gun show remington

[Daniel BOON]

I bought a BDL/308 at the local gun show(vegas) as it turned out, it needs to be re chambered or rebarreled. numriche has factory barrels for 65 bucks plus shipping. they claim they are take-offs. I need some opinions.
should I rechamber it to 300 short mag; or just rebarrel it to 308 or what ever? or, heres the one I like, take it back to the gun show, and eat at least $125 bucks;
heres a heads up on Vegas gun shows. the local, long time gunsmith gave me this advice after I bought 2 gun show special's. he said "don't buy guns at the Vegas gun show" because the chances of seeing the dealer that sold it to you, you will never see again(and I haven't)
when I lived in Idaho, I bought used guns, and never got ripped off. I hope some of you guys learn from my mistakes, I got educated the hard way, thru my wallet.

[Harry Bonar]

Dear Sir:
I've found gun shows to be rip-offs myself and I stay away from them. We go thinking that "these guys won't know anything about guns or gun prices "- WRONG!
These guys, alot of them are very savy.
In regard to your rifle, is the bore and chamber rusted and pitted?
The trouble with Remington "take off bbls" is that you'll never get one to screw up with the sight holes actually lined up - and to try to get that involves some "fudgey" measuring! I've only done one! I was lucky that time.
You probably will need it chambered and fit also!
You'd be better off to plan on that. If you can do it yourself, OK. If not you'll pay through the nose - some gunsmiths think that there are arcane, mystical aspects to bbl. fitting and chambering, although it's a sim[le straight forward process.
A "take off" just might fit right up! Might not, also! If the rest of the rifle is nice go for it, just remember, you've got a short action with that 308 and you'll need to stick with that cartridge length. You can fix it - I need to know more particulars as to what's wrong with your rifle.
Harry B.

[hoghunting]

The 308 bolt's head is too small in diameter for the 300 Short Mags, then the magazine would have to be reworked.

[Harry Bonar]

Sirs:
I'm not up on the short magnums - I'm old and slowly moving to black powder arms or the "short magnum of which I wouldn't have one of those bombs. Not that they don't work but I just don't like them.
Harry Bonar

[Bigfatts]

Here's a shameless plug for the .358 Winchester, if you reload. Great cartridge, just built one for myself. I also have a Win M70 in 300WSM and I love it. Most accurate factory rifle I've ever had.

[Daniel BOON]

thank you Harry, and all the other guys. your imput is appreciated;
when I took my 308 out to the range, I took a box of reloads, and a box of 150 grain rem. core lokt. the reloads worked just fine. the bolt opened and closed with no prob. and i got it on paper with the re loads.
when I tried the factory loads, the bolt seemed frozen, and was very difficult to open. so back to the reloads with no problems. back to the factory, and the difficult bolt. so I gave up and went by the gunsmith; after he looked at it(said he would do a bore cast) but didn't. he said the chamber was basically shot, and was rusted and pitted. the cure was to re chamber it to a different caliber, and he didn't have a reamer, or to re barrel it. he said both were expensive; and would be cheaper to buy a new rifle. and thats about all I know ..
the gun smith I talked with is one of the few reputable 'smiths in the Vegas area.
do you guys think there is an in expensive way out of this? so far I have the cost of a new adl wrapped up in this. like having to pay for a dead horse. oh well, education is not cheap these days.

[James K]

I agree with Harry that getting a take off barrel that turns up and headspaces right is pretty iffy. Remington final chambers using a pull through reamer, so the headspace is perfect for that bolt and receiver, but a different barrel may give a different result.

Before I went to a lot of expense, I would take some 600 grit emery paper, put it in one end of a slotted dowel rod, and chuck the other end in a hand drill. Put the emery paper in the chamber and give the drill a short burst, while running the emery paper in and out. I guarantee nothing, but it is surprising how a little polishing (and don't go too heavy) can make a rough looking chamber right again. And the cost will be a few cents.

Jim

[Harry Bonar]

Sir:
Jim is right on - do what he says.
Harry B.