Forgive me if this is a dumb question (I'm pretty sure I would have known if you had asked me 10 years ago but I've been "out of the game for awhile and seem to have forgotten alot)....

For case diameters in the .416 Rigby/.338 Lapua class, do you need a bigger action to handle them? Or can you simply open the bolt face of a standard "30-06 size" action when rebarreling? More specifically, I'm thinking of wildcat possibilities for my A-Bolt .300 Win Mag when I rebarrel. Since it would be a wildcat, I'm not worried about the length of the round, just whether or not the action could handle such a fat case (or would I be limited to .404 Jeffery based stuff).

Thanks

Jon,

Welcome to the forum.

This depends on the manufacturer of the action.

Some of them make their action long enough to handle both the 30-06 size cartridges and the large magnums like the 375 H&H.

Other manufacturers make their action specifically for deferrent cartridges. Those you cannot use one meant for the 30-06 size cartridge for the larger cases like the 416 Rigby etc.

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

Jon. Dan Lilja has an article at http://www.riflebarrels.com/psdumbques.htm that is about 378Wby/416Rigby size cases in the Rem 700. The barrel thread has to be of large enough dimensions to make a rifle safe with these cases. AKI

As far as barrel thread dimensions are concerned it is worth noting that the barrel threads on a Wby MkV are exactly the same as those on a Rem 700. Those of the Ruger and the Win M70 are 1/16 inch smaller. The Mauser threads though larger in the major diameter are essentially the same at the root.
The main problem one would encounter with the A- bolt is the potential feeding problems from the detachable magazine. I would not be inclined to try and barrel the A-bolt to anything larger than the belted magnums. Regards, Bill.

Thanks for the info guys. Dan Lilja's site is a wealth of information. A whole bunch of reasons not to do it (if it even could be done on an A-Bolt). I guess something .404 based would be a much wiser choice.

Thanks again.

[This message has been edited by Jon A (edited 12-03-2001).]