Advice please.

[223tenx]

I was given a Revelation (Mossberg 800) bolt gun in 308 and seeing as I have 3 other 308's, I was thinking I'd like to rebarrel it in 7.62x39 with a 308 bore for CB's only. It's an old gun but locks up tight. Am I wasting my time and $. If not, who would be a good person to do this for me and how about a barrel? Don't need a BR barrel, but a "good one" none the less. I looked on ER Shaw's site and they don't have Mossberg actions listed as one they will fool with. So, I'm open. What would you all do with it, besides junk it.

[mroliver77]

I have used a chamber adapter to adapt from .308 to .7.62X 39 with great success shooting cast boolits. I full diameter boolit (non bore rider) stuck through the adapter and engaged the throat/rifling and shot very well for me. I had to shoot a 180gr to achieve this but it was cheap way to switch calibers and adapter could be pulled to put gun back to stock when the desire came. Also you can just load the .308 to lower velocity and get great accuracy. If I were rebarreling for cast I would go with a .35/08 (braine dead cannot remember the name of this one) for a really neat cast shooter. Jay

[Buckshot]

..............Numrich/GPC has barrel kits for small ring and large ring Mausers in 7.62x39 which includes a magazine blocker, and a new follower and spring. The price a couple years ago was $100. The barrel is a sporter contour and is threaded and fully chambered. I used one on a 1894 Brazilian (SR) Mauser action. I just screwed it on. On the breechface in 1/16" numbers it was stamped 7.62x39.

The headspacing was so tight that the face of the left locking lug dragged over the raised steel of the imprint. I just stoned the face of the lug and I was good to go. As luck would have it, the extractor worked just fine as it was.

http://www.fototime.com/7D5B655B17C7FB9/standard.jpg
http://www.fototime.com/8DDF21B9754E8F1/standard.jpg

I put it in a Boyds $69 walnut stock, jeweled the bolt and added the Williams receiver sight. It's a shooting essobee, lemme tell ya!

..................Buckshot

[Lloyd Smale]

unless you can run into a deal on a barrel like buckshot did i never saw much sense in rebareling a gun. I cost almost as much as buying a new gun. id either stick it away for a first deer rifle for a kid, grandkid or nehpew or sell it and buy something you want.

[223tenx]

The GPC kit sounds promising. When you look down the bore you can see machining marks and the stock is cracked on the bottom between the mag well and trigger, so I was going to completely rebuild it. Guess I'll have to remove the barrel and check the threads. I don't want to put a fortune in it, but I don't mind spending some for the fun and experience of doing it. I don't have anybody to leave it to as I have a grandson and a step gs and my gs is not interested in guns and my step gs is only interested if he can hunt with it. He's strictly a hunter and not a shooter/ gun nut. He thinks CB's are a waste of time, but I'm working on him.

[MT Gianni]

As with all new to you guns shoot it first and then decide. I have had a few clunkers I wanted to rebuild that I found shot better than what I hoped to acheive by rebuilding them. Gianni

[9.3X62AL]

+1 to Gianni's observation. I have a MUCH-fired Rem 788 in 22-250 that I bought to re-build, but it shoots well enough with its present barrel that I can't see the point of fixing something not broken. FORGET cast boolits in it, but it runs Sierra 60 HPs very well at 3600 FPS. I can't justify taking tools (and money) to a rifle that prints in the .7's at 100 yards.

[Larry Gibson]

Depends on what YOU want. If "I was thinking I'd like to rebarrel it in 7.62x39 with a 308 bore for CB's only" is really what you want then I'd go for it. The rifle was given to you so you have no money invested. The M800 wasn't a bad action and the triggers can be helped with a little work. If I was going to rebarrel for cast bullets only I'd get a 26" stainless match 1-14" twist heavy sporter contour barrel in .308 with the tight neck match chamber cut to minimum headspace. I'd actually FL size 3 cases in my FL die, turn the necks and request the headspace be set so it is a tight fit on those cases. I'd have Classic Barrel Works (www.cutrifle.com) make and install the barrel with a bore of .298 and 4 equal width lands and grooves with a groove depth of .308.

Yes the cost may be a bit but I'd have a really good cast bullet rifle that would shoot cast bullets more accurately at higher velocity than would any normal twist barrel. That twist barrel would push light bullets quite accurately for plinking and small game and heavier 170-200 gr bullets to 2400+ fps with excellent accuracy for deer or pig hunting. Of course J bullets up through 165 gr would shoot quite well also.

I've a M788 with a .308 barrel on it that doesn't shoot bad but it's 10" twist really limits the velocity of most cast bullets with accuracy, particularly heavier bullets for hunting. I'm seriously considering folowing my own advise and rebarreling it. I'm also considering the 358 Winchester which would be an excellent choice for your M800 also. Lots and lots of cast bullet choices there.

If YOU want it go for it.

Larry Gibson