Rebarreling my B78 browning 22-250 Remington to 30-30 Winchester

[Dthunter]

Hello fellow shooters!

I am looking to rebarrel my B78 rifle to something much more interesting and useful to me.

My plan is to rebarrel this action with a 24” match quality barrel in 30-30 Winchester. A 1:10” twist, chrome moly and blued like the original. The barrel will be about 0.050” larger in diameter at the muzzle. I also would like the chamber swell to be non tapered for an extra 1-1/2” more than the original for extra rigidity. I am hoping to be able to get this rifle to shoot sub MOA with J words and close to that with cast.

So has anyone here tried this with a B78? I am hoping the ejector should be fine as is for the modification. There isnt more than .020” difference in diameter between the two cartridges for the ejector to work fine. (at least by my measurements). Any advice on this project would be greatly appreciated!

I was fortunate enough to find a real nice Browning B78 in 22-250 Remington a few years ago! It has a gorgeous high grade pair of stocks, and a fancy velvet display carrying case, and it came with a 24x scope. (Scope was cheap). I got the package for $850.00. The metal is in about 97% condition (no corrosion visible any where). The finish on the wood is about 95%. So I felt lucky to get a good deal!

[EDG]

There are a lot of ways to get a .30-30 rifle that is ready made. For example Browning made some 1885 Traditional Hunters in .30-30, .32-40 and .38-55.
I would be more interested in something that is unusual and especially has a chamber specifically designed for accuracy.
A .30-30 chamber design is over 100 years old.

[WALLNUTT]

It would be a little more work with the extractor but I would lean more towards the 30-40. The std chamber is more cast friendly.

[John Taylor]

I have done a few. The action is not fun to re-assemble. The extractor needs to be out to remove the barrel.

[Larry Gibson]

A 12 or even a 14" twist might be a better choice, especially if cast bullets are on the menus. The 173rd" twist will stabilize the 311299 at 30-30 velocities. A12" twist was standard for Winchesters.

[WALLNUTT]

I take it the B78 is not like a Winchester 85.

[RedlegEd]

I take it the B78 is not like a Winchester 85.

Hi. Nope, they look similar, but the B78 has much more complex innards. Here's a good overview of the differences. BTW, I have both types of Highwalls (two of each 1885 and B78.) The B78s (Mirokus in .30-06 and .45-70) are beautiful guns, well built, and really good shooters. Personally, I'd pick a more interesting cartridge to rechamber my .22-250 than a .30-30. Ed

[Tatume]

My Browning Model 1885 is chambered for 30-06. I drilled and tapped the barrel for a front sight and installed a Williams aperture rear sight using the two holes in the receiver. With the front sight I chose the gun shoots to point of aim with 200 and 220 grain Sierra bullets, and is three inches high with 165 and 170 grain bullets, including Sierra and the Lee C309-170-FP. Velocity is 2150 - 2200 fps with all bullets tried so far. Accuracy for five-shot groups at 100 yards is under one inch. In my opinion you should be able to achieve your goal, but it would be a lot easier and less expensive to just buy the gun you want. And yes, I know that for some the building of the gun is the fun part, so please don't take my comment as advice, but just a tidbit of information.

[GARD72977]

I think the 30/30 is a fine choice. The 1/10 should be good for low velocity cast bullets.

I have a 300/221 20" encore with a 1/10 twist and its great with cast bullets.

I would love to have a nice 30/30 single shot.