Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles JES Rebore Issues

I have a perfectly good .308 that I bought with the intention of going .358, but this is where I keep coming back to. Plus the factory ammo availability, if needed.

He sent a note that he'd stamped the bottom of my barrel, didn't mess up the factory stamp.

So, the Win barrel still says .243. On the bottom, it's stamped .358 1-12, designating round and twist.

I think a very uniform and consistent bore contributes to accuracy. Even if the rifling isn't that pretty, a uniform bore is critical, having seen barrels that weren't. Tight spots, loose spots, they generally don't shoot very well. I had a Kimber barrel like that, replaced it.

DBC helps with fouling. Those barrels smooth up over time with use.

I don't think he could turn them out as fast as he does and at his price point, making them all look like Kreigers...

As far as .308 vs. .358. I have both, the .358 is more fun for a Loony. You can shoot .357 revolver bullets. I have three scopes I'm mounting for different classes of ammo. A Leupold VX-3i 3-9x40 CDS for 225 NPT, NAB, and SGK. With the CDS, I'll have an effective round out to 300 yds or so. A Bushnell 4200 3-9x40 will be set up for the 200 gr. Horn FTX, another scope for 158 gr. JHP's.

DF

"As far as .308 vs. .358. I have both, the .358 is more fun for a Loony. You can shoot .357 revolver bullets. I have three scopes I'm mounting for different classes of ammo. A Leupold VX-3i 3-9x40 CDS for 225 NPT, NAB, and SGK. With the CDS, I'll have an effective round out to 300 yds or so. A Bushnell 4200 3-9x40 will be set up for the 200 gr. Horn FTX, another scope for 158 gr. JHP's."

That's way too much mucking around for me these days. If I want to shoot .357 bullets, I'll grab my Marlin or Ruger 77.
My rifle looney'ism is waning.

Careful, there...

DF

He called me back the other day after I left a message about a rebore I want done. It took a couple days for him to return the call as he said he is pretty busy so you might want to call as soon as you can and leave a message

So, I found SU35's thread https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/14651307/1 and this looks like what I'm seeing down the barrel. I don't think anything was done wrong, but I don't know that I would do a rebore again.

Today, I scrubbed and scrubbed on the bore getting it as clean as possible. I brushed the crap out of it. I don't use brushes very often in general.

I mounted a scope on higher than I like rings. It's what I had lying around.

Then, I went out and shot 10 handloads using Barnes TTSX bullets, one to find paper, and 3 - 3 round groups. I don't have any factory 358. I was shooting around 2" - 3 shot groups at 100 yards.

When I came in to start cleaning, the muzzle end of the barrel is holding carbon really bad as seen from the muzzle end. I don't have a borescope, so this may be going on in more of the barrel.

I thought I could try cutting more off, but I don't know that I want a 16" barrel. I don't know if it's an optical illusion (I'm holding the rifle up to a light and looking down the barrel) or what, but the main "problem" areas look like they are near the muzzle.

I had a 700 35 Whelen that copper fouled terribly. The 1st 5 or 6 shots were not bad on target but it was downhill from there with lots of Sweet's in between range sessions. I think it took about 15 or 20 rounds total with the NECO firelapping kit to smooth it out. The throat advanced about .015" but the bore is a lot smoother & fouls very little now. Accuracy is better than before lapping. David Tubb also makes fire lapping kits with ready made abrasive bullets for about $35. It might be worth a shot... or 10 depending what JES says.

I had JES Rebore a .270 to .35 Whelen. Overall I’m happy, but with some caveats.

My directions as to how I wanted the barrel restamped were not followed, so there is som chipped up Cerakote. Oh well.

At first the barrel copper fouled like crazy. Accuracy was okay. I loaded up a couple boxes of Speer .358 bullets I bought on sale during a rebate using a bunch of free to me once fired .30-06 brass I turned into .35 Whelen.

Around 250 rounds through the barrel something changed. Several different loads started shooting tighter. Barrel shows less copper fouling.

I’m not an expert, but I assume the recut barrel needed sone shooting and cleaning to smooth out some rough spots.

My rifle is a good enough shooter that when I’m in the field and put the scope on an animal the limiting factor in accuracy is me.

I’ll be sending more figures to JES, but like my .35 Whelen, the base rifle is going to be a pawn shop rescue.

I’d do two things before I started cutting off barrel.

First, call JES and see what he has to say.

Second, get some cheap 158 gr .357 bullets and load them up. https://reloading-data.speer-ammo.c...liber_357-358_dia/358_Winchester_158.pdf

Put a hundred down the barrel. See if it cleans easier as you shoot. Try sone more of your hunting load to see if the groups improve.

This is how my JES rebored .35 Whelen is shooting after a couple hundred rounds down the barrel.

Looking at the price of say a custom McGowen,
I don't know why some folks gamble their money
on reboring a factory barrel.

I've owned several JES rebores and aside from the stamping issue on one, they all shoot lights out. They were all on non-stainless barrels. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, at all. The 35 Whelen he did for me shoots like Tannhausers rifle above.

How much is a custom McGowan barrel plus installation?

I doubt the final price is anywhere close to what I paid for a JES rebore. A rebore is a good option for the guy who wants a hunting accurate rifle.

I’d be curious to know how many different loads have been down the tube post rebore? From reading, it’s not clear exactly what loads have been tried.

If the barrel does t like one particular handload, then I’d think the concern is premature.

I still think it needs sone rounds through it (.358 Win is great because you can shoot cheap pistol bullets) and then try a couple different bullets.

Go to McGowen site and select your desired
specs and it will show total $.

At a quick look, after I bought the barrel like I wanted, had it Cerakote, sights mounted and it all cerakoted I’m guessing I’m in around close to 3 rebore s, maybe more.

I don’t need the panache of a McGowan when my rebored rifle dies everything I want.

Whatever is good for you, but that don't
mean it applies across the board /to everyone.

Yup

There isn’t much out there in factory 358. I’ve reloaded for years and reload for several calibers. Usually you can find something pretty close. Then, fine tune it.

I’ve tried barnes, speer, sierra, and nosler. I’ve used load data from magazines and manuals. The m48 magazine is relatively short compared to say a Ruger’s, so that can limit seat depths.