hey guys....

just wondering if any "take off" barrels, such as a #1 Ruger Tropical or some such would/could be made to fit a siamese action....without tooo much trouble. Seems take off bbls are much cheaper, if the work to make it fit was not too much.
Got a real bug on to try a 45-75 Turnbull on my s.m. action. Would prefer a short, 18 to 20" bbl.
Any thoughts/recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
archdlx

archdix The threads on a Siameses mauser are smaller than a std LR mauser. I don't have the thread dimensions in front of me but I'm sure someone out there could provide them. You are correct in stating that take off barrels are often found at "cheap" prices. Did it ever occur to you that is because that is all they are worth. In most cases factory barrels are as cheaply made as possible and often are not very good barrels. In most cases you start with a take of barrel and ask a gunsmith to fit it to an action you have. Usually the threads on the take off barrel in no way match your action so the first thing the smith does is cut the threaded section off the barrel and re-thread it to your action. Now the smith has to re-chamber the barrel because the rear 3/4 inch of the chamber was machined off with the original threads. Sometimes there is not enough material left in the chamber area of the barrel to safely re-chamber. So by the time your smith is finished you have almost the price of a new barrel in labour charges in the take off barrel. In most cases you would have been further ahead to purchase a new chambered barrel from manufacturer and have your smith install it. I would suggest it will cost you about the same in the long run and you will have a better quality barrel that will likely shoot better groups. You asked for comments so there is my 2 cents.

Barrel shank is 14TPI .99" dia and .515" long

Ruger and M70 are 16TPI and .998 Dia and .69" for the ruger and .835" for the M70.

An A&B blank in 458 cal from Midway will set you back $79.99.

Thanks for the replies guys!
Looks like I'll be using a new barrel.

Snowman....your explanation made lots of sense, Thanks.

archdlx