.30-30 ai?

[troy_mclure]

i have a win 94 in .30wcf.

what would the benefits(if any) of re-cutting my chamber to AI? im primarily going to be using boolits(150gr) in the gun.


the gun will be primarily for target shooting, and deer/pig hunting.

[Dirty30]

I have two thoughts about it and some may disagree. First, the 30-30 has been around for a long time and a number of boolits have been developed for the cartridge that perform at the max of the rifle's capability. I'm a fan of the 173gr. gas check, it seems to be the perfect boolit for both of the 94's I load for. Second, the 1894 Win in 30 WCF is the Ford F250 of rifles. It was made to be good for everything but not the best at anything. I personally believe there is a limit to the performance you are going to get out of it. You can put deer and pigs in your belly with one shot out to 200 yds, and if you are content with 2" or slightly better groups at the range you'll get them, but I don't think costly machine work is going to give you what you are looking for out of a rifle that wasn't manufactured with sub-MOA type performance in mind.

[Bret4207]

In theory your brass will last longer and you may see a little more HP. Enough to make it worthwhile? I can't say for sure. Enough to make it a 300 Savage or 308? Not at all.

This is one of those "beauty in the eye of the beholder" things.

[runfiverun]

yep a bit more velocity and longer brass life.
if cut correctly,it can add a bit more accuracy, the steeper shoulders will increase the burn rate of your powder some, which could allow you to use a slower powder and gain more velocity with the longer bbl's.
it could also make feeding a pita.

[Wayne Smith]

I'm taking a long guess here, cause my memory ain't what it used to be, and even then it wasn't good! Isn't the 30-30 the one Ackley said really wasn't worth the effort?

[pmeisel]

I remember an old Gun Digest article that sung the praises high.

Price a gunsmith doing it for you.... then think how much longer your brass would have to live, and how much 150 fps means to you.....

I don't think people have it done so much for practicality as they just like the idea, which is OK, of course.

[stubshaft]

Ackley said that it was "easy to handload and highly recommended".

[Alan in Vermont]

With it being marked as 30 WCF it is probably an older 94. I don't know that I rechamber one of those. As a general thing rechambering tends to lower the value of the firearm. There should be some newer 94s that could be rechambered and not be any great loss.

[cbrick]

It's your rifle and yours to do with as you see fit so not trying to tell you what to do with it but for me . . . I might be the odd guy here but I like and am a fan of the 30-30. In partucular my Win 94 30-30. I wouldn't re-chamber it, I would re-barrel it if it were worn out but it would still be a 30-30 Win.

Rick

[CATS]

Troy,
Please talk yourself out of that. It would be a shame to own a fine American made Winnie that had been Reaux Ent. If you like the chambering, get one of those imports to cut on, no one would ever mind if one of those was not original.

[leadman]

As far as the performance of of the 30-30 vs the 30-30AI you would see about 150fps more with the ackley. I have Contender barrels in both with the 30-30 being a 21", the 30-30AI is a 14" with 1 1/2" of that being a brake. I can get slightly more velocity out of the AI.
Accuracy was excellent before the rechamber on the 14" and even better after the rechamber. I have shot 100 yard groups with jacketed bullets down to a 1/4" inch. Cast runs about 1 1/2" at 2200 fps for a 170gr.

If the gun is collectable you may not want to rechamber it but it is your gun and your call. Would be cheaper to go find a 308 Win somewhere in a bolt gun for around $300 to $400 than to buy another gun and have it rechambered.

If you decide to do the rechamber make sure the reamer used is the same as the die set you buy. There are varing dimensions for the 30-30AI so not all die sets size the brass correctly.

[starmac]

Leadman, is the slight edge on the velocity what gets you a little better accuracy. This has me curious.

[troy_mclure]

its not a collectible, its a '76 top eject.

thanks for the info guys. ill leave it alone and spend the money on shooting.

[10x]

A .308 A.I. Winchester would be almost a 3006'. It would be less hassle and money to find a 300 Savage or 308 win

[1Shirt]

It is a cost vs reality! Have shot the AI and it was fine, but will NEVER equal a 300 Sav, 308,30-40, etc.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[felix]

I am NOT a fan of anything sharp shouldered with boolits! Not boolits, not chambers! Headspacing is never a problem with any pressure below 45K CUP, especially with thin brass! ... felix