Can a .243 Win be rebored and rechambered to 35 Rem after the barrel has been set back by 2 threads? For barrel thread reference, it is a Win Model 70.

Thanks, Dinny

It would make more sense to go with 358 Win since the parent case is the same, no setback required. Rebore possibility depends on the barrel diameter at the muzzle.

I'm not new to reboring. I already have 5 other rebores and one is a 358 Win. I can always shorten the barrel some to reach the .550" minimum muzzle diameter if that issue arises.

Thanks, Dinny

I don't know, but where the shoulder starts on the 243 is pretty much the widest part of a 35 Remington at the base. It would seem you'd have cut the entire chamber off and go from there. Should be a problem if you have 5 inches shank to play with.

RemM8,
I spoke to 3 gunsmiths today and got varied answers. Randy Selby said scrap the 243 barrel and have a premium barrel installed for $700 OTD. Well I don't have that kind of money laying around. But back to your point, yes, the chambers are too close to ensure the 35 Rem reamer would clean it up perfectly. I think I'll be able to get a standard contour factory 223 barrel for the same cost or less than cutting the original barrel down and all the associated threading that goes with that kind of job.

Thanks, Dinny

The 35 Rem is smaller than the 243 for the entire body length, so there would be nothing to clean up in a 243 chamber, as the 243 is bigger than a 35 Rem

A 223 barrel could be rechambered and rebore to to 35 REM without setting the barrel back, but will the bolt face work reliably on the smaller, 0.460", diameter 35 REM rim?

Larry Racine, www.lprgunsmith.com, has a 22" Winchester 70 Fwt take-off barrel in 223 listed for sale on his site, but there isn't any indication which style of action that it came off of.

I can say my Rem Model 7 started as a 308 and is now a 35 Rem that works perfectly with no bolt work. I spoke to Larry earlier this morning and the only 223 barrels he has are the FW mentioned above and a varmint weight barrel. I'm holding out for a standard weight donor.

Thanks, Dinny

Good luck with your build!

I have 3 rifles chambered in 35 REM, 2 pump guns and a Marlin 336 SC. The 35 REM was a very popular round for hunting whitetails in northern New England when I was a kid. Bearrr264's Grandfather had the fanciest fully engraved Remington 14 that I've ever seen. It was his bear and moose rifle, as he had an equally fancy fully engraved 14 1/2 in 44-40 that he used for shooting deer. Apparently he felt that the 35 REM was excessively powerful for shooting whitetails.

Do you use the same follower in the Model 7?