Will the magnum chambering reamer clean up the '06 chamber or does the barrel have to be set back?

I haven't compared them in my Autocad but not sure one needs to.....the 300 H&H should clean up a 30-06 chamber easily.

Vapo is correct, cleans up easily without setback.

if the action is long enuf

I'm sure the 300 H&H will clean up the chamber but is the length of the chamber to long for some barrel contours? I ask this because IIRC I have read in some of the older Gunsmithing books discussions of Enfields blowing up when rechambered for the 300 Magnum. Only reason I could see would be that the chamber extended into a portion thats too thin. Not swearing this is gospel, just a thought on something I recall reading in Dunlap, McFarland, Vickery or one of those guys.

Thaine,
How did they blow up? Did the barrel actually split?
There is just no way that would happen if the barrel itself is ok. The neck of the '06 ends were the H&H begins, and the H&H's shoulder is long and narrow, with a shoulderdiameter of .450 - smaller than a .30-06AI! So you would have to look for other explenations! Bigger risk with a .300WinMag, but that had to be a very skinny barrelcontour!

Thaine, rifle is a Remington 30 stocked by Leonard Mews, Noske scope in OKH mounts. Rather hefty factory barrel, rifle weighs 9 1/8 lbs. Will make a much better H&H than '06, but magazine has to be lengthened, receiver rails possibly altered, bolt face and extractor opened up, etc. Reworking Enfield (and its Rem progeny like the 30) actions for long magnums used to be a gunsmithing staple (see auctionarms.com 7628527) but I do not know who remembers how to do it these days.

Vigillinus,

G. Malmborg (goes by Malm here) did some feed rail work for me on an Enfield. I would highly reccomend him.

Tim

Vigill, did you buy that rifle in the auction? nice!

quote:

Originally posted by Bent Fossdal:
Thaine,
How did they blow up? Did the barrel actually split?
There is just no way that would happen if the barrel itself is ok. The neck of the '06 ends were the H&H begins, and the H&H's shoulder is long and narrow, with a shoulderdiameter of .450 - smaller than a .30-06AI! So you would have to look for other explenations! Bigger risk with a .300WinMag, but that had to be a very skinny barrelcontour!

Bent,
There were reports of Springfield (and possibly Enfield as well) barrels failing when rechambered to magnums but not necessarily the H&H version. The reports were rare but as it goes one is too many. The rechambering of Springfields was often to the 308 Norma Mag back in those years and it's always been my guess that reloading errors had more to do with the failures than anything.

Regardless of the cause, the caution flags still surround the magnumization of the enfields and Springfields while retaining the old barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by Bent Fossdal:
Thaine,
How did they blow up? Did the barrel actually split?
There is just no way that would happen if the barrel itself is ok. The neck of the '06 ends were the H&H begins, and the H&H's shoulder is long and narrow, with a shoulderdiameter of .450 - smaller than a .30-06AI! So you would have to look for other explenations! Bigger risk with a .300WinMag, but that had to be a very skinny barrelcontour!

The rea son they blew up was some of the first 1917 enfield when hardened, had a reciever that was to brittle.There is a starting serial # on those that are ok,i think off the top of my head its after 136,000 but don,t quote me. Also,not mentiioned is that when the chamber is recut,there is the length of the magazine and in the enfield it has to be extended which is some work,also the bolt face recut for the magnum base and the extraactor recut.there is work involved. van

Van, the usual explanation for 1917 Eddystone Enfield (there were no complaints about the Winchesters and Remingtons) receiver failures is that barrels were installed by machines which screwed them in too hard and cracked the receivers. This does not altogether rule out your suspicion of brittleness and I confess I am almost as doubtful of Eddystones as I am of low number Springfields - which is very doubtful.

GSP, the rifle came from a recent Rock Island auction, I got it from the auction customer..

Vapodog hit it on the nailhead. I only threw this out as a discussion. Like I said, I didn't remember which Book I had read it in. However, a quick look through the two that I have been rereading (second or third time through) gives us this.

Roy Dunlap in Gunsmithing (NRA Firearms Classic Library Edition) on page 183 in the chapter on Rifle barrels and barrel information states "Enfield barrels should not be rechambered for the long, oversized Magnum cases such as the .300 Weatherby or comparitable cartridges. Many such jobs have been done without later ill effects, but every once in a while a chamber bulges or lets go. I know of two Enfield barrels splitting at the chamber when rechambered for the standard .300 H & H cartridge."

So on that basis I guess we have the same standoff that we have on low number Springfields. Will it blow or not? The Rem 30 barrel is the same contour, so I guess it is an inherent risk. I would think that a little caution might be in order, such as a proof load or two.

Didn't want to rain on the parade, but I did remember reading this and thought the information worth considering.

quote:

Originally posted by Thaine:
"Enfield barrels should not be rechambered for the long, oversized Magnum cases such as the .300 Weatherby or comparitable cartridges. Many such jobs have been done without later ill effects, but every once in a while a chamber bulges or lets go. I know of two Enfield barrels splitting at the chamber when rechambered for the standard .300 H & H cartridge."

Amazing. But I must say, thoose barrels had to be really bad quality.
But I am grateful for the reminder, even if both Springfields and Enfields are rare birds in my shop.

On a modern gun, there is no problem, if the magazine will acept the longer cartridge.

P.O> Ackley has quite a bit to say about this,and iam sure he did a lot testing,in this area,more so than Dunlap!

Van what did POA have to say about this?

heh, for the flu in the ointment, i have a 300 winmag on a high number 1903... with about a zillion rounds done the rechambered 30-06 barrel...

and the 308 norma is in million 1903s..

softer steel and barrels

quote:

Originally posted by Thaine:
I'm sure the 300 H&H will clean up the chamber but is the length of the chamber to long for some barrel contours? I ask this because IIRC I have read in some of the older Gunsmithing books discussions of Enfields blowing up when rechambered for the 300 Magnum. Only reason I could see would be that the chamber extended into a portion thats too thin. Not swearing this is gospel, just a thought on something I recall reading in Dunlap, McFarland, Vickery or one of those guys.

enfield barrels are huge... so unless it was way setback and way overloaded... or the barrel obstructed, i doubt it...

but thanks for the warning on it...

lots of VERY VERY VERY small 300 WSM (even higher pressure) factory guns out there.