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There are two topics going on using the Numrich .38-55 or .30-30 barrels for projects and one about converting a .44M to .44-40. Rather than hijack both threads I figured I'd ask my kinda-sorta related questions here.
Does anyone have the bore diameter and twist rate for the Numrich .38-55 bbl? Are they correct for the .38-55?
Are the bore/twist for the .30-30 close enough to .38-55 specs that I could use regular load data for the .38-55 after rechambering?
Someone mentioned getting the .30-30 kit (half round/half octagon) and a .38-55 bbl from Buffalo Arms. Use the parts out of the .30-30 kit and the BA barrel and sell the .30-30 bbl. Is there any big demand for the half and half .30-30 bbls? If it's going to be a hard item to sell I don't quite see the logic (but then again, it's the end of a long day so I may be missing something obvious )
I saw Numrich also has a kit to convert a .44M rifle to .44-40 but gives zero information as to what it actually is or has. Anyone have any experience with it?
Thanks!
If these walls could talk, I'd listen to the floor.
Thats what I like , we got the wheels in your brain just a spinning. The 38-55 barrel slugged at .375 . I haven't check the twist. But with RL 7 at 50 yards holes were touching. So the twist should be good. If you call Numrich they will tell you more info. On my barrel they told me it had a bore diameter of .369 which with .003 groove depth gives it .375 and that is what it slugged at. 30 -30 barrels are usually 1 in 10 twist , which I think is the speed your brain is twisting at !
BenT wrote:Thats what I like , we got the wheels in your brain just a spinning. The 38-55 barrel slugged at .375 . I haven't check the twist. But with RL 7 at 50 yards holes were touching. So the twist should be good. If you call Numrich they will tell you more info. On my barrel they told me it had a bore diameter of .369 which with .003 groove depth gives it .375 and that is what it slugged at. 30 -30 barrels are usually 1 in 10 twist , which I think is the speed your brain is twisting at !
Thanks!
Right now I can't say what my brain is doing. Within the last week I've left a job with decent pay that I was miserable in for one that doesn't pay the same but I am happier with and also managed to make it through the first anniversary of my Mother's passing.
My brain is either turning 18-19K rpm like an F1 engine or at a dead stop like a burned out hippie liberal, I really don't know which...
If these walls could talk, I'd listen to the floor.
Now Griff, you don't resemble a hippie anymore. You got your golden locks all whacked off if I remember right. Just remember, don't trust anyone over 90.
I was going to post this anyway so I'll do it in this thread. I have done several conversions with GPC barrels and many re barreling jobs on 94, 92, and 73's so i will offer this up for what it is worth. Most of this is answers to questions a fellow asked me last night as we looked over my latest 30-30 to 38-55 conversion. GPC barrels are better than they were 30 years ago, they are closer to spec and don't have the run out thhey use to. The latest one I got in 38-55 ran 376 and was a 1-16 twist 26" long and fairly nicely blued. The threads were just a tad large and would have been a tight fit as is but I used a thread file to take them down a little and got the fit I wanted. As to re-loading the barrel had a decent chamber and the fitted rifle willl shoot any load that is safe in any other 38-55. Wiith discretion you should be able to push a 250 grain bullet at over 1800 fps with no problem. I am not a fan of convertiing a 94 to 44-40 as this is a waste of action length but if that is what you want...
Now...
#1 Before you start a project make sure you HAVE all the parts in hand and make sure they are the right parts.
GPC will NOT have everything you need all at one time, they are ALWAYS out of something and it has taken 6 months to get a nose cap or a magazine ring from them. There are shortcuts here is you are industrious. GPC NEVER has magazine bands in stock in the right size. They can be oreder from Cimarron as M 73 parts and with just a little work they will fit. Same for the fore arm brace and screws. The forearm cap can be filed and fitted from Winchester stock or if youu pinch a round barrel part in a vise it will work on the GPC octagon barrel. GPC tries their best but I have opened more than one KIT or parts package and found 1 part wrong, the last order I got a 32-20 mag band for a 38-55.
#2 How hard is it and what tools will I need?
