rechambering

[gunoil]

:gun4: got a 30 herret i' like to recamber to a 309 jdj, 308x444, 375jdj, maybe a 460s.w..... how long does it take to do this???   the barrel is a t.c custom shop 15inch long fore the encore.... thanks WORM

[EdK]

Some of the chamberings you mention would require a rebore as well. This is not likely to be cost effective on a T/C barrel. You could likely purchase a custom tube and keep your Herret for what that would cost.

Meanwhile there are a number of chamberings you could do on a .308 bore. I hear forum sponsor SSK Industries can be very fast - just a week or two in many instances.

[HAMMERHEAD]

Mike Bellm specializes in re-chambering and uses EDM machining.
Not sure how fast, but my freinds custom chamber came back quick and he's very happy with the work.

[HAMMERHEAD]

Not sure why his last name would be censored, but here's a link:
http://www.bellmtcs.com/

[PaulS]

:gun4: got a 30 herret i' like to recamber to a 309 jdj, 308x444, 375jdj, maybe a 460s.w..... how long does it take to do this???   the barrel is a t.c custom shop 15inch long fore the encore.... thanks WORM

gunoil,
The 30 Herrett is pretty close to a straight wall case and I don't know whether the 309 JDJ could be cut over the existing chamber (is it based on the same 30-30 case or a larger one?. If the dimensions will allow the rechambering this is your best choice. It would be impractical to set the barrel back to rechamber so the next consideration (in my opinion) would be the 308x444. It is likely to be a cartridge better suited to a rifle than a pistol barrel as it will have more powder capacity than a 308 Winchester. You could easily cut the length down and make a 307 Winchester case from the 444 and use the factory chambering and load data. Cutting it down further to the same length as the Herrett would make an excellent pistol round for high velocity loads in a pistol barrel. your decision will at least partly depend on the price you are willing to pay for the rechamber. Custom chambers and dies will set you back at least $600 in most cases so from a financial point of view going with an existing cartridge (even if it is a wildcat) will be far less expensive.

[gunoil]

it is a 30-30win shorten down to 1.600 inch long ... might be better to sell it any buyers???

[PaulS]

it is a 30-30win shorten down to 1.600 inch long ... might be better to sell it any buyers???

Yep,that I know - Is the JDJ round based on the 30-30 too? If it is and it has more taper than the 30 herrett you won't be able to rechamber to that round. You can rechamber to any cartridge with a larger diameter that is at least as long. A rechamber job to an available cartridge will only cost $130 at the most. Includes rental of chamber reamers, one hour set-up and work, replacement of the extractor with a new one that will fit the new cartridge.
Those costs will always be there and so will the cost of new dies with which to reload the new ammo. If you choose a cartridge for which reamers are not available then you have the added expense of the reamer(s) (rough and finish), Custom dies made with your reamers and fired cases from your gun. The reamers are $300-$400 and the custom dies will be $150-$300 depending on who you can get to make them for you.
Perhaps if you were to tell us why it is you wanted to rechamber it would be easier to point you toward a chambering that would fit and be economical enough to accomplish.
You could offer it for sale but the Herrett cartridges are not as popular as they once were - there are a lot more choices today than when they were popular.

So, are looking for a round that will kill elephants at 3000 yards or just a round to put holes in paper at 50 yards? I have a hunch it is something in between so let us know how we can help by sharing what you are going to use it for and why you want to change.

[cnTndr85]

- Is the JDJ round based on the 30-30 too?

The 309JDJ is based on the 444Marlin case and going from the 30Herrett to The 309JDJ is no problem at all.

Mark

[PaulS]

There ya go! it is a perfect fit for a hunting handgun!

[gunoil]

tell you the truth the barrel copper fouls cannot get it to stop... win i'got the barrel it had some nosler bt 125 gr  and i load them at ... 2.250 should of been 2.320 long i'was not looking at the right bullet lenght thats win it start to copper foul jost got done reloading 19gr of h4227 right at 2.33 0 inch long will see if that helps any??? the last time i' shot it the copper fouling was not that bad 2.3250 inch long case   :oops: thanks WORM :coffee:

[RonF]

I know that a bunch of folks have rechambered Contenders to .309 JDJ and other cartridges based on the .444 Marlin, but I keep thinking about that blown .44 Mag barrel that was rechambered to .444 and failed.  Also, the expense of custom dies turns me off a bit.  Why not the .30-40 Krag?  It will do about what a .309 will do, doesn't require custom dies, gives a bit more margin in terms of strength, especially in the area of the chamber under the rear sight screw holes, has lots of reloading data available, and you can use factory ammo in a pinch.  Mine works great in a 14" barrel and also in a carbine.  The 14" is a .30-30 rechamber and the carbine is an older Bullberry.

Just a thought....

RonF

[RonF]

I know that a bunch of folks have rechambered Contenders to .309 JDJ and other cartridges based on the .444 Marlin, but I keep thinking about that blown .44 Mag barrel that was rechambered to .444 and failed.  Also, the expense of custom dies turns me off a bit.  Why not the .30-40 Krag?  It will do about what a .309 will do, doesn't require custom dies, gives a bit more margin in terms of strength, especially in the area of the chamber under the rear sight screw holes, has lots of reloading data available, and you can use factory ammo in a pinch.  Mine works great in a 14" barrel and also in a carbine.  The 14" is a .30-30 rechamber and the carbine is an older Bullberry.

Just a thought....

RonF

[HHI-7420]

RonF and gunoil,  can't say anything against the 30-40(never shot one), but I've heard a lot about it and all good. BUT, I just love my 309jdj and can't say enough good about it.  Pat

[EdK]

Hmmm... noting that this thread has bubbled back to the top I took another look and discovered gunoil's comment on the barrel being for the Encore. This opens more possibilities... Hmmm...

I don't know the root cause of the copper fouling and I don't want you to jump to a conclusion but if it were due to a rough bore it might help to fire lap the bore. In the event you are not familiar with it this is a process where you roll soft lead bullets in a fine abrasive, load up very mild loads and fire them from the barrel in order to polish the bore. The only real downside to this process is that it will wreak havoc in the throat area causing premature erosion but in this case that's OK....

Now send the barrel out to be rechambered and the gunsmith will in the process of reaming out a new chamber chop out the eroded 30 Herrett throat. As this is a Encore barrel you have many more options than in a Contender. As well as the excellent wildcats mentioned you could go 307/308 Win and stick with standard (meaning cheap) dies and even have the ability to shoot factory ammo. Of course as you are spending hard earned money on a rechamber, and you seem to have no aversion to wildcats as evidenced by your original selection of a 30 Herrett, might as well go with something interesting.

[Racepres]

What ED said.... Reread it<<<   GoodStuff...  MV

[Doc T]

How about a .30-30 Ackley Improved?  You could still shoot factory ammo out of it in a pinch.

[skb2706]

Considering that this is for an Encore ....why not go .308 Win that offers cheap dies, brass for next to nothing, has more potential than all others mentioned, more loading data than you will ever use and probably gets as much out of a 15" barrel as much larger cases.