Gopinath,
It is always good to hear from a fellow gun enthusiast from another country!
An alternative to rechambering your rifle is to handload .300 Savage ammunition from .308 Winchester components. You can reuse the primed cases, powder, and bullets from salvaged .308 ammunition. All you need is a .300 Savage full length sizing die, a case trimmer, and a powder scale. A way to do this cheaply is to purchase the Lee Loader and a case trimmer for .308 Winchester. That should cost about US$30.
However, if access to loading equipment is not practical, then YES, the rechambering is a good alternative.
The BEST way is to remove the barrel and do the rechambering in a machine lathe. If you do not have access to one, then it IS possible to do a good job with the barrel on the rifle.
Deepening the .300 Savage chamber to .308 Winchester involves removing relatively little metal, and it can be done by hand if you are CAREFUL workman! The .308 Win reamer will do most of the cutting on the shoulderand neck area.
1. Make up or borrow a reamer holder and extension that will reach through the rifle receiver.
2. Remove the bolt. Make sure nothing interferes with the alignment of the reamer. It MUST go in straight along the bore axis.
3. Use plenty of cutting oil (pipe thread cutting oil is fine) on the reamer flutes and turn only clockwise. Remove the reamer every few turns, to clean both the chamber and reamer of chips, and reoil. Avoid misaligning the reamer with sideways pressure. Towards the end of the cut, make SURE the chamber is clean of chips and oil, and use a headspace gage to check for proper headspace and bring the chamber to proper depth. REAMING TOO DEEP WILL RUIN THE CHAMBER!!!!
4. If you do not have a .308 Winchester headspace gage, you can remove the bullet and powder from factory cartridges and use the empty case as a gage. Remove the firing pin from the bolt and try to close it on a case. Do not force it to close because the case is soft and distorts easily. A finished chamber will allow all factory cartridges to chamber easily without force.
5. Using an electric drill with a wooden or metal rod as a mandrel, use crocus cloth (very fine polishing abrasive) to polish the chamber.
6. Use solvent to THOROUGHLY clean the bore and chamber before firing the rifle.
If you do not feel comfortable with this rechambering procedure, it would be best to have a qualified gunsmith do the work.
HTH
John
