Take off Barrel.

[Argonaut]

I bought a .243 winchester  in a Rem model 700 BDL some years ago with a shortened stock for 250 bucks. It  shot just fine, small groups just like you would expect. But I prefer a .308 to a .243 so i bought a remington barrel that had been changed out from another 700. Problem was,  1.5 to 1.75 inch groups were the best I could get with any one of a dozen load combinations.  Not what I expected from a cartridge with the reputation of the .308.   So I recrowned the old .243 barrel, made a reciever wrench, some non marring vice jaws and and fixture to hold the recoil lug in the place and swapped the .243 barrel back. I had made a witness mark before I had the gunsmith swap the barrels. although it still shoots very good groups I will be sending it off for  rebore to .308 WCF

[trotterlg]

That will be just about the biggest waist of time and money that I could think of.  The bore and rifleing of a barrel is what makes it accurate or not, you are sending it off to get all that removed and new put in place, you stand just as good of a chance of getting back a bad shooter as you did when you put the take off barrel on it.  Good thing is that you will help some Gunsmith make a few extra dollars for Christmas.  Larry

[R.W.Dale]

That will be just about the biggest waist of time and money that I could think of.  The bore and rifleing of a barrel is what makes it accurate or not, you are sending it off to get all that removed and new put in place, you stand just as good of a chance of getting back a bad shooter as you did when you put the take off barrel on it.  Good thing is that you will help some Gunsmith make a few extra dollars for Christmas.  Larry

I agree buy a quality aftermarket barrel if you're going bother to pony up the $$$$ to have your gunsmith install it

[trotterlg]

You also have to remember that is not possible to cut good rifling (or button rifle) clear to the end (either end) of a barrel, so at the least you will have to loose an inch or two at the muzzle and some at the breach end (a thread or two) to get to the good rifling.  Larry

[crash87]

Argonaut, I've had a number of rebores and without fail all have shot better than the original form. That would include; 270 to 35 Whelen / 7mm R.M. to 30/338 / 300 weatherby to 358 STA / 300 Win mag to 358 STA. Some, as in the Weath. to STA shot extremely better. I might add all of these robores have been done with 3 different smith's. Now, just because your 243 shoots doesn't neccessarily mean a 308 will shoot better. But there's an extremeley good chance it will equal.
The bore and rifleing of a barrel is what makes it accurate or not
Are you not changing that as in, Rebore and rerifle?
you are sending it off to get all that removed and new put in place, "exactly"
 also have to remember that is not possible to cut good rifling (or button rifle) clear to the end (either end) of a barrel, (I was not aware you could get button rifling from a smith on a rebore, do you know of a smith whom does this? For the record, all of my rebores have been cut rifle))
I'm totally disagreeing with Troterleg on all counts as this has not been even close to my experience with rebores and some of it really doesn't make sense to me. CRASH87

[trotterlg]

Well then you just don't understand the process of either cut rifleing or the button process.  Neither will produce proper results within an inch or so of either end, that is why barrel blanks have a mark at the muzzel end to show where the good rifleing stop and the barrel has to be trimmed to.  Cutting the chamber usually takes care of the bad stuff at the breach.  Larry

[Argonaut]

well,  cut rifling would be the only was a smaller shop would do it, I imagine the other methods require too much capitol investment unless your business is making barrels.  i understand the ruger went some years before making their own barrels (my 77 year model Model 77 has a barrel with bad chatter marks   in the grooves but still shoots okay. 

This barrel is about  35 or 40 years old and has been "destressed" the long term way. shooting & Time.  I shoot alot of cast bullets from my rifles but all my molds are either .30 or .32 cal.  (for rifles).  Cut rifling with lead lapping ought to about makes as nice a barrel as you could find. 

As too the expense for swapping out the barrel.  oh well.  it wasn't that much and I would rather spending it on that than let my son get his hands it. I did get to make a reciever wrench and the fixtures to swap the barrel back my self after dialing in the muzzle in a 4 jaw, counter boring  it and adding an 11 deg. crown. it was a nice change from the medical stuff I usually make.

Besides this is what I am going to spend that  250 stimulas check on.

[wackmaster]

Argonaut

It sounds like you are a machinest! If so then chamboring a rifle is childs play to you!!!!!!!
I have been a arospace tool maker for 27 years. 17 years ago I dicided to do my own rifles insted of paying to get it done. So I went and watched a so called rifle smith do his thing I left laughed out loud!!!! He couldn't cut his way out of a paper bag using a video and a razer!!!!!!! Thay should teach rebarrling in high school. Can you dial in a lathe-drill a hole to depth and cut o.d. threads with out tol.!!!! all it has to do is thread in thers no inspector! Save your self some money and invest in a reamer!!!!!! buy a lilja hart shilin bbl.

[crash87]

Well then you just don't understand the process of either cut rifleing or the button process.  Neither will produce proper results within an inch or so of either end, that is why barrel blanks have a mark at the muzzel end to show where the good rifleing stop and the barrel has to be trimmed to.  Cutting the chamber usually takes care of the bad stuff at the breach.  Larry

My barrels were rebores, That is, a rifle barrel already set up to make, what we call the barreled action. Then the barrel is taken off the action and bored to make it larger, as you can't make them smaller, unless of course you use a liner there by prohibiting the use of the .308. They were then rifled to the appropriate twist. They were then reinstalled and either neck reamed or rechambered, headspace checked, etc. Funny thing is, No where was there a mark at the end of the barrel where it was lopped off, How do I know this, because I got them back the same length as when I sent them. As I mentioned before, they have all been, without fail, more accurate after the rebore/rerifle process than before. I want to apoligize for my misunderstanding, but my knowledge/experiences in rebore/rerifled barrels does not parallel yours. I'd like to add that reboring used to be a more cost effective way to go to change to someting else. It is not necesarily so anymore, but if one shops around it can be.CRASH87

[351 power]

unless you want a benchrest gun why bother? those .308 groups will kill anything you would shoot with a .308. maybe the barrel just needs lapping

[351 power]

and send me the 250 for consultation fee

[trotterlg]

Crash87:  Then you are shooting barrels that are not optimal, you cannot rifle a barrel properly from end to end with proper rifleing, it is just how it works.  Glad you are happy with what you have, if you had it done properly it would be even better. There are lots of people who will do whatever you ask of them, (just look at Michael Jackson) doesn't mean it is right, it just means they did what you paid them to do.   Larry

[crash87]

Michael Jackson O.K. then, I'm pretty much done with trotterleg and his expertise on rebores AND analogies. NOW back to the subject at hand, Argonaut, I saw at one time he was an advertizer on G.B., probably still is, Give Wayne York at Oregunsmithing a call or shoot him an e-mail. Straight up guy to talk to and deal with. CRASH87

[Argonaut]

Well I tell ya what, If I get this done, I will certainly post the results. If I don't like it.  I can swap the .308 back on. or buy a barrel and a reamer and head space gauges try it myself.  I am a machinist but I have not tried that sort of thing before mostly because of the expense of all the things you need just to do it once. , go no-go gauges, rough and finish reamers, and of course the barrel itself. Though it would be fun to do it.