OK guys, I am about three months away from building a new gun!!! I could really use any help or opinions on the matter. Here are the details.

The gun I now have is a P-17 Enfield built by Winchester. It HAS been sporterized in the past. The rear sight is ground out, it does not have the original stock, and I have no idea if the barrel is the original. Right now it is 30-06 and shoots pretty good....about 1.5” at 100 for 5 shots.

Here is a list of thing I know I want to have done.

1. Cut the bolt handle and weld it straight.
2. Convert the action to "cock-on-open"
3. Install a Timney trigger.
4. Bed the action to the stock.

Here are the things I don't yet know what to do...

1. What friggin' caliber????? I don't want 30-06 because this needs to be something special, and don't know if I should make this into something really big like 416 Rigby or one of the newer 30 cal magnums. I do know that this will be my elk and bigger gun. I now have a 7mm rem mag (which I really really love), but this new gun needs to be something bigger. I have looked at things like 300 rem ultra mag all the way up to 416 Rigby.
2. What barrel should I go with? Not only brand, but what length and weight? I guess barrel spec's will have a lot to do with what caliber I decide to go with.

Also I am not too concerned with ultra accuracy. If I can get 1.5" at 100 yards I will be happy. Because of this I am thinking of taking the gun to the Colorado School of Trades and having them do the work. The cost is going to be well under $500 including a Shilen barrel.

So what do you all think? What would you do if you were in my shoes, what are your opinions?

Since you have a 7 mag I would go past the .30 cals and certainly leave the ultra mags alone(too inefficient). A standard caliber .338-06, .35 whelan, or 9.3x62 will fit the bill. For a mag the .338 win. mag or .375 H&H. I wouldn't go more than the .375 even if Africa was in your future. Twenty-two inches for the standard cals. and 24" for the mags.

If you tell me you reload, and it won't be your ultralight rifle, and you think you're a pretty big guy, build a .338-.378 with a 28" barrel. The downrange ballistics and 5000 ft-lbs and off-the shelf ammunition are a fantastic combination. Plus, it's a great fun gun. Moderately tough targets (so the bullets will blow up)hit by moderately tough bullets (at 3100 fps, they blow up anyway) BLOW UP.

I had one when I was a kid. It cocked on opening and functioned very smoothly. It had the orignal 24" 30/06 bbl on it and it grouped well in the 1-1.5" range.

My dad and I put on a Bishop stock and reblued it and it had a nice scope and mounts.

It was a heavy rifle and not too handy.

I can get a pre-64 M-70 for $600 to $800 that would be superior to any "custom" rifle in everyway. And it will be worth $800 ten years from now. I sold my old "custom" P-17 and I am glad I did. I would not give $300 to get it back and we put a lot more than that into it.

If you shop around you can get a nice Pre-64 in .338 Win for $1000 or a .375 for more.

All that military rifle conversions was done when we got that stuff for almost nothing.

Also the bolt does not want to be straightened, it has character the way it is and is very low. They have a very good safety.

It's awlful hard to say "elk hunting" without thinking .338 WinMag.

I agree with the .338 thought. I have been looking at a few different .338's. I don't think I want to go with a 338-06, although that has been a contender. I am not too interested in the .338 rem mag bacuase it's simply my 7mm rem mag necked up. I have also looked at the .338 RUM and .375 RUM as well as the .375 H&H. For some real fun and less practicality I have looked at some bigger calibers like the 416, 458 and such. But those are just too impractical.

Yes, I do hand load, no this is not going to be a light gun, and I am a pretty big dude and should be able to handle the recoil.

[ 07-12-2002, 02:45: Message edited by: monyhunter ]

9.3x64. I don't have any practical experience with one but to listen to the masses here it is the way to go. No belt. In addition the you get major cool points because few know what it is. Cobalt gave me a loaded round for my collection and it is impressive!!!! I also was fortunate enough to fire his 416 Rem mag. Sweet!!!!! I would be happy with that one for sure. It really didn't kick any harder than my lightweight '06. I think it had alot to do with the stock design. Who cares what it will be worth later if it will be your baby!!

I will agree with the.338 calibers;RUM is a fine rifle if you can deal with the recoil,adding a muzzle break is an opton,,with a .338 you can use bullets from 160 grs to 300 grs...

Does anyone have any input as to what I am planning on doing to the rifle? I don't know if I am going the right thing or is there other things I should be looking at?

How much difference in cost is there if I go with a longer barrel, say 28" -30"? If I went with something like a .338 RUM would the extra barrel make all that much difference? Remeber to that I am not trying to make an ultra accurate gun here.

While I cautioned against going further on that P-17 it's not a really big deal as compared to the cosmos. It's just that I did it (more than once) and the thrill is gone for me on projects like that.

You might consider hunting with it just as it is. That caliber will take anything that the .338's will. The late Grancel Fitz was the first person to get a Grand Slam on all the sheep and he shot every thing there was with an Enfield in 30/06.

Count the grooves in the barrel. Most of them had a five groove barrel with a left hand twist.

If you add up the costs of the "custom" rifle and what it will be worth afterwards you will find that a new rifle will be far more cost effective.

The guy that bought the P-17 from me was undecieded to buy or not. So I demonstrated how it would even feel empties from a full magazine in rapid fire mode. This impressed him and the sale was made.

35 whelen will be the most practical, 338-06 the most fun, and the 9.3 the most interesting. all with 24" barrels. The 338-06 is more than enough for 200+ yards.
jeffe

Only thought,
With the 7mm if you are even giving the slightest thought to goinb to Africa anytime, 9.3 or .375 minimum (because of the DG)
7mm would be a fine smaller Plains game rifle.

My 2 cents worth

Greg