Rebarrel a Savage 840 to 460 S&W???

swampdoctor · February 5, 2014, 11:52 PM

Have already rebarreled a Savage 225 to 45 Long Colt/454 Casull which does just fine. Any thoughts on the 460 S&W in an 840 which was originally in 30/30 Winchester? The 840 is a lot stronger than either the 225 or the 340 and it is tempting to give it a try.

Mobuck · February 7, 2014, 07:10 AM

I hope you like wearing scars and jewelry.

natman · February 7, 2014, 10:02 AM

From the article "Savage Model 840 And Its Stevens Roots"

Quote:

It was quickly followed by the Models 322 and 325 that were chambered in .22 Hornet and .250 Savage (a.k.a. .250-3000), respectively. The Hornet chambering proved very popular, but the Model 325 was quickly abandoned when it was discovered that the bolt was not strong enough the for the high-pressure cartridge.

Read more: http://www.shootingtimes.com/2010/09...#ixzz2seFIwCF5

Considering that the "high pressure cartridge" in question is the 250 Savage with a SAAMI max pressure of 45,000 cup, rebarreling one to 460 S&W, with a SAAMI max pressure of 65,000 psi seems like a spectacularly bad idea. Remember the 340 / 840 only has one locking lug.

savagecornmuffin · February 7, 2014, 10:33 AM

Man,.. I've been wanting a Savage 30-30 bolt gun for ever. Don't blow it up!

However,.. if I had two of those, I'd re-bore/rebarrel one of them to 444. It could stand a little more pressure than the lever actions,.. but who's complaining chunking 300- 320 grainers at +/-2100 fps at lever gun pressures. 240 gr JSPs at around 2500 fps are pretty slick, too.

45/70 or 450 marlin if your trying to stay 45 cal.

FormerLeeWarmer · March 3, 2014, 12:05 PM

Well no offence natman but that article is a call for fact checking more then useful information. There are so many errors in that it makes the writer look like he really doesn't know what he's talking about. First the Stevens 325 wasn't made in .250 Savage its chambered in .30-30. I know because my Stevens 325 has .30-30 stamped in the receiver and thats what it shoots. The Stevens 330 is a double barreled shotgun not a bolt action rifle in any caliber. The Stevens 325 was discontinued in 1950 because it and the 322 were brought out in the Savage line under the model 340 and 342. If the action is to weak for .250 Savage (45000CUP) how was it strong enough for .225 Winchester (50000CUP) or .223 Remington (55000PSI). The only calibers I know of in the Savage/Stevens 325 based rifles are .30-30 Win., .22 Hornet,.225 Win., .222 Rem. and .223 Rem..
I think the Stevens 325 and 322 were an economy rifle offered in calibers so they wouldn't compete with their more expensive rifles.
Someone may not pay $109.00 for a Savage 99 in .250 if they could get that caliber in the Stevens 325 for $48.75. This was back in the 1950s when they were new and money was worth something.

swampdoctor
Personally I'd say leave the 840 as it is and use it. If not will it, gift it or sell it to someone who will. The Savage/Stevens/Springfield 340/325/840 used the same action with only minor changes. I don't think any changes that would make the 840 any stronger then the rest. The highest pressure caliber used in them was .223 Remington (55000PSI) to try and take that to 65000PSI would be a stretch. Maybe more a stretch,bend and break. It would probably be expensive given the parts needed and gun smith cost. Then after all that you may just will whats left of the gun to someone sooner then you want.

natman · March 9, 2014, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Well no offence natman but that article is a call for fact checking more then useful information. There are so many errors in that it makes the writer look like he really doesn't know what he's talking about. First the Stevens 325 wasn't made in .250 Savage its chambered in .30-30. I know because my Stevens 325 has .30-30 stamped in the receiver and thats what it shoots. The Stevens 330 is a double barreled shotgun not a bolt action rifle in any caliber. The Stevens 325 was discontinued in 1950 because it and the 322 were brought out in the Savage line under the model 340 and 342. If the action is to weak for .250 Savage (45000CUP) how was it strong enough for .225 Winchester (50000CUP) or .223 Remington (55000PSI).

