I need some help, and this is the best site I've found. I have a bunch of differnt toys. My wife says if I find one more good deal we will be in the poor house.



I got a couple of rifles I would like to make into somthing but don't know where to start.



I have a p-17 in a 35 whelen, it has a heavy douglas barrel and is somewhat sportized(drilled and tapped ect.)may be rebore the barrel and put a MPI hannibal stock on it?? What would be a good thumper. I have a 458 win. I want more power than that. May be a 500 jeffery? I cant find anything on it (what I would have to open the face up to ect.)



The other choice is a old bruno 602 in a 458 win. I have a ruger 77 in a 458 that I love. I don't care for this rifle but has a nice smooth long action.



Which should I mess with and witch should I unload at the next gun show.



Thanks

Ed

Ed-How about trying our 550 MAGNUM.And keep them both.
Maybe the heavy barrel on Enfield can be redone to 550.Ed.

Don't change the whelen! :-) I have a 1917 remington in 35 whelen AI. that is something you could do, have it Ackley Improved. Not a big change, but something that won't put you in the poor house. Why not change the 77 to a 416 Taylor, that would only be a rebarrel, feeding will remain the same. Probably in and out for 350 or a touch over.


Red

Ed What would it take. The barrel could be rebored. the countour is heavy enough and the steel is good. Where would i get this done? I looked at AHR web site is this the same? let me know or send me a PM! thanks Ed

LILED-look up the threads on here for the 550 Magnum,You can have yours rebored at Cutrifle, now called Classic Barrel (affilliated with Wells, Prescott AZ, ph 928-
772-4060)-like I am having done later this month.Dan is building the first run of barrels right now
for fellows that are building new guns.This case is a 460
WEA straightend.Easy to open bolt face for 460 size case.Bullets are available at Bridger for solids, and Hawk is making jacketed.C&H is making dies and expanders
(if needed for 460 brass),headstamped brass is being made also now,and all the particulars are on the 550 forum
threads.And RNS who is in AZ, who came up with idea is posting more as we go along.This is the absolute best use of WEA brass.Ed.

I would love someone to rechamber a 458 Winnie to 460 A-square Short. This is supposed to work well, and you can get 2450 fps out of a 500 gr bullet. with the best accuracy of any 458 made.

the 602 in 458 winmage should become either a 470 mbogo, or a 500 asquare/510 wells. The whelen will actually cost MORE for a barrel rebored and properly reworked.

I am assuming that the 602 does NOT have the peep sight... if it does, it's a special safety risk, and should be immediately sent to
Jeffe Osso
123 Gunsmith Lane..... for proper disposal... har har.


If it was Mine to do, I would get the most bang for the buck

take the 602
1: rechamber for 458 lott shoot and test it awhile.. getting the best performance, etcc... just to have it. You don't even have to buy dies, as your 458 dies will work

2: rebarrel to 470 mbogo ( www.470mbogo.com ) or one of the .510"x460 weatherby twins, the 510 wells/500 asquare. I have some EXACTING specs and ideas for the barrel, if you want them, email me directly.

3: I would NOT reduex into 500 jeffe-ry. The brass/dies/feeding make this one a definate niche/exotic only for the brave to attempt, and the foolish to attempt twice

4: I would have pacnor or wells do the barrel, if I didn't do it myself, on the gunsmithing. These are NOT jobs for your local smith.

5: A barrel mounted recoil lug is REQUIRED, as well as cross bolts

6: Sell the enfield rifle at a gun show, and sell the 458 takeoff barrel to ME (this part is no joke, I need one for a 450 rigby project)

7: stock choice is yours... i just found the MPI stocks to be far substandard as far as finish goes. I sent the C style enfield back to brownells, as they had discontinued it, and I thought it just couldn't be too ugly for the $135 price... it was. I would suggest, if you truely want plastic, a mcmil brothers... that's 299, i think, but they can make it the correct LOP

8: the stock MUST fit you for LOP... if you don't know your LOP, ask a gunsmith to measure you. I BET it's more than 13.5"... most folks are

9: I'll be glad to share some of my good and bad expereinces with bigins... and perhaps you wont have to make all the mistakes I did...

to summerize costs...

rechamber to 458 .. about 150 bucks

redoing to 470 or 500 something
(assuming pacnor)
~180 for barrel
~225 for sights
~250 for gunsmithing
~100 for barrel lug
~100 for bluing
about 855, plus shipping, can be done in about 2 months

wells sports center
510 wells, of course
950 for barrel, intregal sights, intregal lug, bluing, gunsmithing... time... better be ready for 6 months.

add 300 for the stock

add 150 for pad, bedding, other stuff

150 for dies/shell holder

$1.52 ea for 460 brass...
$3 ea for 470 mbogo, WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE.. or $2 each for unformed 416 rigby

cast bullets run ~25� each, amortizing mold cost...

jacketed bullets run about a buck each

solids, with bridger being the best, are a bit higher.


WOW, that's the whole shebang, aint it?

oh,yeah, offset this with ~500 for a whelen in good condition.

jeffe

Jeffe,
I have a lott in a Ruger no1. It is fun but I would like somthing a little more. I have in my buget about 550 plus the sale of the rifle(about $500) that gives me $1050 to play with. I'm not looking for a pristine rifle I also have a set of 505 gibbs dies. but I dont think the action will fit. SOund like you've done a few would like to talk this project out.

Ed

Ed,
Were you located at? I am north of houston.
shoot me an email
jlsmith2@aol.com
jeffe

I'm in San Antonio I'll send you a e-mail. I would like to do the wells ect.

Ed

Ed,
sent you a pm,
jeffe

PM back at you

the welan , would you like to get 250 grain jacketed bullets out of a 24 inch barrel at 2780 or higher ? with 35 welen brass? i tried the improved versions , no luck , but this one works , mine is a 24 inch barrel , my favorite load is rl 15 @ 64 grains , chronagraphed at 2780 fps with any 250 gr bullet i can buy ! no need to change the mag , bolt face , or your bullets ! just have a 35 newton on a welen case . have done 2 so far , it is just a rock gibbs case body with the neck for a 358 bullet , kinda like a 35 welen improved , improve , nitro ! had a few welen nuts boohoo the idea till i started to shoot it with full loads , and used their chrony's! accuracy is vertually same as what it was with std welen at 2400 fps , a tack driver and the recoil isnt much more then 275s in the welen .let me know .

ZKK602s are great rifles IMO. Least expensive route would be to rechamber to Lott, 450 Rigby or 460 Weatherby if you want more power.

LILED,

Sell all of those rifles and use the money to buy a .600 Overkill from AHR. (American Hunting Rifles)