Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors 99E Rebore to .358 / finally picked up a donor

I've been wanting to have a 99E rebored to .358 winchester for a while and I finally scored a donor gun at the gunshow today. Currently chambered in .308 with refinished stock and pachmeyer recoil pad added. It has an "R" lever boss code which I believe puts the DOM at 1964.

I previously owned a 99 Brush gun in .358 and as much as I liked it I always hated the tang safety. I traded it away with the plans to have a 99E rebored to .358 as I believe the 99E's are the best of the 99's for hunting purposes. They retain the lever safety and simple trigger of the pre mil guns and there's no nervousness about dragging it through brush or hunting in weather that I would tend to avoid if toting a nice walnut stocked premil.

After the cost of reboring I'll be into this .358 savage 99 for around $450. I've already checked and factory .358 win ammo loads and feeds perfect with 4 rounds in the mag. The 5th round is a little finicky to load, but I don't mind the 4 in the mag limitation.

It will probably be a week or so before I ship it off, but I'll post prgress reports and picks as I go.

Weagle

Please keep up posted!!! Great project....


Mike....

I've got an E sitting here that I got just for the same idea but was told that the wall thickness of the barrel was no good and couldn't be done safely.

They told me to go with the 338 Federal cartridge instead.

Way back when I first found the campfire, we talked about an E that was given to me by my father-in-law. It has a Westfield, Mass. .358 barrel on it and an "RP" stamp. It was thought to have been sent back to the factory for a rebarrel. That would be the way I would go again today if I were considering the change. Going from 30 cal. to 35. cal would concern me a bit when considering what would be left in wall thickness JMO.

Earlier this year, I picked up a DL in .308 with that idea in the back of my mind. After shooting it some, I quickly decided that no boring bar should ever be put in a barrel that shot so well. So, now I'm stuck with a very accurate .308 with a tang safety! I guess worse things could happen. ;-)

Joe
The Difference between the O.D. of a 308 Barrel and My 358 is .078 Thousands. I would Not Think it Would Make That Much Of a Difference. But then again I not a Smith,,I am just a Dumb Tool Maker.

But Seeing How Mikes 338 Federal Shot at the Fest,,and That Cart Getting Great Reveiws,,and Newer cart on the market,,If it where my gun i'd Tend to Maybe go that Route.
Steve

What is the contact info for the guy who does this?

Jeff

Jeff
PM. MIke-Savage 99358 He Has the Place that Did It.
There Out West
Oregon or Alaska??
Ask Mike He Knows.
Steve

It was done up in Alaska, I'll get the name of the shop up tommorrow. Les

This is where it was done at, I called about getting it done too. Les

Wild West Guns

Heres another place that does re boring. http://www.deltagunshop.com/Clearwater/CW_main.html

I'm going to have the 99E rebored by Jesse Ocumpaugh. He rebored a Marlin 336 for me from 30-30 to .375 winchester and it came out great.

Weagle

Weagle,

Thanks for your posts. I have a 99E that I have been thinking of having rebored to .358 Win as well so I am interested in how your rifle turns out. Please keep us updated as the project progresses.

What twist are you having done for the .358 rebore?

Does the advertised reboring price of $145.00 include rechambering?

Does JES mill off the original chamber stamp before stamping the new chamber stamp?

Carbon12

The $145 is the total cost including rechambering except you do have to pay for shipping both ways. He had my marlin back to me within 10 days, but I can't believe he can always get them done that quick.

I'm going with a 1-12" twist which will handle 250gr loads just fine.

On my marlin he just stamped a couple of "x"s over the 30-30 and restamped it ".375 WIN". He would probably do it any way you wanted at a minimal charge. He's very easy to deal with in my experience.

Weagle

Weagle,

Thanks for the reply.

Other rebore services charge a bit more than $145.00 so I wonder what they do that JES does not. Or are the others charging more because there is enough client demand for their services and not because they do more or are any better.

I am guessing that you may have asked JES the question and I would be interested in what the reply was.

Carbon12

I love the idea of a .358 Win or the .338 Federal for a Savage 99. Would love to hear how that .375 Winchester turned out.

I guess that I'm going to have him do a 99CD 308 to 338 Federal conversion.

Jeff

CARBON12, I CAN SPEAK FOR JESSE'S WORK I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF IT. HE WELL BRING ONE OR TWO GUNS ON SATURDAYS. TO THE SHOP FOR THE OTHER GUYS TO LOOK AT. I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF THE 99E 308 TO 358 WORK HE AS DONE PLUS 30/30 TO 307 WIN. AND HIS 416 TAYOR. AT 145.00 FOR THE WORK HE DOES, I SAY IT'S A STEAL, BUT IF PEOPLE NEED TO PAY MORE, JESSE WOULD BE GLAD FOR A RISE ON THE WORK HE DOES. HE LIVES JUST FOUR MILES DOWN THE ROAD I STOP AND TALK TO TWO TIME A WEEK. MAD DOG TALK TO JESSE ABOUT YOUR REBORE TO 338,AND AS FOR WEAGLE HE IS MAKING A OTHER GOOD MOVING ON HIE REBORE. JESSE LOVES TO REBORE TO 35 WHELEN, AT THIS TIME HE'S WORKING WITH THE GIBBS CALIBERS FOR REBORING. AT 145.00 FOR AT REBORE IN TOO DAYS WORLD IS A VERY GOOD PRICE. PHIL