looking for gunsmith to rebarrel carcano to 35 rem

[justashooter]

Recently picked up another Carcano sporter with a nicely done 1950's style walnut stock and a mauser magazine conversion. It's a Terni gun in 6.5 that was cut to 16". I would like to re-barrel it to 35 Remington, and am looking for a gunsmith that can source and fit an inexpensive barrel, including threading, profiling, and finish chambering. I have a Marlin 336 35R barrel and considered attempting to cut off the original Carcano barrel stub and buttress thread it for the Marlin barrel, but imagine that if this was outsourced the complication of the buttress thread, barrel timing, and head-spacing would cost more than just having it fitted with a new barrel. Not too keen on trying buttress threads on my Logan, either. The Carcano pitch is larger diameter than a standard Mauser thread pitch, so should be cut from an unturned blank, prolly.

Suggestions or contacts appreciated.

[swheeler]

Recently picked up another Carcano sporter with a nicely done 1950's style walnut stock and a mauser magazine conversion. It's a Terni gun in 6.5 that was cut to 16". I would like to re-barrel it to 35 Remington, and am looking for a gunsmith that can source and fit an inexpensive barrel, including threading, profiling, and finish chambering. I have a Marlin 336 35R barrel and considered attempting to cut off the original Carcano barrel stub and buttress thread it for the Marlin barrel, but imagine that if this was outsourced the complication of the buttress thread, barrel timing, and head-spacing would cost more than just having it fitted with a new barrel. Not too keen on trying buttress threads on my Logan, either. The Carcano pitch is larger diameter than a standard Mauser thread pitch, so should be cut from an unturned blank, prolly.

Suggestions or contacts appreciated.

Is there any way you could post pictures of this conversion, I'm interested, thanks.

[swheeler]

Guessing here, 91 arg or possibly 88 commiss revamp?

[nekshot]

see if midway has access to those $89.oo blanks. A 35 remmy in a carcano is a cake walk.

[john hayslip]

Won't there be bolt work involved? The 35 rem is a 30-06 head size and the Carcano smaller. The 6.5 Carcano is basically the same cartridge as the 6.5 Mannlicher-Schoneaur (sp) which is my favorite hunting cartridge using the 140 grain Nosler Partition. I don't know about the Carcano but I make my M-S cases out of 220 Swift when I can't find the correct brass. My Greek sporter takes the semi rim on the Swift without any problem.

[justashooter]

The 35 Rem base diameter is .460 like the Carcano cartridges. The magazine conversion involved procuring a mauser lower metal set, shortening the magazine box to accept the 6.5 round and fit into a milled "box" cutout of the underside of the action rails, then cutting the bolt tabs of the lower metal loose and adjusting their fit so that they matched the bolt pattern of the carcano action. The floor plate looks unchanged, and the spring/follower look unmodified. trial feed with 35 Rem ammo indicates that this will feed dual position. I had earlier thought that Carcano controlled feed bolts would only feed from single stack. I have read of Mauser mag conversions in Dunlap's(?) or some other 1950's source, but this is the first I have seen in 30 years of collecting. Looks like a trained chimp could do it, but it does make for a "fat-belly" stock. Pix to follow.

[swheeler]

Waiting for pictures but sounds kool.

[justashooter]

See the pix of the mag conversion. The machining to lower rails is same opening as interior of mag box, so mag box sits on the rails, rather than in the cutout. If you look closely you can see the welds where the sidebars of the mag well were re-welded to the front and rear tabs. A very simple modification that holds 4 cartridges under the bolt. I liked the blonde wooden buttplate and the rosewood grip cap.

120175

120176

[swheeler]

It would be a smart chimp:-) Actually it doesn't look like a mauser magazine to me, their trigger guard and magazine are one piece, boxes are milled and that appears to be stamped steel, indents in the side. Thanks for the pictures though.

[nekshot]

that is a sweeet deal you have there, makes me wanna hide my carcano's! Is the trigger slicked up also?

[justashooter]

The trigger is stock. It looks like I will be using a Remington 14 barrel in 35 Remington now. Seems easier to cut off and drill/tap the barrel stub myself than to contract out a re-barreling.

[TCLouis]

Please post progress on this project through the point of holes in paper and a deer or two if you so choose.