Reaming .357 Mag to Max

[AJMD429]

How hard is it to ream a breakopen like the H&R to .357 Max from .357 Mag?

I think I read somewhere you could do it by hand with just a finish reamer, and it headspaces automatically on the rim so it's a "no-brainer" (MY perfect gun project!)

Making a levergun in that round seems like too costly a project, but I love the ballistics; I know you can come close or there with simply extra-hot .357 Mag loads in a strong gun, but I'd rather use the Max since I have a Contender in it, and enough brass already; that way I won't stick those loads in a little 2" revolver by mistake and regret it.

[Dirty Dan]

Never done it but thought about it a lot. Best info for this may be found over on GBO or MO, in the Handi sections.

[Lefty Dude]

I have a .357 8" old style TC contender barrel I had reamed to accept .357Max. Kinda neat, I can shoot 38, 357, and maxxie in the same barrel. The .357 Max really comes alive with a single shot. I shoot a .358 200 gr. Hornandy spitzer. My hand load is a handfull with a 8" barrel.

Just find someone who has a reamer, its a 5 min. job.

With the Handi-Rifle The Maxxie is a great choice. Will be very close to the old 35 Ballard/Maynard of the 1890's.

[AJMD429]

...GBO or MO...

I haven't had my mental Wheaties today - what are those forums?

[JerryB]

I reckon he might be meaning Greybeard and Marlin Owners.

[Hobie]

I think if you're careful you can hand ream those chambers. LOTS of Handi-rifles have been so converted.

[cas]

I've "re-chambered" two .45-70's to .45-90 with nothing more than a chamber reamer, a 1/2" ratchet extension and a 1/2" power drill (and cutting oil of course).

Don't see why you couldn't do 357 to .357 Max.

[JReed]

As the others said it is a common conversion to the Handy all you need is a reamer and the appropriat accessories. Just run the reamer until the rim cutter just touches the existing rim cut out and there you go.

AJ here is the link to the Greybeard H&R page. http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/board,126.0.html

[Ysabel Kid]

How common are the components for .357 Maximum? I guess the only unique thing would be the brass. I thought I read that the .357 Max was dying a slow death?

[JReed]

Midway has the brass. http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseP ... ***9014***

[Thunder50]

I have done it to a couple of rifles. The Handi is easy. Takes longer to remove the extractor, than it does to ream the chamber. If you are going to do it, PM me as I have a reamer and I don't mind loaning it out to someone who knows what they are doing and will take care of it.

[GANJIRO]

From what I gather the H&Rs chambered in 357 mag actually have a chamber long enough for the 360 Dan Wesson with no modifications necessary. 360 DW Brass is readily available.

[Hobie]

How common are the components for .357 Maximum? I guess the only unique thing would be the brass. I thought I read that the .357 Max was dying a slow death?

There is a "cult" following. It is a great cartridge. The base case is sort of a .35/.223 Rem Rimmed. Thus the brass is popular with wildcatting loonies. I really like mine!

[salvo]

I really enjoy my Dan Wesson, sure wish someone would chamber a lever action in the SuperMag cartridges.

.357 SM



.445 SM

[m.wun]

The idea sounds great for the single shot,but in a lever its close to a 35 Rem
and could be more work than its worth.

[AJMD429]

The idea sounds great for the single shot,but in a lever its close to a 35 Rem
and could be more work than its worth.

I'm coming to that same conclusion. If there were a 'carbine' like the 1894 32-20 sized gun in it, it would be a charm, but the case length is just too long to function reliably in those guns, as are the other less-extended .357's apparently, unless you basically get a very cu$tom-tuned gun.

Also - on reading more about the topic, I find H&R's .357 and .44 barrels are plenty tough, but usually sold on the same receiver used for shotguns - a lower pressure lockup according to some, and a larger firing pin hole which has been blamed for some spectacularly destructive gun blowups when rechambered to a higher pressure round. (May have been the error of someone putting a pistol primer in a .357 Max reload rather than a rifle primer, but it still wouldn't help to have the 'wrong' receiver trying to hold things together in the event of a problem.)

