Guys, I have a M70 Classic SS with a Schneider barrel in .300 Wby. Alas, the .300 Wby is a tad more recoil than I care for on my old days, so I was hoping I could have the barrel set back and the chamber re-cut to .300 Win Mag.

Question: will this always work?? Or does it depend on the exact reamer that was used to cut the .300 Wby chamber vs the reamer available for the .300 Win Mag??

The current .300 Wby barrel is 25-26" long (not exactly sure), and I would like the resulting barrel to come out at 24". Maybe that helps a bit??

If the above conversion is possible, how expensive would it typically be (in the States)??

Thanks for any input in advance.
- mike

If the 300 Weatherby has too much recoil for you then the 300 Win Mag probably will too. They're really not that far apart. I'm thinking at this point that you're not set up to handload? If you were I just tell you to save your money and load the rounds down to 300 Win Mag velocities.

Kingfisher, I find I can shoot my .300 Win Mag with no problem. But the .300 Wby sadly turns me all "shaky" when I have to shoot it from the bench. So I decided it was a tad much for me, if I can not sight in my rifle properly. So rather than just have the .300 Wby rifle sitting in my gun cabinet, I was trying to turn it into something I'd use. I do actually handload, so I suppose loading down a tad would be an option.
- mike

While I don't know the contour of your barrel it would be hard to believe that you could set it back far enough to shorten your barrel to 24". While setting back the barrel a little might allow the 300 win to clean up the shoulder. The neck and throat would still be at least .2" longer than needed. If it had the Wby long throat then probably even longer. Unless you have a straight barrel even setting back .2" will make a mess of your barrel channel. Your Mag box might have to be changed to handle the shorter round. You are talking setting the barrel back, rechamber and headspace. Cutting the barrel off and recrowning. I would guess in the range of $200+. If you reload then just load down. The powder charge is only about 6-7% different. Recoil maybe 8-10% lighter. Like has been said if the Wby is too much I bet the Win will be as well. If it were mine I'd sell and get something in a smaller Cal. You could sell your barrel and do a complete rebarrel. Labor would be the same and you should be able to sell your barrel for close to half of the price of a decent barrel. Problem is you have a long box and magnum bolt face.

If it is only from the bench you have a problem the use a PAST if you don't already. Or even a sand bag.

Mike with the extra info that you provided, i.e. you are a handloader, you should definitely save your money and the trouble and just load the rounds down to 300 Win Mag levels, and your problem is solved. The PAST pad suggestion was a good one too. I've got the Mag Plus pad and it's pretty good. Admittedly I don't use it that much because it's a little bulky, but when I have used it, it certainly worked.



Also, my brother was showing me his new recoil pad from Sims Vibration Laboratories, it's called the Limb Saver. Looks to be a hell of a recoil pad. Might be worth checking in to, in addition to backing the loads off a tad.



Here's their website.



http://www.limbsaver.com/limbsaver/firearms/precfit.aspx

The 300 Wby and the 300 Win aren't that much different in recoil levels but generally the Weatherby rifles stocks (especially older ones) are shaped so badly that they magnify the felt recoil. Most of them have the high cheek piece to compensate for way too much drop in the heel and the guns tend to kick up harder due to the low pivot point on the shoulder. Rechambering to 300 Win or loading down may not reduce the FELT recoil enough as it may be function of stock fit.

MHO,
yeah, just download to 300 win...

what velocities are you seeing between them?

if it's less than 150 fps, you have a stock config/rifle issue vs a "recoil" one

jeffe