Reboring an older Marlin

[Balog]

Hello all,

I'm considering buying a Marlin/Glenfield Model 30A. It seems to be a good price and I don't like cross bolt safeties. However, when I get a .30-30 I'd like to be able to rebore it to the Ackley Improved version. Doubtless I've just spent too much time in the Wildcat section of Cartridges of the World but I really love that chambering.

So would that be a safe thing to do to an older rifle like this? Are there any issues I can expect to encounter? And can ya'll recommend a gunsmith in W. Wa to do the work?

Thanks.

 

[rcmodel]

Yes you can rechamber it to 30-30 AI.
But you won't gain much if anything in a lever-action.

Ackley developed all of his "improved" cartridges way before there was any accurate pressure test methods employed by folks like him.

Lever-guns are pretty much limited to 30-30 pressures, and the 30-30 brass tends to stretch and break if overloaded at all past factory load pressure in the springy actions.

When the 30-30 AI is kept to reasonable pressures, you won't see enough differance in performance in a lever-action to matter.

Put the 30-30 AI in a strong single-shot action that doesn't stretch brass, and it is a worthwhile conversion though.


rcmodel