets you use pointed/spitzer type bullets. Rumor has it that Ruger is considering chambering their M77 and No.1 for the Marlin round. It looks like the .450 Marlin is going to be a slow bloomer but bloom it is doing. Lawdog

Lawdog, I read somewhere that the Winchester M70 short action can load, feed and chamber up to 3.1" rounds. Anything to it?

I'm not Lawdog but I can answer your question. I recently purchased a Win 70 WSM S/A, the mag box interior length is 3.055". The 350RM dummies I sent along to the 'smith for throating were 3.020" COL.

If you want a Win 70 donor for a 450Marlin, then go with a WSM model. You may have to swap and modify the mag follower only to make it feed as it was in my case (pun intended <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />) PM me if you need more info.

MtnHtr

R-West,

I had one of Jim Busha's .450 Heavy Express rifles in for testing in '02, it was built on a Ruger M77 short action. If you think .450 "WSM" you will get the idea of the cartridge: it is based on a rimless version of the .348 Winchester.

At any rate the M70 rifle is an eight pound, short-action rifle, where the others in that group run 7 pounds. It sounds like the extra weight is in the barrel, and it will be "weight forward" handling.

I have trouble understanding what a short action buys you in a rifle of this bore size anyway.

I posted this reply to your post on AR as well.

jim dodd

Hey everyone

just get an encore

BB

Ok I like the thoughts of doing the savage thing , but why not just pickup a 458 and load it down a bit to duplicate the 450 and crank it up when you want to see your brotherinlaws eyes cross and bulge when he pulls the trigger?

I have a BLR on order. Why spend $$$ on a bolt action when one can buy a venerable levergun!!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I have a .450M bolt built by Clark Custom on a Ruger 77 action. Shilen barrel, bedded, laminate stock, trigger job, etc. I wouldn't call it totally "custom", but it cost less than half of what the Winchester does.

jackfish,

I have loaded Barnes 500 gr. X's out to 3.09"(the length of my Barnes load) without any feed problems. When I purchased my barreled action from Clark's I sent them a dummy round with the Barnes 500 gr. X as a guide for my rifle. Clark made sure that the rifle chambered and feed flawlessly. I couldn't be happier. Lawdog

Lawdog, is that a CRF Win M70?

John Noveske has built a 45 cal. wildcat on a mod. 70 WSM action.
He is getting about 2600FPS with a 300 grain Barnes, on an 18" barrel think, so a 450 Marlin should be no sweat.

Yup. Lawdog

I want one in 375/300 WSM. 22" barrel. Just because.

CRF is Control Round Feed