Gentlemen,

is it possible to rechamber a Sako Forester in .308 Winchester to .300 Winch. Short Magnum? Would bolt diameter and magasine width be OK? Twist of rate? Any other suggestions?

I have the opportunity to get a fine Sako Forester in .308 W. from my father, but it�s practically the same performance as my old dear 8x60. Improved performance could be a good reason for getting it.

Best regards,

Fritz

Fritz: In my opinion it would be truly a shame to convert an original Sako, especially an older one, to another caliber. But it's your gun, so it's your privilege to do with it as you will. Here's what is involved.

First, the Sako L579 magazine is not long enough to take the WSM at factory length. The medium Winchester and Browning actions are a bit longer. It would be possible to use the Sako for the Remington SAUM which is a bit shorter -- and made for the shorter Remington 700 and Model actions which are about the same length as the Sako.

(1) Bolt face must be enlarged to accomodate .530" rim, making the bolt forever unsuited to any cartridge using the .473" standard rim.

(2) Magazine feed rails must be widened (CAREFULLY) to allow feeding (also makes the action permanently unsuited for any standard cartridge as above).

(3) New or reworked follower installed.

With those 3 steps (and a new or rechambered barrel installed) you can make your L579 into a Remington SAUM. The magazine capacity with the standard-width box will likely drop from 5 cartridges to either 2 or 3, depending on the rework of the follower. The gunsmithing on the feed rails will have to be precise to make the cartridges feed dependably from the magazine.

Good luck and best wishes!

The extractor on the .308 may not go over the rim of the WSM. When installing the Sako extractors in Rem's, you must machine deeper into the bolt body for the smaller dia. case heads. Just a thought.

Thanks for your replies.

Having read your really informative answers, my decision will be easy: I will not alter that gun. Stonecreek�s suggestion about the .300 Rem SAUM is stimulating, but it�s hard to make that here in Sweden, as only the Win short mags are available here. There would be problems with cases, dies, reamers & cetera. And Jay�s commentary about the extractor is quite persuading.

Another way will be to use lighter bullets with better ballistics. A 140 grs. Barnes X in the old .308 will do the job. And I can keep the gun without expensive alterations.

Best regards,

Fritz