Turning my 30/30 in to silhouette gun

[andym79]

Hi guys, I have a regular 30-30 with a 20 inch standard barrel, its good to 100 yards, but to light and short to use as a silhouette rifle. I want to modify it to have a heavy 26" barrel.

Could a suitable barrel be machine from a 30 cal barrel blank?

I want a barrel like this only heavier.

www.gunpartscorp.com/ad/882400.htm

Could something like this be machined to fit an 1894 30-30?

http://www.gmriflebarrel.com/rx3012-308-caliber-1-12-twist-chrome-moly-barrel-blank/

 

[Sav .250]

To me ,that`s a question for a gun-smith.

 

[StrawHat]

If you want a barrel with a larger diameter, it will interfere with the magazine and cause feeding issues unless you want it to be a single shot.

It can be done, the real question is how much money do you have?

If you are sold on the idea of a 30 WCF lever rifle for silhouette shooting, you might be able to start with an 1886 action and have it reworked for the heavier barrel and action work for the 30 WCF cartridge.

 

[andym79]

So keep it as a 100 yard off hand gun and save up the cash for a silhouette gun?

That would be the best advice if the 1894 action can't take a heavy barrel.

What about changing it for a 26" barrel and attaching a weight to it (say a piece of brass machine to fit around the barrel). Trying to shoot off hand with my 94 at 200 yards is just to hard!


A friend let me use his Browning 1886 45-70 with a heavy 26" octagonal barrel, it was a lot easier to keep on target!

The barrel in the photo http://www.gunpartscorp.com/ad/882400.htm

Has got to be an improvement over my whippy 20" standard barrel!!

 

[JustsayMo]

I'd be on the lookout for a Winchester Centennial. Some of the versions had 26" Octagonal barrels and all of the iterations I've seen were good shooters. The show up fairly regularly for less than $600.

 

[Geno]

One of our THR members had a post here recently about shooting steel with his lever-ation (I think) 38-55. I believe they were shooting in the range of 300 to 500 yards. My point being, there are some members here who are doing, with bone-stock rifles, what you would like to do. Try doing some advanced searching.

Geno

 

[JustsayMo]

Here's a friend shooting his 94 at the 400 yard dinger. That 18" plate is a lot smaller than a Ram.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjs_pKchOEk&index=97&list=UUNvs-eikNypaitinLHGw9tA

Another friend with his 30-30 336 Cowboy shooting 900 yards with his.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8bPEPc3fnA&list=UUNvs-eikNypaitinLHGw9tA

Some more impressive shooting by him, less than a month after a major cancer surgery no less. 30-30 reduced loads can still get it done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrsP-Sd4dfM&index=7&list=UUNvs-eikNypaitinLHGw9tA

 

[BCRider]

Perhaps look around for an 1894 that has the heavier octagonal barrel? It'll be both heavier and stiffer than the lighter round barrel and you'll get what you want without a lot of expensive gunsmith machining costs.

 

[Jim Watson]

Get an extra magazine tube and pour it full of lead, maybe.
Silhouette is not shot rapid fire anyhow.

 

[Claude Clay]

Winchester 94 Classic sounds like what you want.

mine is 26" octagon with brass loading gate & lightly engraved

seen them ~$700 in 95% condition

 

[Jim Watson]

A friend had a Canadian Centennial with 24" octagon barrel that was a good iron sight rifle.
There are a lot of Winchester commemoratives of similar configuration but that one is less flashy than most.

 

[andym79]

Thanks for the input guys. The standard 30-30 carbine is really a scrub gun. Good here for shooting pigs.

The octagonal barrel from Numrich is actual quite cheap and it looks to be threaded for the 1894, dovetailed and I assume chambered!

The biggest cost for me would be getting that barrel to Aus, as the US government charge a minimum $250 export fee!

Perhaps I should keep my eyes out for a factory issue 26" barrel. It should not be too hard to sell my 30-30 carbine.

The pigs will die harder with the 375 big bore carbine anyway!

 

[Jim Watson]

Sorry, I did not see your location.
That might make it feasible to rebarrel your .30-30 from a blank.
I guess the gunsmith could cut a flat or flute along the bottom to clear the magazine tube.

 

[andym79]

I think the barrel from Numrich may be okay its 26" octagonal. Looks like it has the thread and dovetails cut. I assume the chamber too!

Not a heavy barrel, but certainly a lot heavier than the 20" round one currently on it.

 

[BCRider]

I missed the location as well. Options which would be cost prohibitive here in North America might become viable in Australia.

It still seems a shame to mess up a nice '94 Carbine though. I'd still suggest you search around for a rifle that comes with an octagonal barrel. Or look into some other lever rifle? If you can find a Savage 99 it might be worthwhile. Because it doesn't have a tube mag you can also load up boat tail spitzers and gain in the ballistics department. It's also more scope friendly if you need or would like one.

 

[Laphroaig]

[QUOTEGet an extra magazine tube and pour it full of lead, maybe.
Silhouette is not shot rapid fire anyhow.
][/QUOTE]

My M94 has a screw in plug in the muzzle end of the tube. It would be very easy to take out the spring and put in a weight to see if it helps. If not, go to plan B.

Laphroaig

 

[andym79]

I might just try that and single load the rifle. The magazine tube full of lead would a a fair bit to the rifles weight!

Here is plan B/C

http://usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=43389

 

[andym79]

Winchester 94 Classic sounds like what you want.

mine is 26" octagon with brass loading gate & lightly engraved

seen them ~$700 in 95% condition

Yere I think you might be right. I missed out on one at my LGS by a day, they had already taken a deposit on it!

Get an extra magazine tube and pour it full of lead, maybe.
Silhouette is not shot rapid fire anyhow.

I did this last night, adds 26 ounces to weight and just shouldering and aiming seems better. I will take it to the range on the weekend.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Since you're in Australia I'm sure there are plenty of Enfield rifles available for very little money. I suggest you use an Enfield action and build a silhouette rifle. It will probably cost you less than converting a 30-30 levergun and it will be a better silhouette rifle than the levergun, IMO of course. You can put any barrel you want on that action and a proper stock.

 

[Catshooter]

andy,

Without trying to be a smart aleck, might I suggest you just get better with the rifle you have?

I do lever action silhouette and at least half of our competitors use carbines. I used and others have used the sixteen inchers. One guy won the match with his sixteen inch 357 94.

The 30-30 will handle the rams. The 150 grain loads seem just a bit light on them, but the 170s do fine.

I bet if you go to the range when the match isn't on and throw 500 rounds at the rams you might change your mind!


Cat

 

[d2wing]

My brother in law converted one of his to .17 Zipper. Shoots pretty well.

 

[dprice3844444]

they make longer barrel 30-30's

 

[db_tanker]

I too would suggest going with a separate rifle for the long range stuff? Stay with the 30 WCF but possibly find a high-wall single shot? Or a Martini Henry and convert to a 30 WCF?

 

[andym79]

I had a go at those turkeys with a friends browning 1886 octagonal 26" in 45-70 and did much better with that. Its a lot heavier rifle. But yes I could get a lot better at shooting than I am!