Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Win M70 Fwt Rebore

Not looking for thoughts on caliber or cartridge choices, but more along the lines of whether or not there is enough 'meat' in the barrel and chamber area to consider reboring a Win M70 Fwt 30-06, to say 338-06 or possibly 9.3x62mm. Also looking for thoughts on the effect of reboring on a hammer-forged barrel.

The alternative would be to have IT&D rebarrel. IT&Ds price to thread, fit, chamber, headspace, crown with a CM barrel vs reboring/rechambering is pretty much a wash.

I think my Featherweights have been .560 at the muzzle. A .338 would only leave you with around .110 per side, which is awfully thin.

I would rebarrel.

#2 or #3 contour? #2 @ 24 would leave ~.117 per side; #3 @ 24 ~.130, slightly more for each if cut and crowned @ 22".

If I followed GSSP's earlier example of a 9.3x62mm - with somewhat heavy rings/mounts - 8.4 - 8.5 lbs is doable with a 24" #3. I'd like to see if I can break/hit 8 lbs with a 338-06 or 9.3. Scheming and dreaming - I know.

http://24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/6144418/8

The pre64 FW in 358 had the same contour as all FW rifles.

I had Clearwater rebore a SS classic 30-06 barrel and a ZKK 30-06 barrel to 9.3. Both are hammer forged and both turned out beautifully.

The Model 70 went to a friend and came out 7lbs 11 ounces as it looks here



I think a FW barrel in 338-06 would be good, as long as you weren't sensitive to shooting a muzzle light rifle.

Not exactly the same, but I have a .375 in a Mauser with a slightly recontoured Shilen number 4. It's .670 at the muzzle and with a Bansner stock goes about 6.5 pounds without a scope.

The action weight on that rifle is probably fairly close to a M70, so will give you an idea.

Talk to your gunsmith, but I would go with something like .625 at the muzzle with a .338 and .650 with a 9.3. This may sound heretical for a M70, but I really like the factory Remington contour for something relatively lightweight that still retains decent diameter at the muzzle.

Details please, if you recall. Stock? Rings, mounts? 22" Barrel?



Heretical maybe, but I have nothing against the Remington factory sporter contour. I'm guessing that IT&D could trace a Rem contour and thread, et al for a M70. Much to think about.

FWIW, I found a couple photos on the nitroexpress.com forums of a 9.3x62mm (factory) Zastava (commercial 98 Mauser). One photo showed a caliper reading at the muzzle of 14mm (~.550)! Wasn't much left around the bore.

Rule of thumb is .1" minimum a side at the muzzle. I have a pre-war JP Sauer Mauser with a very lean barrel that I had rebored from 30-06 to 35 Whelen by Cliff LaBounty years ago. It measures .560" at the muzzle. My factory barreled 35 Whelen Ruger M77 RS (older tang one) goes .558" at the muzzle, again with a very lean contour. I own a number of rebores, both rifles and handguns, and have always been pleased with the results. LaBounty (now Clearwater Reborng) did all of my rifles and Al Seigrist my handguns. Al is doing another for me now.