358 win handi rifle

[DeanWinchester]

If one was so inclined to have a 358 Winchester in a handi rifle, which would be the better path to follow?
I know where a .308 is right now I can get for Cnote. I could get JES to rebore that to .358
OR
Pick up a .357 and run a reamer in there.

Price would be comparable either way. I just wonder which would produce better results.

[Gibbs44]

I'm no expert on the Handi for sure, but I seem to remember they had two rifles at different pressures. 44 mag and 357 are at one level, and then the rest on another level. Just throwing that out there. Going 308 would probably be the better choice if that is the case. Keep us informed as to which way you go, and how it does, I kind of have a hankering for a 358 Win myself.

[Tatume]

The 44 and 357 Magnums were built on cast iron shotgun frames (SB1). To identify the cast iron and steel frames remove the butt stock and examine the rear. If the metal is skeletonized, it is steel (SB2). If solid, then you have the cast iron frame. The cast iron frame is considered by H&R to be insufficiently strong for rifle cartridges. To my knowledge H&R never built a 357 Magnum on an SB2 frame. It is strongly advised that you do not convert an H&R 357 Magnum Handi Rifle to chamber a rifle cartridge.

See: http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp

[DeanWinchester]

Hmm, well, that's why I asked! Thanks fellas!

[Shooter]

Re-boring and re-rifling =machine time =money.
Buy the .308, send to H&R for a .357 barrel, and rechamber will be cheaper.

[DeanWinchester]

Re-boring and re-rifling =machine time =money.
Buy the .308, send to H&R for a .357 barrel, and rechamber will be cheaper.


I used to think so too until I found JES reboring. They'll do it for around $250. I was a machinist for many years and I'm telling you, that's CHEAP considering the involvement and tooling.

[Nobade]

Remember that H&R also makes a Handi in 35 Whelen also. You could get one of those and use less gunpowder to make it act like a 358 if you desired.

-Nobade

[357Mag]

Dean -

Howdy !

My H & R .357Max carbine was an "SB2".

One thing to consider, is whether you'd be happy w/ the bore diam of an exisitng .357Mag @ .357" ( and not .358... to my knowledge ).

Down South, special-run H & R's can be found in .35Rem chambering ( for " primitive " season ). These include ones w/ composite stocks in " camo ".
Last time I looked around for them, there were multiple @ various pawn shops/gunshops.

Alternately.... rather than re-work an exisitng .35Rem gun, could your shooting needs be served by just runnin' w/ the stock .35Rem ?

Just a thought.


With regards,
357Mag

[DeanWinchester]

Naw, I don't wanna go with the 35 Remington. Yes it is FINE cartridge but in my (worthless) opinion the .358 beats it for one simple reason, you can make .358 brass SSOOOOO easy.

[nanuk]

if you can find a 35Rem, it rechambers easier from what I've read. unless you have a lathe

and in a handi, it is on the SB2 frame.
the 357mag is now sold on the SB1 frame and it may not be a good idea to run pressure up on it, without doing your research.

[Mk42gunner]

One other cost for the rechambering route would be the new extractor for the barrel.

Robert

[35 shooter]

David White works on h&rs and could tell you for sure how far you could go with the 357 bbl. I was under the impression only the frames on the sb1 were the weak link but the bbls could be fitted to the sb2 frames. I've heard of at least a few people doing that, then reaming to 357 max.

I would check with david on it first. I found him off bellm's tc's site.
As far as that goes bellm could tell you if it's do able. That 35 rem route sounds good tho,as it is made for the sb2 frame from the start.
Heard a lot of good reports on JES and he outta know if that 357 is do able too. Like has allready been stated i think the bore on the h&r 357 is pretty tight, so if your looking for a tight boolit fit and one of the guys i mentioned says it's safe to rechamber to it might be a heck of a shooter.

[DeanWinchester]

I wonder what y'all's impression of the Rossi single shots are. I can get a .243 locally for a tad more and it is in much better condition than the handi rifle I mentioned.

[rockrat]

Earlier 357mags were on the SB2 frame. I think the 308 barrel is a bit heavier than the 357 , so that might be the way to go. I have thought about that, even though I have a 357 mag SB2 gun.

[nanuk]

I have a Rossi SS in 308Win Youth version

the sights are SO LOW that one cannot see them without moving one's head back behind the MC rise on the stock.

but I think it might be OK with a scope...

I bought a Skinner and am going to try to mount "One of these Days"

haven't even put one round through it yet

[nanuk]

my 358Win reamer just arrived.... and I do have an extra 357maggie!

[Newtire]

I wonder what y'all's impression of the Rossi single shots are. I can get a .243 locally for a tad more and it is in much better condition than the handi rifle I mentioned.There's a reason probably that you can get that Rossi so cheap. I bought one with three barrels from our local pawn shop. The .243 barrel was so long on "freebore" (using that term in place of overly long chamber) that if I dropped a 100 gr Sierra down into the chamber, I could put an empty case in and by the time it hit the bullet, there was only about 1/8" of case neck that the bullet seated into. A bullet long enough to take up the slack would have had to have a rifling twist a lot faster than what came with it to stabilize. It wouldn't hit a 2' (yes-foot, not inch) target at 50 yards.

When I called Rossi about it, they gave me the runaround and refused to help with my problem. I just got back from shooting my H & R that I bought used last week and put 3-j words into 1-1/2" @ 100 yards even before I gave it the forend barrel freefloat treatment or trigger smoothing like on the Graybeard site.

Now, I'm sure there is going to be someone here who shoots golf balls out of the air while riding upside down on his pony at 200 + yards and some of the Rossi rifles out there may be capable of decent accuracy but when you can't get the time of day from them to help with one of their mistakes, I have to say no to buying another one ever!

Call a spade a spade and a *** a ***.

[pietro]

.

C'mon Newtire, tell us how you REALLY feel ! ! . :bigsmyl2:


.

[Newtire]

.

C'mon Newtire, tell us how you REALLY feel ! ! . :bigsmyl2:


.I tried to but my keyboard started smoking!

[tacklebury]

There's been a few rechambered to .356 or .358 winchester by guys at GBO. I have a maxi and am satisfied with that. You might pop in and see some of the guys info there. ;)

[onceabull]

I'm more & more grateful that this Newtire fella hasn't asked for help fixing anything he got from me (Yet)... Onceabull

[MT Gianni]

My only concern would be with the weight of the gun. It will have some recoil, which is why the 35 Whelens are around as having shot less than 1 box of shells. I would look at a Savage or Stevens 200 for a build.

[Newtire]

I'm more & more grateful that this Newtire fella hasn't asked for help fixing anything he got from me (Yet)... OnceabullI'm telling you Onceabull, I am just waiting for that 6.5-06 you sold me to go over .75 inch at 100 yds. and then I'll be telling you a thing or two. Just because it outshot those guys shooting J-words from Emmett with cast boolits isn't any excuse either. It could have just been pure SH luck or like that Kooskia whitetail... With all this success, things are bound to go downhill sometime in the next century or so.

[bikerbeans]

Here is a link to a fairly detailed discussion of reaming a Handi 35 Rem barrel to 356. It would be the same for the 358 minus the rimcut.

BB


http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/hr-centerfire-rifles/another-356w-thread-updated/msg1099475104/#msg1099475104

[kawasakifreak77]

I've gotten into the handi rifles recently & just HAD to have a .35 Remington. I won't admit what I paid for it... but it shoots better than any rifle I've shot to date.

Regardless.

In searching for my .35R I saw several Whelens online, NEW for barely over $200! Seems like that would be a great way to go. Low entry fee with no mods & plentiful brass.