Excellent point. I take most of what I read on the internet with a grain of salt, but you would think that Shooting Times would do better.

I suspect that if there's any factual basis for it, the "high pressure cartridge" he's referring to is actually the 225 Win. It has both high pressure and a large base area, which translates to a lot of bolt head thrust. The 223 has a lot of pressure but a very small base area.

In either case I still wouldn't rebarrel any Savage 340 variant to 460 S&W.

McShooty · March 10, 2014, 11:02 AM

Worst idea seen on this site in many a moon.

btmj · March 11, 2014, 12:17 PM

There are a lot of lever gun options in 45-70 or even 450 Marlin... 460 SW seems like an awfully expensive way of duplicating the performance of a "modern" 45-70 load.... by modern I mean one of those 3500+ ft-lb loads.

February 5, 2014, 11:52 PM	#1
swampdoctor Junior Member Join Date: February 21, 2012 Posts: 7	Rebarrel a Savage 840 to 460 S&W??? Have already rebarreled a Savage 225 to 45 Long Colt/454 Casull which does just fine. Any thoughts on the 460 S&W in an 840 which was originally in 30/30 Winchester? The 840 is a lot stronger than either the 225 or the 340 and it is tempting to give it a try.

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February 7, 2014, 07:10 AM	#2
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	I hope you like wearing scars and jewelry.

February 7, 2014, 10:33 AM	#4
savagecornmuffin Member Join Date: December 5, 2013 Location: SE USA Posts: 66	Man,.. I've been wanting a Savage 30-30 bolt gun for ever. Don't blow it up! However,.. if I had two of those, I'd re-bore/rebarrel one of them to 444. It could stand a little more pressure than the lever actions,.. but who's complaining chunking 300- 320 grainers at +/-2100 fps at lever gun pressures. 240 gr JSPs at around 2500 fps are pretty slick, too. 45/70 or 450 marlin if your trying to stay 45 cal.

March 3, 2014, 12:05 PM	#5
FormerLeeWarmer Junior Member Join Date: March 3, 2014 Location: Lost in Penn's Woods Posts: 1	Well no offence natman but that article is a call for fact checking more then useful information. There are so many errors in that it makes the writer look like he really doesn't know what he's talking about. First the Stevens 325 wasn't made in .250 Savage its chambered in .30-30. I know because my Stevens 325 has .30-30 stamped in the receiver and thats what it shoots. The Stevens 330 is a double barreled shotgun not a bolt action rifle in any caliber. The Stevens 325 was discontinued in 1950 because it and the 322 were brought out in the Savage line under the model 340 and 342. If the action is to weak for .250 Savage (45000CUP) how was it strong enough for .225 Winchester (50000CUP) or .223 Remington (55000PSI). The only calibers I know of in the Savage/Stevens 325 based rifles are .30-30 Win., .22 Hornet,.225 Win., .222 Rem. and .223 Rem.. I think the Stevens 325 and 322 were an economy rifle offered in calibers so they wouldn't compete with their more expensive rifles. Someone may not pay $109.00 for a Savage 99 in .250 if they could get that caliber in the Stevens 325 for $48.75. This was back in the 1950s when they were new and money was worth something. swampdoctor Personally I'd say leave the 840 as it is and use it. If not will it, gift it or sell it to someone who will. The Savage/Stevens/Springfield 340/325/840 used the same action with only minor changes. I don't think any changes that would make the 840 any stronger then the rest. The highest pressure caliber used in them was .223 Remington (55000PSI) to try and take that to 65000PSI would be a stretch. Maybe more a stretch,bend and break. It would probably be expensive given the parts needed and gun smith cost. Then after all that you may just will whats left of the gun to someone sooner then you want.

March 10, 2014, 11:02 AM	#7
McShooty Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2012 Location: Northern Missouri Posts: 480	Worst idea seen on this site in many a moon.

March 11, 2014, 12:17 PM	#8
btmj Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2011 Location: Near St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 864	There are a lot of lever gun options in 45-70 or even 450 Marlin... 460 SW seems like an awfully expensive way of duplicating the performance of a "modern" 45-70 load.... by modern I mean one of those 3500+ ft-lb loads.