Converting a Short Rifle to S, L, LR

[fourarmed]

An elderly neighbor of mine gave me an 06 Winchester (the short, round-barreled version of the 1890). I recently got it out and cleaned it up and tried to shoot it. Despite the fact that the barrel is labeled "Short, Long, and Long Rifle" it would not feed LR from the magazine. With just a little examination, I found that this was originally a short-only model, on which the barrel had been replaced. That isn't surprising, as black powder shorts probably rusted out barrels faster than any other round known to man. The opening in the magazine is shorter than a long rifle, although it is easy to get them into it. The main problem is that the recess in the lifter is too short to receive a LR round.

I took off the barrel and stock, clamped the lifter vertically in a small drill press vise, and clamped that vise in my big mill vise. This allowed me to get the lifter under the quill without removing the lifter from the action, which is not a simple thing to do on these rifles. I ran a quarter-inch end mill in to the length of a LR round. If I were doing this more than once, I would buy a 17/64 or 9/32 end mill. As it was, a quarter was what I had, so I had to open that part up a little with a Dremel and a dental burr. I now have an 06 with a good bore, that is fully functional with long rifles.

[Texas by God]

Way to fix a fun rifle. Enjoy that thing.
Best, Thomas.

[lefty o]

a proper lifter probably wouldnt have cost too much.

[Bent Ramrod]

The 06 lifter looks like a Long Rifle lifter with a little rocker thingy pinned in the front. If you added one of those, you could shoot Shorts and Longs in your rifle as well.

My 06 shoots anything. It has a pitted, but still shootable bore that I fire all my range pickup .22s in. It's my "catharsis gun," for salivating plinking targets.

[Blackwater]

I can't help but wonder if that gun wasn't originally one that was used in the carnivals? That model was pretty popular way back when for things like that. And the ammo back then was made of sintered and compressed metal, and I think it was soft iron, which obviously wore barrels faster than lead. Thus, the change of barrels, I'd think. May (?) have found themselves in a place where a local 'smith had a LR barrel and just went with it if it was cheaper, and back then, parts were pretty cheap, at least compared to now.

I suspect this is one of those guns you wish could talk, and tell you its history. As is, one can only wonder. But that can be pleasurable, too.

[John Taylor]

I have put 06 carriers in many 1890 to shoot all three. If yours has a short carrier it may have been replaced or as stated before the barrel was replaced. I can look through my parts and see if I have a good 06 carrier, might be will to swap for your short carrier.

[Traffer]

I think that nearly all of the short only models were carnival guns in the day. Every carnival had them and carnivals were all over. I had one that was short only while growing up. I was always tempted to extend the carrier and bore the chamber. It was stolen before I got the chance.

[lefty o]

nope, there was way more short only guns that werent gallery guns than were. quick easy ID of a gallery gun is the loading port in the magazine tube. regular guns its shaped like a 22 cartridge, the gallery guns its just a basic triangle where the gallery magazine slid up against for loading.

[John Taylor]

If the barrel is marked "short" only it has a 1 in 20 twist. The LR has a 1 in 16" twist. Re-chambering a short to long rifle may not stabilize the bullet because the twist is to slow.

[w5pv]

I have a Remington 541 that is good shape not excellent but good short,long and long rifle.It shoots high and to the left of the point of aim and just will not move enough to shoot to the point of aim.Lacks about one inch in elevation and about the same to the side.I hit fairly good with it knowing these conditions.Long rifle bullets shoots just a hair higher than the shorts do.So far I have killed 4to6 squirrels with no problems this is an old gun that has on the stock 1 notch cut int the stock and the number two stamped on it.I haven' t tried to research the gun it has no visible serial number but will maybe Remington has some info on it.