Just toying with ideas here. Does anybody know if this has been done with decent results.

I am thinking a short action, 17" barrel, receiver peep with a hooded front sight...should make for a super handy deep woods rifle (never been big on lever actions). Not much to mechanically go wrong with this set up (simple, no scope). Probably make a good meat packing/backpack rife.

What do you guys think?

It's a solid idea and one I've thought about myself. A Win 70 Classic in a WSM caliber should be an easy transformation.

The .458" bore diameter might reqiure a fairly heavy contour, not sure. However, if it were me I'd do a 10" twist #4 at 20" and maybe look at the McMillan Mod 70 Compact pattern for the stock. You could also add a barrel band for carrying slung in the brush if it suits you.

I recommend the #4 at 20" due to balance and muzzle blast. I've got a 350 Rem so configured but with a 20" #3. It's a bit muzzle light and I'd not want it any shorter............'cause I like what's left of my hearing. The .450 would be same/same.


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I would not use the 450 brass, cost more than it should. Use standard belted brass, and go for it..
It is called the 458 2" american. If you want more, then there is the old 458 win mag. You want less, you have the 458 1 1/2 barnes.

Can't believe this was posted, just today I was talking to a buddy about possibly trying to put this same rifle together. I was thinking a Winchester 70 CRF with an 18" barrel and receiver mounted site. Maybe even setup for a removeable forward mounted scope like a scout rifle. Sounds like the perfect rifle for hunting the thick stuff.

Here is my 458x2" on a remington 660. 20" barrel with fiberopt font and williams peep. Handy in the brush and a good performer with 350-400gr bullets. Been shooting 350s at 2150 and could move up from there if I wanted to.

Nice,,, Thanks for the pic Josh... I like that setup.... Thinking it shoots as good as it looks...

I've been thinking about mountain a small light on it for those bump in the night times for a camp gun. It makes for a good meat packing rifle too. Surefire makes a nice small little light that you can mount under the barrel on a small piece of rail, total cost of round 90 bucks, its a LED so it shouldn't break under recoil and has a long battery life.

i when a little different way with my 450mar bolt gun. my gun got named Meatmasher and is setup to shot cast boolits i started with a savage 110lh 300wm that was re-barreled with a douglas458 1/22 25"with a home shop made qtr rib,banded sling stud, banded front sight and the stock at this time is the factory wood trimmed down and reshaped then coated with textured paint.(this will be a patten for the curly maple stock) My load at this time is 457122(330casthp with a GC turned upside down seated with the boolet)/55grsaa2230/wlr for 2100fps . this load has shot many MOA groups to 200yds. the backup plan was if this did,nt get me to the speed i wanted was set the barrel back two threads and run a 458WM reamer in but so far its working out as planned Clint

I have seen that setup with the led.. That could be just the ticket. Thinking you might use the front sling stud as one anchor point, and a double clamp around the barrel for the second. Install a small rail, or light mount, and your good to go.. No drilling, no stock cutting.
Or mount a rail at the forend of the stock and moving the sling stud back. This would make it a little closer to reach when you actually need it...

FWIW, at one time, Remington's web site showed .450 Marlin as a custom shop option in a Model Seven variant.

I bet it wouldn't be bad to shoot, less so in a bolt action with a straighter stock than it is in the lever action.

Tom

I think Winchester also listed the 450Marlin in a bolt action from their custom shop. The concept is valid ... but why not get a lever gun?
Cheers...
Con

I never really warmed up to lever rifles....

Myself I do love lever guns and own several. One reason I prefer bolt actions is most of my hunting ends up in nasty weather and fighting thickets where water and trash always find there way inside the action. The bolt guns break down much easier for deep cleaning. I have less experience breaking down lever guns.

This discussion came up a year ago. It was titled: "why no short action thumpers".

I added to the thread by mentioning that Charlie Sisk made a 450 marlin bolt gun:

"I think I found your short action dream rifle! Charlie Sisk makes it. It is called the Bradley Yukon. It is a short action model 70 chambered in 450 marlin."

http://www.siskguns.com/Bradley_Yukon.htm


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I just went to his revised site and the Bradley Yukon is mentioned but not the chambering. Open link above to read about it.

Sweet!

I made a neat .450 several tears ago by simply rebarreling a P-14 Enfield. Kind of heavy but easy and cheap to build. The bolt face for the .303 fit the .450 with no modifications.

My current one is a lightweight built on a Remington 700 short action. Very handy and a solid stopper. Featherlight Bansner stock and Vias brake makes a very handy carry rifle.

Lakecity,
what was your action originally? was it a wsm or std bolt face? what mods were required to make it feed?

My understanding is that you can rebarrel any wsm savage to the .450 with no other mods.

Which would work perfectly unless you're a CRF devotee.

sometimes you got to make choices!!! Clint

Steyr makes a bolt 450 Marlin called the bigbore. It is in their current lineup. Has me thinkin!

my guess is youll never shoot a larger group than .458".

Gunsmith Charles Gatlin built one for a customer earlier this year that was one of the neatest packages I have seen. It had a 18" barrel and ghost ring sights. He may have a pic on his web sight. reflex264

With all the model 7 saum actions and the 673 6.5 and 350 mags floating around for cheap, would these be a good platform for a 450 conversion?

I'm thinking of doing an 18-20" barreled stalking rifle (we have a hog problem). 673 donor action, laminated stock should be servicable. Maybe a barrel band and peep sight/hooded front for fun. Or maybe a leupy 1-4 and qd's

I did it back in the '70's with a Siamese Mauser action and the .45-70. Chose a 24" Douglas Air Gauge 1:18" barrel for 500 grain cast or jacketed bullets should I want to shoot them. Made a nice classic style stock with a fairly straight comb and a Pachmayr recoil pad, then stuffed a Canjar set trigger on it, and topped it off with a Leupold 3-9x. Thing would shoot under an MOA at 100 yards with the Hornady 350 grain bullet over 53 grains of 3031. Same with the 500 grain bullet and a bit less powder.

I stuck a target on an old dead oak tree to check for group and was amazed when that 500 grain bullet penetrated about 30" of solid oak, kicking up dust about 50 yards behind.

One thing, your combination will kick the living snot out of you - bring paper towels. I'd recommend a compensator, maybe a Vais clone. A real nice "mild" load is the 350 grain Oregon Trail .459" cast bullet over 48.0 grains of Varget in either cartridge.

The head diameter should fit any standard magnum bolt face, but the belt is longer than a case based on the H&H series, this prevents the shorter case from being accidentally chambered in a belted magnum or .45-70 chamber. SAMMI pressure maximum is 43,500 psi. It should also be noted that the .450 Marlin is not capable of the same velocities as the .45-70 in a modern rifle of the same barrel length begin 500 fps slower. Shorten the barrel beyond 22" and that difference increases. A good choice may be a Savage 110 type action of the proper magazine configuration and the ability to interchange bolt heads. One of the newer actions only sold separately with a magnum magazine may work depending on feeding. That way if you hate it later, a simple barrel and/or bolt head swap can convert it into any other caliber. You could check with www.sharpshootersupply.com for a thumbs up or down. Given that the Savage will work, it can be assembled from parts right in your own garage.

There was a fella a few years back who had a .450 Marlin Bolt gun for sale somewhere- Maybe AR. Don't remember what the gun was built on but I am pretty sure it took him forever to sell it if even then. Sounds like a hell of a good idea- just a little too specialized for most folks, I guess.

Pin the recoil lug if you use a Rem. Then you're just a barrel change from a more marketable round if you have trouble selling if you so choose.