Dollar-wise, it may be cheaper to get an Encore barrel in the round, if I decide I just have to have one (of course with THAT action, then the temptation to have something like a .350 Rem Mag comes up . . . )

[Hobie]

The Handi .357s rechambered from Mag to Max have done very well by all accounts. The Max is great in the CONTENDER. I would not want one in the Encore, too much extra weight. It is near ideal for the single-shots as you can shoot squirrel to bear with the same gun. Rechambering mag to max is worth the effort as the Max far exceeds what the Mag can do. In mine I can move 200 gr. at 2000 fps. Yeah, that's JUST .35 Rem territory BUT you don't have to lube cases to resize, don't have headspace problems EVER, AND can use .357 Mag, .38 Special, .38 Long Colt... Brass is available and all the rest of the components are downright common. It is a good cast bullet cartridge, too!

I've been thinking that the .327 Federal, .357 Max, .38-55 Winchester and .45-70 are a neat little tribe of cartridges with just enough difference, one level to the other, to make owning two worthwhile. I have the top three and all are performers.

[Lefty Dude]

The Handi .357s rechambered from Mag to Max have done very well by all accounts. The Max is great in the CONTENDER. I would not want one in the Encore, too much extra weight. It is near ideal for the single-shots as you can shoot squirrel to bear with the same gun. Rechambering mag to max is worth the effort as the Max far exceeds what the Mag can do. In mine I can move 200 gr. at 2000 fps. Yeah, that's JUST .35 Rem territory BUT you don't have to lube cases to resize, don't have headspace problems EVER, AND can use .357 Mag, .38 Special, .38 Long Colt... Brass is available and all the rest of the components are downright common. It is a good cast bullet cartridge, too!

I've been thinking that the .327 Federal, .357 Max, .38-55 Winchester and .45-70 are a neat little tribe of cartridges with just enough difference, one level to the other, to make owning two worthwhile. I have the top three and all are performers.

It is very interesting when someone first gets a visual on a .357 Max W/ a 200 gr spitzer stuffed in the case. It's like WOW!, what is that. Because of the long ogive of the spitzer, I seat the bullet out another 1/10 of an inch from the cannulure of the Hornady. I shoot it in my Contender 8".

[Hobie]

The Handi .357s rechambered from Mag to Max have done very well by all accounts. The Max is great in the CONTENDER. I would not want one in the Encore, too much extra weight. It is near ideal for the single-shots as you can shoot squirrel to bear with the same gun. Rechambering mag to max is worth the effort as the Max far exceeds what the Mag can do. In mine I can move 200 gr. at 2000 fps. Yeah, that's JUST .35 Rem territory BUT you don't have to lube cases to resize, don't have headspace problems EVER, AND can use .357 Mag, .38 Special, .38 Long Colt... Brass is available and all the rest of the components are downright common. It is a good cast bullet cartridge, too!

I've been thinking that the .327 Federal, .357 Max, .38-55 Winchester and .45-70 are a neat little tribe of cartridges with just enough difference, one level to the other, to make owning two worthwhile. I have the top three and all are performers.

It is very interesting when someone first gets a visual on a .357 Max W/ a 200 gr spitzer stuffed in the case. It's like WOW!, what is that. Because of the long ogive of the spitzer, I seat the bullet out another 1/10 of an inch from the cannulure of the Hornady. I shoot it in my Contender 8".

With whatever bullet you might load the .357 Max it is just a neat, easy to load and shoot cartridge.

