Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Educate me on rebarrelling a rifle

Is it best to simply buy a new barrel and have a gunsmith install it or is reaming out the existing barrel just as good?

I have two Tikka T3s of similar caliber (260 and 7mm-08) and was looking to make one into a different compatible caliber.

Unless the barrel contour is something special I prefer a new barrel. As to reboring. Depends on the starting caliber, ending caliber and thickness of the barrel

I may well be wrong, but I doubt there is enough meat in either barrel to go to the next logical chambering of 358.

May check and see if there is enough to go to 338-08.

Not sure what your final goal, but am ASSuming that those two are too close together in performance.

Rebarrel may well be the only option

I have some rebores and they shoot fine...only thing is you will wrap up just as much in a rebore as a rebarrel...might as well get a new barrel.. Reboring makes more sense on old winchesters and such where there are multiple dove tails and sights to cut along with keeping the original stampings.

For a Tikka T3 is it as simple as the gunsmith unscrewing the old barrel and screwing on the new barrel?

It seems as though a rebarrel is the better way to go.

It can be if the cartridge headspace is correct with the new barrel.
If it doesn't headspace correctly when screwed on then it will require machine work.
Even if the new barrel headspaces correctly, if the barrel has factory writing, or has been tapped for open sight screws, those things won't likely index properly for sight holes up at 12 o'clock & writing showing in proper location but would shoot/function fine.

Another question to get to the basis of your question . . .

What are the "compatible" caliber(s) are you thinking about?

We are talking T3 with .473 bolt face here, any cartridge from 22-250 to 9.3.6 is easily compatible, with a possible mag change and bolt stop change/alteration. Magnum bolt face would be a little harder, .378 cartridges would need a new bolt. A 260, 30-06 pair would be a good idea. Of course T3 are still in production, common and easy to buy or sell. It would be far cheaper to sell one and buy what you want.

Unlike some guns in the past. A new tikka will probably shoot as well as a newly barreled one. Unless you go top shelf on barrel and machine work, if you do that a new barrel job will cost almost as much as buying a new gun.

Whole lot simpler to sell one and buy what you want...

What is the thread pitch of the Tika T3?

I haven't found that to be the case. All of my rebores were done by JES. $225 and a quick turn-around.

Last I checked a decent S/S barrel was close to, if not north of 3 bills; a CM barrel being about $75-100 less. Add the expense of buying or renting a reamer and gages, and the total grows. This of course assumes you can do it yourself. If not, you'll have the cost of having someone else thread, chamber and crown.

To each his own.

Tikka are accurate and reasonably cheap, so unless you burn out a barrel I'm not sure why you are not selling it and buying the gun in the chambering you want.

A barrel that will shoot as good as your tikka will run you 300, and then you have a couple hundred to chamber it and put it on the action.

Yeah they just screw in, but unless your putting on a take off, expect a couple hundred from the smith for fee's...

Because find a LH action of that quality in stainless steel, or a LH 9.3 x 62 of same.

New barrel install on at T3 is about $550.