Re-Barrel a .30-06 to ??

[Fryeguy]

Bob,
Thanks for the heads up. I have a couple pounds of the CFE223, that I bought a couple years ago and have yet to ever use it in anything. Just so happens that I just bought some Sierra 225 as well! I will try them asap

 

[Warbeast]

Use math to solve the sweats, frets and remove the burden of choice.
300 + 375 = 675.
675/2 = 337.5 ~ 338
Therefore the perfect cartridge to the fill the gap would be the 338-06.

And if you want it fance and german: 8.5x63 Reb

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob,
Thanks for the heads up. I have a couple pounds of the CFE223, that I bought a couple years ago and have yet to ever use it in anything. Just so happens that I just bought some Sierra 225 as well! I will try them asap

@Fryeguy
Those 225 gn game kings at 2,900 fps turn the Whelen into a 400yard big game round that puts big hurt on things way out yonder
Bob

 

[Rare Breed]

Pretty simple: 35 Whelen - the mag geometry is the same so will work fine.

tagging @Bob Nelson 35Whelen so he can agree ;-)

According to my good friend @Bob Nelson 35Whelen there is no caliber but the 35 Whelen. Please never mention a 243 around him!!! lol!!!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

According to my good friend @Bob Nelson 35Whelen there is no caliber but the 35 Whelen. Please never mention a 243 around him!!! lol!!!

@Rare Breed
If'n anyone mentioned the 243 around me they would get a lecture in how useless it is.
If'n they tried to tell me it was a good cartridge I would just have to bitch slap them into the middle of next week
There is another good calibre tho. A FAST 25.
Bob

 

[ActionBob]

Appreciate the input. I’ve been considering the 25-06 or the 9.3x62. The 35 Whelen seems like a good choice to consider as well. As far as leaving it a 30-06, I’ve already have one that I enjoy and shoot well so just looking to expand my cartridge horizons. Keep the recommendations coming. Also, I don’t re-load so I do have to consider the availability of factory loaded ammo.

A couple considerations towards keeping it as a 30-06. First off, there is no such thing as too many rifles in 30-06

And why mess with rechambering when it might be more fun and more effective to look for another rifle in the clambering you want.... Unless you really enjoy redoing guns, then by all means

But my best reasoning is this;
If you would want to shoot 200 or 220 grain bullets you can sight one in for that. And keep the other for 150-165 grain, or the near perfect 180 grain.

A reason for the heavy for caliber bullets would be for example a PG hunt in Limpopo where long range shots are unlikely but you could choose the biggest PG as well as small critters with a heavy slow moving bullet. Such as Remington Core-Lokt 220 grain. Remember the need for bonded bullets in Africa is with the higher speeds we mostly shoot these days causing cup and core bullets to blow up and fail to penetrate. With slower speeds and heavier bullets you should not have those issues. Plus the slower speed should not blow up smaller thinner skinned animals. A fine Ruger Mark II with wood stock and high quality bluing is hard to beat as a low cost but classic looking rifle

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I was able to get a Ruger M77 Mark II in 30-06 today at a good price. Wood stock and blued barrel. Thing is I already have a
30-06 so I bought this rifle with the intention of possibly having it re-barreled to another caliber. I’ve got a couple of different ideas but nothing that really stands out to me and wanted to get some thoughts from some of y’all who are much more versed and experienced in such matters. I have rifles chambered in .270 win, 300 win mag, 375 H&H so take that into consideration when offering suggestions on possible re- barrel calibers. I’d primarily be using this rifle to hunt deer and pigs here at home and possibly PG in Africa. Looking forward to hearing some thoughts from y’all. Thanks.

I've been looking for such a rifle myself. I have a bunch of rifles from .22-250 through .300 Win Mag and I have a.458 Win Mag. So what's missing? So what's missing? Something in the middle of course. So if it was me, I'd go 9.3 x 62.

 

[Fatback]

A couple considerations towards keeping it as a 30-06. First off, there is no such thing as too many rifles in 30-06

And why mess with rechambering when it might be more fun and more effective to look for another rifle in the clambering you want.... Unless you really enjoy redoing guns, then by all means

But my best reasoning is this;
If you would want to shoot 200 or 220 grain bullets you can sight one in for that. And keep the other for 150-165 grain, or the near perfect 180 grain.

A reason for the heavy for caliber bullets would be for example a PG hunt in Limpopo where long range shots are unlikely but you could choose the biggest PG as well as small critters with a heavy slow moving bullet. Such as Remington Core-Lokt 220 grain. Remember the need for bonded bullets in Africa is with the higher speeds we mostly shoot these days causing cup and core bullets to blow up and fail to penetrate. With slower speeds and heavier bullets you should not have those issues. Plus the slower speed should not blow up smaller thinner skinned animals. A fine Ruger Mark II with wood stock and high quality bluing is hard to beat as a low cost but classic looking rifle

Well I went with BOTH, I got a 35 Whelen and a 9.3x62 made. I also have two 30-06s. Both of the ‘06s are walnut and blued. One is a Winchester M70 and the other is a Ruger M77, Mark II. I took the M70 to Zimbawe last month and got a Kudu, Bushbuck, Impala and Baboon with it. I was very pleased with how it preformed with 200 grain AFrames.

I’m a lefty, so if I want some of the less traditional calibers I have to go the re-barrel route, which is what I did here on the 9.3 and 35 Whelen. Appreciate the great advice @ ActionBob, makes me feel good that was sorted the way I went with these projects.