307 Winchester Rechamber Questions

[carbineman]

I have for sometime been intrigued with rechambering one of my 30-30 Topper barrels to 307 Winchester using an SB2 frame. 44 man brought this back to my attention again.

Question 1. Being that the 30-30 case is longer (been discussed here) does anyone think the 307 brass would tend to "grow" in length rather quickly in this chamber? Some .020+ shorter is the 307 case than the 30-30.

Question 2. Has anyone had any luck with mating a Topper barrel to a SB2 receiver?

Reason I'm wondering is that living here in Poverty Paradise and watching every coin I spend, this is something I could possibly do or have done with my present lot of "fun" money the little woman and I have agreed on. I wouldn't need to rework the quarter moon extractor because the rim of the 307 brass is .506 like the 30-30, so all I would need is to rechamber and use a .308 die set with a 30-30 shellholder. (I have both) Am I missing anything here?

[trotterlg]

The 30-30 shell holder will not hold a 307 because the body is larger and will not slide into the holder.  The neck will be too long in the chamber, the brass will not grow any, but you will have a lot of room in front of the case with no support for the bullet.  My best guess is that you could trade the 30-30 barrel straight across for a .308 and be done with it.  Also the ejector will not work because the body of the .307 is larger than the 30-30 and the edge will stick up into the chamber.  Other than those things it is a great plan.  Larry

[carbineman]

The 30-30 shell holder will not hold a 307 because the body is larger and will not slide into the holder.  The neck will be too long in the chamber, the brass will not grow any, but you will have a lot of room in front of the case with no support for the bullet.  My best guess is that you could trade the 30-30 barrel straight across for a .308 and be done with it.  Also the ejector will not work because the body of the .307 is larger than the 30-30 and the edge will stick up into the chamber.  Other than those things it is a great plan.  Larry

Larry, Thanks for the info. The present day 308 barrel is heavier than I would like. I like those slim profile Topper barrels from yesteryear as they are a perfect weight and balance for me.  I think I will scrap the plan altogether and just use and enjoy my Barnes 130 grain X bullet 30-30 rounds. Good velocity and good accuracy in all three I own.

[Spanky]

The present day 308 barrel is heavier than I would like. I like those slim profile Topper barrels from yesteryear

Knock the forearm lug off of your 308 barrel. Chuck it up in a lathe and take it down to the profile that you want. Silver solder the lug back on. I don't see why it wouldn't work.



Spanky

[lee1954]

I am wondering  -will the newer - nickel finish Toppers hold together with a 30-30 ?
You have  a barrel  from the past,  to be happy with!   Dan

[carbineman]

I am wondering  -will the newer - nickel finish Toppers hold together with a 30-30 ?
You have  a barrel  from the past,  to be happy with!   Dan

Yes I think nickel finish Topper would work with a 30-30 barrel. I would think they are the same or maybe a little stronger than the older Topper or 158 frames.

[FW Conch]

 :)leave your 30/30 like it is & be happy !  the deer will never know the dif !

[aromakr]

Why not just ream it out to a 30-30 Ackley improved 40 degree shoulder.
Bob

[quickdtoo]

Why not just ream it out to a 30-30 Ackley improved 40 degree shoulder.
Bob

I'd second that, loaded hotter on an SB2 frame, you can get a nice flat shooter to 300yds for deer with 125-130gr bullets. It can be hand reamed too! 

Tim

[carbineman]

Why not just ream it out to a 30-30 Ackley improved 40 degree shoulder.
Bob

I'd second that, loaded hotter on an SB2 frame, you can get a nice flat shooter to 300yds for deer with 125-130gr bullets. It can be hand reamed too!  

Tim

I'll have to "someday" look into that. Are you guys using the Lee standard "improved" die set? I'm still looking for a SB2 receiver that one of my topper barrels will work on.