30-06 to 35 Whelen?

My first centerfire rifle was a Winchester 670 in 30-06. Learned a lot about reloading and shooting with that rifle but several years ago a bit of rifling let go a few inches from the muzzle and it went from .5 MOA to 3+. I retired that rifle after over 25 years of hunting and thousands of rounds of "load development". At the time I considered having Shilen re-barrel it but decided it wasn't worth the investment. I replaced it with a Super Grade M70, another 670 and a Ruger M77 in 30-06 so I don't need another 30-06.
I'm wondering if I should have that old warhorse rebored to 35 Whelen. Open to other suggestions as well, goal is to use a CB in it, of course.

I'm a 35 cal fan but what is it you have the most need for? If you re barrel you can have
any caliber up or down.. 25-06, etc etc as long as it has the same case head dimensions.

regards

Need is not an issue here, just want a cheap project to bring an old warhorse out of retirement. Not interested in a new barrel, just a rebore. It seems all my bolt guns went into retirement when I started hunting with leverguns and cast boolits, 35 Rem made me proud on my last hunting trip and have been reading a bit about the 35 Whelen around here.

Hi TX. Here is a link to one of our out west folks who does what you may be looking to do with your rifle. I don't have any personal experience with his work but maybe some of the other folks here have used his services.
JES reboring
http://www.35caliber.com/

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Originally Posted by scrockett

Hi TX. Here is a link to one of our out west folks who does what you may be looking to do with your rifle. I don't have any personal experience with his work but maybe some of the other folks here have used his services.
JES reboring
http://www.35caliber.com/

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You can't go wrong letting Jesse rebore your 30-06. Turn around is fairly fast (2-3 weeks). He did a Marlin 30-30 to 375 Win for me and I'm well pleased.

Give him a call first, if you have questions.

Thanks, Jesse was one of the first folks I considered. IIRC he rebored a Rossi 30-30 for Ranch Dog and I was inspired by that project. Taylor is another shop I'm considering.

it would be cheaper to just put another barrel on it. You can get takeoff model 70 barrels for 40.00, sometimes less. headspace may or may not need adjusting. It is cheaper to rebarrel than have one bored out any prices I have seen

Good point, considered that awhile back but I'd have to hire it done. Didn't feel the rifle was worth it back then. I paid almost $400 for a pretty rough 670 last year and that's more than it's worth. Project rifle is an old push-feed rifle in an ugly synthetic stock. Doubt I'd find a take-off in 35 Whelen but worth a try. $250 plus shipping for a JES job sounds like money well spent.

cheapest way is to buy a takeoff barrel. Rebore job costs are not cheap. You can get new takeoffs.

take off barrels in 35 Whelen are very difficult to find. I would be interested in a Rem 700 configuration at the right price and condition. I looked at the site. Any of you had experience with 3 groove barrels vs. 4 or 5?

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Originally Posted by dakota

take off barrels in 35 Whelen are very difficult to find. I would be interested in a Rem 700 configuration at the right price and condition. I looked at the site. Any of you had experience with 3 groove barrels vs. 4 or 5?

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Here is a target that I fired a few days ago with my Weatherby Vanguard rebored from .308 Win. to 358 Win. by JES. This rifle has turned out to be one of my favorites.

JES rebored the barrel with a 3 groove pattern. I couldn't be happier with the work ! 5 rounds @ 50 yards.

Here in AL this = Deer Meat !

( I had 4 rounds in a nice tight group and pulled the 5th round high a " smidge " )

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/358-1.jpg

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Originally Posted by TXGunNut

Good point, considered that awhile back but I'd have to hire it done. Didn't feel the rifle was worth it back then. I paid almost $400 for a pretty rough 670 last year and that's more than it's worth. Project rifle is an old push-feed rifle in an ugly synthetic stock. Doubt I'd find a take-off in 35 Whelen but worth a try. $250 plus shipping for a JES job sounds like money well spent.

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Late response. the following from Numrich Arms ' 584250 Barrel Blank, .30, .308, .30-06, Round - 26-1/2" Long, 1-1/4" O.D., 6 Groove ' and the price listed is $88 + shipping. Trying to find the .35 Whelen barrel they list. I've gone through the barrel section of their catalog 4 times, and can't find it. I'll look in one of their older catalogs, and if I find it, I'll check and see if the number is still good, and then make a new post. Really irks me. They used to have a section of various barrel blanks that I would look at and wish......

Thanks, mikeym1a. Reboring seems to make more sense, not willing to invest the required funds for a new barrel and having it turned, chambered and installed. My package just showed up @ JES so all I have to do now is wait patiently. :wink: I went with 3 grooves, BTW, just couldn't find a reason not to.

I think at times a re-bore is a good idea. That way you do not have to modify the stock and you keep the same weight barrel.

I say this since I have had two built. One with a Shaw 35 Whelen barrel and another with a Shaw Barrel in .358 Winchester. But they are heavy mag contour barrels. And yes they are HEAVY lol.

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Originally Posted by JesterGrin_1

I think at times a re-bore is a good idea. That way you do not have to modify the stock and you keep the same weight barrel.
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another bonus is the headspace is already set, and you just screw your barrel back in and time the sights....

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Originally Posted by mikeym1a

Late response. the following from Numrich Arms ' 584250 Barrel Blank, .30, .308, .30-06, Round - 26-1/2" Long, 1-1/4" O.D., 6 Groove ' and the price listed is $88 + shipping. Trying to find the .35 Whelen barrel they list. I've gone through the barrel section of their catalog 4 times, and can't find it. I'll look in one of their older catalogs, and if I find it, I'll check and see if the number is still good, and then make a new post. Really irks me. They used to have a section of various barrel blanks that I would look at and wish......

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Found it. #48140, 48140 Barrel, .35 Whelen, Sporter, 24" Tapered. 6 Groove Rifling w/ a 1 In 12 Twist. It's on page 27 of the firearms accessory catalog #33. But, it's listed as a Mauser barrel. Can't tell from the illustration is it's threaded,or not. I knew I'd seen it. So, even if you wanted, it might not have worked for you. Good luck with the rebore.

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Originally Posted by TXGunNut

My first centerfire rifle was a Winchester 670 in 30-06. Learned a lot about reloading and shooting with that rifle but several years ago a bit of rifling let go a few inches from the muzzle and it went from .5 MOA to 3+. I retired that rifle after over 25 years of hunting and thousands of rounds of "load development". At the time I considered having Shilen re-barrel it but decided it wasn't worth the investment. I replaced it with a Super Grade M70, another 670 and a Ruger M77 in 30-06 so I don't need another 30-06.
I'm wondering if I should have that old warhorse rebored to 35 Whelen. Open to other suggestions as well, goal is to use a CB in it, of course.

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a place called JES rebores them(http://www.35caliber.com/) to 35 Whelen and a lot of other calibers. if it was me id get it rebored to 9.3x62 Mauser.One of the best calibers all around. JES offers that caliber, it's .366 diameter and operates at less pressure than an '06 anyway. But .358 probably easier to find CB moulds for.