NEF .357 to .357 max. Conversion

[Daveinthebush]

NEF .357 to .357 max. conversion.  Has anyone tried this yet with success?

[haysb]

I haven't tried it with an NEF, but I had a Lone Eagle single shot pistol in .357 mag that I had rechambered to 357 Max.

Both designs " breech up " the same way.

I shot three different cartridges ( 38 spec., .357 mag, & 357 Max ) with very good results, in my rechambered pistol .

A fellow in Kentucky , Knopp was his name,  did my rechambering, as I remember the cost was $45.  This was about 12 - 14 years ago.

He did a great job.  I never had any type of problem, extraction, ejection , etc. with all 3 cartridges working  100% perfect.

Hope this is some help to you ,

Ben

[drdoolittle_1]

Daveinthebush,
  David White does work on these.  Here is link to a forum of his.  Let us know what you find out!
Dave H

http://www.bellmtcs.com/forum/index.php

edited to say: sorry can't get the link to work. He is on a forum on web site for Mike Bellm   (www bellmtc.com)  go to shop online and then discussion forums.
 p.s. anyone know why when I post link it comes up with ***** and won't work? Pardon my "puter ignorance"

[Daveinthebush]

Sorry but the link doesn't work!

[kjeff50cal]

I had a Uberti Baby Rolling Block that was rechambered to 357 Max. It was my brush gun and general woods loafing gun when loaded with .38 wadcutters. The maximums shot  POA @ 75 yards with 1 1/2'' groups (158 grain HP). The deer I shot with it (4) they did not go much beyond where they stood before falling over. Unfortunately I traded it some years back as part of a used car deal in which I came out on the short end  :evil: .

[Smokin Joe]

Dave, I did mine over 2 years ago and it's great. You can rent the reamer for about 30 bucks and it takes about 30 minutes on a slow day.
 I didn't use a headspace gauge; I just screwed the reamer in until it barely made contact with the existing rim cut.
 Mine likes the 180 Speer and the 200 Hornady RN and will stabilize the Speer 220 at max velocity.
 Brass is available for about 13 bucks a hundred at:
http://www.armsandammo.com/
 I reload mine in a Lee .357 die set with a .35 Rem seater plug.

[BruceP]

You guys keep talkin'. I have been thinking about a NEF as a "knock around "gun and I'll be dang if this dont' sound like it would be right up my alley.
BruceP

[Daveinthebush]

I have always kind of felt that real calibers start at around .35.  With the other 2 Whelens that I have this should make a good bang around gun.  Hope no big bears bang me agound carrying it.

 I alreay have a bunch of bullet to 250 grains and some cast that I can dig out.  It seems that $50 to rechamber it is about the standard price unless I do it.

Thanks for the input guys.

[BruceP]

Dave, if you do this be sure and let us know how it comes out.
BruceP

[Smokin Joe]

I was over at the Rossi site yesterday, and I noticed that they have a stainless .357 with a 2 inch quicker twist than the NEF. They also are going to start a barrel program just like NEF.
 I may grab one of their .357 barrels for a .356 job I've been considering.

Just for info

[Daveinthebush]

I finally received my NEF in .357 Mag.  It took way too long in the mail.  It might have been the increased security over here in Valdez.  I found a group of guys on the NEF forum that bought a .357 Max. reamer so I am on that list and waiting for the reamer/instructions/oil to arrive.  I also found a 10" Contender barrel and that is on the way too.  Hopefully it will arrive before the reamer.

I will keep you all posted.

[ajj]

Dave: I ordered a Handi-Rifle in .357 Max and I like everything about it except the accuracy. I've had good luck with a couple of other NEF rifles (and barrels) but I just can't get this one to come around for me. I've been messing with it for a couple of years now and I've tried a lot of bullets, cast and jacketed, pistol and rifle, silhouette bullets, hunting bullets, light and heavy bullets and so on. I've loaded to every (safe) pressure level from max to wadcutter. I've fired loads from .357 mag and .38 Special cases. They work fine and it's fun plinking but all the 100 yard groups stay around 6 inches. That's not awful for this type arm but it's sure disappointing, especially given the effort I've put into load testing.
Soooo...why don't you consider making a good record of the accuracy BEFORE you convert it and then let us know how it works out? Good luck and good shooting.

[Daveinthebush]

There are a lot of things that can be done to improve accuracy.  If is really that bad have you called the factory and explained the problem to them.  On the Hr1871.com I have heard of guys getting new barrels.

The board also gives a lot of other options.  You can place a small, thin rubber washer over the lug on the barrel between the forearm. It seems to help some.  Other problems that seem a constant are long throats.  My .243 absolutlely requires me to fully resize the brass.  The new 30/30 and .35 Whelen I just bought seems like they will require that too.

Hope this helps!

[Badnews Bob]

Hey guys I just did mine with the reamer we passed around on the H&R board, Shoots great under2" groups with the paliminary testing I know it will improve, I also have another .357 barrel that shoots 2" groups at 100yrds but most of the NEFs seem to have long throats thats why taking them to the max seems to work well for them, I notice one feller here saying his wouldn't group well , Maybe this would be a fix for yours. Did it myself and took 20 min or less.

[Leftoverdj]

Ajj, have you tried polishing the crown or having it recrowned? Your groups are so much bigger than most of us are getting that a crown problem is quite possible. Bedding problems would give mostly vertical stringing and you did not indicate that to be the case.

There is another very remote possibility that you might check. Slug the bore at the muzzle and slug it just ahead of the chamber. Apparently the manufacturing process sometimes produces barrels that are a little tighter at one end than the other. This is not a problem as long as the muzzle end is the tighter. I've seen two reports in the last year of barrels in which the loose end wound up at the muzzle and those barrels gave really lousy accuracy as one would have expected.

I don't have a 100 range available and do my shooting at 50 yards, but most loads will stay under 1.5 inches even with cast bullets and my better loads group in the 3/4" to 1" range. Something is definitely not right if you can't get sub 3"  100 yard groups.