Caliber Conversion On No.1

[JJ_Miller_480]

Given the current ammo problems has anyone ever converted a No.1 to 7.62x54R ?

That seems to be the easiest caliber to find right now. It would do 90% of what needs doing in the hunting dept.

I was thinking of buying a 5 to 10 k lot of the same ammo, send about 20 rounds to Clymer to make a reamer and send the rifle to SSK along with the reamer for a Douglass bbl and have a No.1 that would always have ammo available.

Cleaning after using corrosive ammo would be a cinch. I am not expecting a match rifle but 1 1/2 inch groups should be possible with the right ammo.

Does anyone have any thoughts ??............................JJ

 

[picketpin]

If you already have a #1 you want to conversion is pretty easiy and straight forward.

Have Douglas or any other maker chamber the barrel, Douglas and Shilen can also supply a factory profiled barrel and cut the threads and extractor cut. Think it'll probably run you about $500+ by the time you get done and have the barrel fitted to the rifle by your smith. You might have to change the extractor based on what it started out as.

If you are thinking of getting a #1 and then doing the work it's a little different. If that were the case I would simply look for and pay the price for a factory rifle. #1s were chambered in 7.62x39 in a non catalog run of 500 rifles. These are "A"s Light Sporters with 22" light contour barrels, sights and the Alex Henry forearm. THey are stainless with walnut stocks.

The advantage is it would cost you roughly the same and NOT be a custom rifle. It would hold value and collectability, even if shot.

Right after you get done with the custom, it'll be a $500 used #1.

I don't think there is any need to send cases to Clymer. Surely they have and make SAAMI spec reamers. Do you really want a non SAAMI chamber??

Were you thinking of sending 3 fired cases to Redding or RCBS and having a custom reloading die made, rather than a chamber reamer??

Yes it would work just fine. That being said the factory rifles were very very slow sellers and many still show up NIB for sale and sadly seldom bring what the owners think they are worth.

Your quest sort of reminds me of the 17 Remington #1 I built. I started with a new factory 223 so the extractor wouldn't need to be changed. I had a Shilen Match grade barrel installed along with a Canjar trigger. I then installed a high power Leupold scope. One day my cousin , he built one too, and I were in a gun store discussing the 17 Remington with a guy that owned a Remington 700 in 17 Remington. We were complaining that we could no longer buy bulk Remington .17 caliber bullets from Midway and had to spend 3 cents more, per bullets for Hornadys. The guy got this quizical look on his face and then asked "Now lert me get this straight, you spent all that time and money to build a $2000+ rifle and you're bitching about 3
cents extra per bullet"? Yep, you have to control prices when you can.

While owning a 7.62x39 so you can shoot cheap factory ammo isn't a bad idea. Build a high dollar rifle to shoot cheap ammo, might not be the wisest decision you ever make. Then on the other hand if it's something you want and can rationalize, go for it.

As a personal observation I simply have no interest in a pointy 330--30 in a #1. But that's ME. ;-)

the best

Ross

 

[BangFlop]

Ammo manufacturers are starting to catch up - might want to wait a little and see what happens if ammo availability is your only reason to modify the rifle ... IMHO ... 8)

 

[JJ_Miller_480]

No, its a 7.62x54R..........not 7.62x39. I was going for more power, to hunt animals in the 30.06 range.

The reason I would buy a large lot of 7.62x54R is I am not sure how tight the foreign ammo stays in spec lot to lot. So I would let Clymer see the actual lot of ammo I have so they could match the reamer as close to that particular lot as possible to give me the best accuracy.

I just think a 7.62x54R in a No.1 makes a lot of sense. Even on the mil-surp ball ammo 3 or 4 light passes across the point of the bullet with a file to open the tip up makes it a hell of a killer.

It would be like shooting a 30.06 for 2 cents a round !.............................JJ

 

[BangFlop]

7.62x54R is a great round. The only other thing to weigh in your decision is that most surplus is FMJ - some ranges won't let you shoot FMJ (if that matters to you) and some States will not allow FMJ for hunting - just another thought .... 8)

 

[picketpin]

Okay, different issue. Just how much are you really going to shoot the rifle, no really????

You want something in the 30-06 range, no problem. But I just can't imagine this as a plinking rifle that you fire hundereds of each year. So what you are buying a hunting rifle. You haven't said if have a #1 to convert or will buying one but either way there is no way I'd do what you are proposing unless I simply had a love affair with the 7.65x54.

The conversion will never pay for itself even at the price of dirt cheap ammo
in the ammounts of ammo the average guy shoots through a standard/big bore centerfire. $500+ buys a LOT of Wally world ammo in 270 or 30-06 or even 7mm Mag of which are better and make more sense the the 7.65x54R.

The other issue is the second you make this conversion you will own a $500
used #1 in an oddball, foriegn cartridge that you will have a heck of a time selling when and if you ever decide to.

I know the only reason I would buy it would be as a parts rifle once you get done. I give $500 or less for #1s as parts rifles.

Only you can answer whether you are really going to shoot enough of this cheap ammo to make it worth while and I'll leave that up to you. It's certainly nothing I could rationalize.

 

[gewehrfreund]

You compare the 7.62x54 to the 30-06 (which has very similar ballistics). So why not just stick with a 30-06, which is easy to find in the #1 as a factory chabmering? Also, there is plenty of surplus ammo available that is NOT corrosive. This alone would be the deciding factor for me. As has been said, you can buy a lot of ammo for what the recmabering will ocst you. Not to mention that the only two candidates, the 308 and 7.62x39, are no longer made and should probably be kept as is, or will cost more as donor rifles due to their lack of availablility/rarity.

 

[JJ_Miller_480]

Well I cannot seem to find 06 ammo by the case right now, anywhere. Unless I want to pay out the ass. Any way you cut it 7.62x54R ammo is available and much cheaper.

As far as how much I " really " shoot. I shoot enough to make it worth while. No ammo restrictions on solids here ( WV ).

Now I can agree on boogering up a good No. 1, but I don.t seem to think it would be a big a step down as some seem to think........still thinking.......................................JJ