The actual job of changing the barrels isn't that difficult. If you are taking off a round barrel from a carbine and don't care if the barrel is damaged you CAN do the job with a bench vise and a 24" cresent wrench lined with sheet aluminum or copper. A barrel vise and an action wrench are prefered. You WILL need to headspace the barrel and yo will need a go and no go gauge. For a rimmed ctg these are just disks of propper diameter and you can buy them fairly cheaply or turn your own from stock. I want a minimum headspace so I set mine 5 thou over nominal rim thickness. I have seen acceptable jobs done with just a fired case and disks cut from an old feeler gauge. I use a lathe to trim my barrels to dimension and set back the shank, but i have seen this done with FILES in an oldtimers shop and the finished rifle shot just fine, my suggestion is to have a gunsmith set the barrel for you and set headspace if you are not a REAL craftsman with good tools. The nose cap will need blueing and unless yo can live with it so will any magazine tube you get from GPC. Their tubes are machined and blued and I prefer to polish and re blue them. Cold blue will work but I prefer to take the nose cap and tube down to 330 grit and then rust blue with Pilkington's. The magazine tube willl need to be trimmed and fitted so you will need good files. You will need a safe file and brass punchhes to fit and tap in the sights. I get rid of the Winchhester sights and use Marbles but that is your choice. The fore end will need to be fitted and shortened. The blanks from GPC, Brownell's ect all need fitting, sanding and finish. If you are switching a commerative Winchester 30-30 barrel to a 38-55 ect, it will be a matter of luck to find one that will fit without problems, Mostly the Winchester factory ones are just a tad short and that means you need a replacment.
#3 willl it feed right?
A lot of this depends on what Winnchester you use to start with. A department store gun with the stamped parts probavly didn't do the best job with 30-30's so don't expect it to do better with 38-44'5 or 44-40's. I always put in a cast steel carrier when I work on 94's and that helps. If you still need help use 375 Winchester feed guides and that should make it work slick. On the 44-40 conversions you will get the carrier and guides as part of the converssion. On 38-55's if you want to use the long brass it helps to sliightlyy bevel the bottom the the barrel where the shell slides in, jut about 1/16" of bevel on the bottom only, this won't hurt the brass as this is where the case head is solid but DON'T over do it, you ant a bevel not a feed ramp.
How will it shoot? How hot can I looad it?
If you want a 375 H and H go buy one the 38-55 is not it neither is a 44-40 a 44 Magnum!!! But the 30-30 rilfe is good for 37,000 PSI and either ctg can be loaded to improve on factory ballistics. My 38-55 hunting loads shoot a 260 custom RNFP gc bullet at 1800+ fps and factory rounds hover between 12-1300. My 44-40's push a 200 grain gc bullet at about the same pace and I have never had any probllems in over 30 years of doing this work. I usually get 10-12 reloading from my hunting brass and I have some plinking brass that has been relaoded over 20 times. Accuracy on the conversions I have done is hard to gauge, they all shoot better than I can. My last 3-30 to 38-55 will hold under 3" goups at 100 yards with open iron sights and my old eyes. A sharp eyed friend used the rifle to put 3 shots into under 4" at 200 yards and now he wants the gun for deer season.
Someone mentioned getting the .30-30 kit (half round/half octagon) and a .38-55 bbl from Buffalo Arms. Use the parts out of the .30-30 kit and the BA barrel and sell the .30-30 bbl. Is there any big demand for the half and half .30-30 bbls? If it's going to be a hard item to sell I don't quite see the logic (but then again, it's the end of a long day so I may be missing something obvious )
Since that was my suggestion, allow me to explain. If you buy the GPC 30-30 kit you spend $200. Then you spend another $150 plus to have it rebored to 38-55.
Or you take the $150 and buy the Buffalo Arms barrel which is a Badger barrel. Badger is a Top Quality barrel. I would much rather have a Badger barrel than a $150 rebore, but that's just me. Anyway for the same outlay you have a spare 30-30 barrel which is worth something to someone.
I will be starting with a Sears 54 and AFAIK those are post-64 models. The GPC half and half kit should be here mid-next week so we'll see what's what then.
Right now I'm torn between going for the .38-55 or just leaving it a .30-30. If I had the means I'd make it a takedown, multi caliber piece instead of having to decide...
AFA the .44M to .44-40 conversion I have a 94AE in .44M that I think would make a nice .44-40 but GPC is out of the kit and I wasn't going to pony up for it without some feedback.
If these walls could talk, I'd listen to the floor.
)
We're called "Conservatives"! 
