Early (1974) cast receiver OK for .357 Mag and .44 Mag?

[MSP Ret]

Happy New Year guys. I have a question I have seen discussed before but am unsure of the final thoughts on it and want your opinions. I have a early (1974) cast receiver and would like to put a .357 Mag barrel on it. I understand that SB1 (shotgun) receivers can safely be fitted and fired with .357 Mag barrels and I may be mistakne but believe I have read that .357 Max barrels may also be OK on SB1 recievers.
 What of my cast 1974 receiver? They were fitted with 30/30 rifle barrels and perhaps even 45/70 barrels (any info on that?).  Can my early receiver safely be fired with a .357 Mag or .44 Mag barrel? What about going up to a .360 DW, or a step above to a .357 Max barrel?
I believe the answer revolves a lot around the fact that it is a straight handgun shell and it also relates to the current post about breech thrust.
Thanks for any and all input....<><....    

[gendoc]

andy, this is tha receiver from my 258 which was offered in 1982 (AY) with 22 hornet, 357mag
 or 30-30. with various shotgun barrels
i do hava receiver with serial prefix AP which is 1976 vintage with what appears to be tha same style receiver.
does yours look like this ??

 

[MSP Ret]

Hi John, thanks for responding. The receiver I was speaking of is a 1974 (AM), small firing pin, with no transfer bar. The rear of the receiver looks like the one in your picture with one exception, there is a small round hole (appx 1/16") in the rear of the receiver midway between the bolt hole and bottom of the receiver body.
I went to the gun locker and switched and swapped receivers from different shotguns until I got another receiver to fit the .357 Mag barrel I have. I took a 1979 shotgun receiver (AT), small firing pin, with a transfer bar from my 16 guage and replaced it with the earlier no transfer bar receiver (1974, AM).
I then put the 1979 (AT) transfer bar receiver together with the .357 Mag barrel. Each receiver to barrel fit is great, they both have small firing pins, and the back of the later 1979 (AT) receiver, which is now mated the the .357 Mag barrel, looks exactly like the one in your picture.
That leaves the question, what is your opinion or knowledge and expierence with using one of these early receivers with a centerfire handgun caliber cartridge, .357 Mag, .44 Mag, .360 DW, and .357 Max. I would think if they were offered with centerfire rifle barrels including 30/30 and possibly 45/70 they should be able to safely handle the straight cased handgun calibers....Thanks....<><....

[ibgp3]

I have a 1972 receiver that came with a 45-70 barrel.
I have been cautioned to use trap-door loads in it.
I have been told here that it is OK for Maxi.


Lee lists trap-door  45-70  loads up to 28,000 psi,
....and modern single shots  45-70  up to 50,000psi.


FWIW
  GP

[gendoc]

andy, i have tha 258 in 357mag, 357max, & 22hornet i also hava 45/70 on a sb1 receiver that only uses my 28k handloads... same as all my 45/70 handi's. i don't see a need for anything more. it just makes a bigger bang, sore shoulder and makes your mind think its better because its more powerful ...........
 
you should be ok with tha max because the receiver shown is from my max. i load it
about 80% and itsa finish'n nail driver !!!
 
since 1982 tha 258 has been shot in mag and max thousands of times with no signs of
damage......along with tha 76 in hornet.
 
others mite not agree with my opinion, oh-well
 
good to hear from ya............
 
 

[MSP Ret]

Thanks for the input guys, and John thanks and nice to hear from you again as well. I have never been one prone to "Magnumitis" when shooting or reloading and would rather depend on good accuracy and shot placement with a proper bullet other than hoping raw power could overcome other faults. I have however shot some guns that hurt at each end and own a couple of "Magnums".
With the info I have received here I now believe I will be OK with this receiver and the .357 barrel on it..Thanks....<><....

[zoner]

i've been shooting a 35 mag barrel on a 1977 Topper 88 shotgun frame with small firing pin for a couple years with no problems....FWIW

[MSP Ret]

 That's good info and good to know....Thanks....<><....

[petemi]

Andy, I must have said this a dozen times here.  All my barrels that could be on SB1 frames are on SB2s. I probably have between l50 and 200 extra bucks tied up in them, but I figure it's cheap insurance.  I don't have to worry about what the threshold load is or someone putting a high pressure barrel on a shotgun frame.  Just now, I have two extra SB2 frames and one SB1.  The SB1 is probably going to grow into a 12 ga. one of these days, when I decide what barrel I want.

Happy New Year,

Pete

[Doublebass73]

I wouldn't have any problem with a 357 on that frame Andy.

[MSP Ret]

Thanks guys, a great way to start the new year, hearing from friends that are willing to take the time to respond and offer what is asked and what is needed, good honest opinions and info that they have formed from years of expierence...priceless!!..and thanks to all....<><....

[spooked]

Most of my handi's are 158's the 30-30 ,20ga. combo's have a smaller firing pin than the plain 410 or 20 ga. , 12 ga. 158's in my safe.. I woulna be scared to put anything up to 30-30 pressures on 158 rifle(small fp) frames...or for that matter a stevens or h&r frame that was bushed and had a correct smaller firing pin installed...Don't try this at Home!, But I have fired .22 hornet and 30-30 barrels on shotgun frames (Stevens and H&R) and almost always it ended up with the primer flowing back into the firing pin hole and causing a devil of a problem to open, So I quit it...A good smith can bush the holes and turn the firing pin to where the lower pressure cartridges work just fine.