[AJMD429]

The Handi .357s rechambered from Mag to Max have done very well by all accounts. The Max is great in the CONTENDER. I would not want one in the Encore, too much extra weight. It is near ideal for the single-shots as you can shoot squirrel to bear with the same gun. Rechambering mag to max is worth the effort as the Max far exceeds what the Mag can do. In mine I can move 200 gr. at 2000 fps. Yeah, that's JUST .35 Rem territory BUT you don't have to lube cases to resize, don't have headspace problems EVER, AND can use .357 Mag, .38 Special, .38 Long Colt... Brass is available and all the rest of the components are downright common. It is a good cast bullet cartridge, too!

I've been thinking that the .327 Federal, .357 Max, .38-55 Winchester and .45-70 are a neat little tribe of cartridges with just enough difference, one level to the other, to make owning two worthwhile. I have the top three and all are performers.

I agree about avoiding the overweight gun for that round, which is why I've procrastinated so long. I DO have a 14" Contender barrel, but keep seeing copies of these ATF letters going around which say that although Contender didn't violate ATF laws when selling a "kit" that included both rifle and pistol barrels and stocks, that was only because they weren't "assembled" into a firearm, and that yes, once assembled as a long gun, you could never go back without it being in violation. Now I don't think too many ATF'ers are going around looking for such trivial stuff, but I could see one with a grudge or whatever abusing that rule against someone. I don't want to buy a Contender "carbine" just for the purpose! Have you any info to clear that muddy area up?

I do think the "pairs" of cartridges are cool within the straight series.

I like the .32's up to the .327 Mag, the .45's up to the .460 S&W, and maybe something in a true .38 for the in-between. Just think if Marlin or Rossi would make a series of long and short actions in those series.

[Lefty Dude]

The Handi .357s rechambered from Mag to Max have done very well by all accounts. The Max is great in the CONTENDER. I would not want one in the Encore, too much extra weight. It is near ideal for the single-shots as you can shoot squirrel to bear with the same gun. Rechambering mag to max is worth the effort as the Max far exceeds what the Mag can do. In mine I can move 200 gr. at 2000 fps. Yeah, that's JUST .35 Rem territory BUT you don't have to lube cases to resize, don't have headspace problems EVER, AND can use .357 Mag, .38 Special, .38 Long Colt... Brass is available and all the rest of the components are downright common. It is a good cast bullet cartridge, too!

I've been thinking that the .327 Federal, .357 Max, .38-55 Winchester and .45-70 are a neat little tribe of cartridges with just enough difference, one level to the other, to make owning two worthwhile. I have the top three and all are performers.

I agree about avoiding the overweight gun for that round, which is why I've procrastinated so long. I DO have a 14" Contender barrel, but keep seeing copies of these ATF letters going around which say that although Contender didn't violate ATF laws when selling a "kit" that included both rifle and pistol barrels and stocks, that was only because they weren't "assembled" into a firearm, and that yes, once assembled as a long gun, you could never go back without it being in violation. Now I don't think too many ATF'ers are going around looking for such trivial stuff, but I could see one with a grudge or whatever abusing that rule against someone. I don't want to buy a Contender "carbine" just for the purpose! Have you any info to clear that muddy area up?

I do think the "pairs" of cartridges are cool within the straight series.

I like the .32's up to the .327 Mag, the .45's up to the .460 S&W, and maybe something in a true .38 for the in-between. Just think if Marlin or Rossi would make a series of long and short actions in those series.

If you have a short pistol barrel (under 16") you can not attach it to a rifle stock. BTW/ it really looks coooool when you do. Of course I would never do such a thing. I have a folding stock for my TC rifle that hinges at the stock wrist. It is made of cast aluminum. I bought this in the late 1970-early 80. Someone also made them in fiberglass. I usually have it installed with the 24" 22 hornet barrel W/ a 2-6 Burris compact scope. My TC action is a 2nd gen. I have had it since the early 1980's. This action unlike the new actions, has a set screw for the trigger sear adjustment. Mine is set in the 1/2 lb range or less.

[Hobie]

AJ MD,

Just weld a Choate barrel extension or copy to the barrel. Works a treat!

My barrel is a 21" factory barrel I bought on clearance from the factory for $113.