35 Rem to 358 Win - Ream by Hand?

[KLR]

I have a CVA Hunter in 35 Rem that I'd like to ream to 358 Win. Can I do it by hand if I'm careful?
Any tips?

Thanks.

[NoAngel]

I've done a CVA for another member here. No way I'd do it by hand.
I did the last 5 thousandths by hand but NOT the whole thing. Even as well as my Manson reamer cuts, no.

WAY to easy to put lateral pressure and cut what don't need cuttin'.
Then again, what do I know. You may have good luck with it.



Btw, the CVA is an awesome rifle and makes a darn fine .358. Worth the effort of doing right. Seeing the exponentially better quality of the CVA keeps me from lamenting H&R's passing. The CVA it ten times nicer than the Handi.

[KLR]

I've done a CVA for another member here. No way I'd do it by hand.
I did the last 5 thousandths by hand but NOT the whole thing. Even as well as my Manson reamer cuts, no.

WAY to easy to put lateral pressure and cut what don't need cuttin'.
Then again, what do I know. You may have good luck with it.



Btw, the CVA is an awesome rifle and makes a darn fine .358. Worth the effort of doing right. Seeing the exponentially better quality of the CVA keeps me from lamenting H&R's passing. The CVA it ten times nicer than the Handi.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have a lathe, but no reamer holder and no experience reaming. Guess it's time to learn.

Totally agree about the CVA. I bought a Handi in 300 Blackout and this CVA in the last month. No comparison in quality.

[NoAngel]

Manson offers a floating reamer holder. Worth every single penny!

[MBTcustom]

Run it at about 200 RPM and use oil like it's free.

If you're going to do it in the lathe, you really should have a double spider, or a spider in the rear, 4 jaw in the front etc etc etc. You need to be able to tram that barrel in dead nuts.
There are three specialized pieces of equipment you need to properly ream a barrel in a lathe:
1. A double spider
2. A floating reamer holder
3. A precisely fitting "range rod".

The range rod is where you start. Turn it between centers and make it 6" long. You want it to fit in the bore of your rifle with a tight slip fit. Insert it in your barrel half way and use two indicators on the protruding end to adjust your barrel true to the center line of rotation.
Then ream the chamber.

Personally, I would think that if you didn't have all the fixture/tools mentioned above, you should just ream it by hand. It's going to follow the original chamber and be guided by it. Just keep your cuts even and steady, and you'll be fine. Just be sure to never turn the reamer counterclockwise or you will dull it quick.
Also, realize that you have to stop cutting within .009 of your GO headpace, or you will be too deep. That's the thickness of three hairs and takes about 2 turns of the reamer to take out. Considering you're going to have to make about 200 turns on the reamer, you might want to sneak up on it.

[KLR]

Thanks, Tim.

So the vote is no and yes.