boring and relining barel

[bgreed]

I have been looking for a Winchester or Marlin in 45 Colt for about a year with no luck. WOuld ot be possible to bore and reline a 3030 barrel to 45 Colt?

[MtGun44]

Should bore out to .45 Colt just fine, no need for a liner, .30-30 chamber rear
is .423, .45 Colt is .486, so enough meat to make it work at the back. The issue
is what the muzzle diameter is on the barrel. Might get pretty thin down there.

Bill

[rking22]

Careful of the dovetail cuts also, feeding could be a pain.

[hpdrifter]

question is; who bores to 45 reasonably?

[bgmkithaca]

If you convert to .45 colt there will be feeding issues with a cartridge being that short. It can be done but likely not for a rookie to try. Throw enough money at it with a good levergun smith and it will work out but it won't be cheap. As stated above the barrel dimensions need to be checked as well to prevent surprises at the dovetails and the muzzle. Keep looking for one in .45 colt-you will be happier in the end and less money tied up.

[JHeath]

.30-30? Win. Model 94?

Why not a Model 92 or clone?

I understand the clones are stronger anyway, if you just want a shooter. Strong enough for a .454 if you want. But it will kick.

[Pb2au]

If you convert to .45 colt there will be feeding issues with a cartridge being that short. It can be done but likely not for a rookie to try. Throw enough money at it with a good levergun smith and it will work out but it won't be cheap. As stated above the barrel dimensions need to be checked as well to prevent surprises at the dovetails and the muzzle. Keep looking for one in .45 colt-you will be happier in the end and less money tied up.

This pretty much nailed it.
I agree that if you throw enough effort into it, it could be doable. But you might be better served from a financial aspect to seek a different path.
Rossi rifles, (a 92 clone) can be had at around the 500$ point. There are some stories that circulate about them, and they have had some issues on occasion. But from my personal experience with one, they do perform pretty well. The biggest thing is to give them a good cleaning to start off.
The only two downers to them I can attest to are.
1) Finish on the wood is pretty lame. Most people end up stripping and refinishing them.
Here is mine after refinishing
112728
2) Rossi's spare part policy is simply dumb. Simply put, getting parts from them is a proper pain in the posterior. Luckily, there exists aftermarket part for them, so you are not help completely hostage.

The longwinded point is that you can get into a levergun in a pistol caliber, you just might have to broaden your horizon a bit.
That being said, converting a marlin 336 to a pistol caliber would be pretty slick, just be prepared to work your tail off doing it!

Good luck sir!

[Irascible]

Did Winchester never make a 45 M94? I know they made 44 Mag caliber guns. THAT would be the one to convert. I also know that almost every cowboy shooter who tried to work it fast, gave up. They didn't feed well enough for the speed freaks!

[schutzen]

I have a Winchester 94AE in .45 Colt. It is a good gun, but not near the gun a Marlin CB in .45 Colt is. I have both, and no one is not for sale. Sorry, I have 2 grandsons who are very lucky boys.