richhodg66
Well-Known Member
Any one shoot this? Do I understand it ti be simply a .38 special case necked to .30 caliber? Sounds like a neat idea for a diminutive single shot which would get past the obscure brass problem the .32-20 has.
.30 Badger?
- Thread starter richhodg66
- Start date
CWLONGSHOT
Well-Known Member
I have a friend that just built one last year.
Took quite a while ta find the reamer.
He likes it.
Took quite a while ta find the reamer.
He likes it.
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
Ballistics wise, is it pretty much a .32-20?
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
I have a Martini cadet project rifle I'm thinking.
358156 hp
At large, whereabouts unknown.
A friend has a 30 Paxton, 357 case necked to 30 cal. It's essentially a rimmed 300 BO. He started out forming cases with a 300 BO sizer until he was able to locate a set of actual Paxton dies. For a revolver, velocities are pretty high, the bullet almost hits the target before you touch the trigger 
Not to spoil anyone's fun or argue against embarking on a fun and interesting wildcatting adventure, but this was my tack too. I grabbed one of the AAC/Handi-Rifles in 300 BLK and loaded it with cast-only and basically "reinvented" the 32-20, using free surplus brass I got thirty-some years ago.
The RCBS 32-98 SWC and LEE 113-grain RFN both worked wonderfully with small charges of faster pistol powders and small pistol primers. I thing the LEE 170 grain 30-cal bullet was the biggest I shot in it. I never chronographed any of the loads, because when Ohio approved rifles/carbines in pistol-caliber cartridges" ("straightwall"), I had it rebored to 357 Mag, and later hand-reamed it to 357 Max.
Nothing against messing around with more interesting brass conversions, but using the 300 BLK was a cheap and easy way to achieve what I wanted. I even converted that one to ejector, so I didn't have to pick at the little rimless case to reload. Never lost a case with the ejector either.
Those AAC/Handis were indeed diminutive single-shots. The comparison arm should be instantly recognizable.
todd
Well-Known Member
my friend's grandfather (RIP) had a 25-20 and he killed deer with it. anything under 25ish yards got shot in the head and 25 - 60ish yards was shot behind the shoulder. it was a good close cover 1892 lever action.
someday i'll use my 30 Carbine to hunt deer with. the shot will be (at furthest) around 60ish yards, but 30 - 40ish yards average.
someday i'll use my 30 Carbine to hunt deer with. the shot will be (at furthest) around 60ish yards, but 30 - 40ish yards average.
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
I get the .300 Blackout. I kind of wish I had bought one of the handi rifles in it and had it rechambered to .30-30 or someything with enough case capacity to actually do something with those super heavy bullets in that fast twist.
Call me a purist, but a cartridge for a single shot rifle needs to have a rim on it.
I'm kind of intrigued with the idea of this little cartridge, but truthfully, I can load down one of the .30-30 single shots I have to do the same thing.
Call me a purist, but a cartridge for a single shot rifle needs to have a rim on it.
I'm kind of intrigued with the idea of this little cartridge, but truthfully, I can load down one of the .30-30 single shots I have to do the same thing.
I am in the same camp regarding rims, but the Handi handles rimless very well and all the other pros, regarding that case for my objective, over-ruled that one con. I'd prefer the rim, but couldn't argue that the rimless worked fine in that application. I think the fact that I converted mine to eject made a difference too. I think it's easier to pick a rimmed case out of the chamber than rimless if stuck with extractors.
The rimless Handis I've had would drop the ejector well clear of the extractor cut in the case when the barrel was tipped all the way down. No case-rubbing on the extractor/ejector. I do prefer rims on my single-shots, but it was just too easy to convert 223 brass and so ganged cheap that I compromised on that preference.
I believe several people have run 357 Max brass into 300 BLK dies to render a rimmed version, albeit a tad short on case length. THEN, you move far away from the "free" brass thing and into one which is sporadic and comparatively expensive - violating other good reasons you've outlined for your preference.
Ian
Notorious member
I've had a mad want for a .30 Badger for a decade. Problem is I have two break-action 30-30s and three suppressed .300 Blackout ARs. Well, did, the boat accident and all...but anyway it made no sense to buy a reamer and dies and barrel for a cartridge that couldn't realistically launch a heavy bullet. I still want one though.
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
Problem is, I don't have the skill set to do this kind of work.
I actually have a ruined Savage 219 barrel in .30-30. Had planned to have it relined to .32 S&W Long at some point, but I wonder if this might be a better option.
I actually have a ruined Savage 219 barrel in .30-30. Had planned to have it relined to .32 S&W Long at some point, but I wonder if this might be a better option.
Ian
Notorious member
Brass is cheaper for sure. If the chamber is still good that barrel would make a dandy .35-30. I don't know for sure how to pull off the reline/rechamber to something as large as a .38 case because by the time you bored it out for a big enough liner there wouldn't be anything left at the muzzle. I think stubbing it and profiling down to the original barrel profile would be best for a Badger conversion because it would be a challenge to bore and plug the chamber and drill and install a barrel liner so the liner exactly butted up against a counterbore in the chamber plug at exactly the front end of the Badger's chamber neck.
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
This one was ruined by some Bubba who, in an apparent attempt to drill it for a scope mount, drill, not once, but twice, into the chamber. Even threaded the holes, just can't imagine what makes people do the things they do. Was thinking one could thread some threaded rod in, cut it flush, tig weld on top of that then run a finish reamer in the chamber to clean up the ends and maybe get a working .30-30 again. I just figured relining it to something like .32L was the answer.
Damn shame, really, the bore is great and the exterior is real good with the complete sights.
Damn shame, really, the bore is great and the exterior is real good with the complete sights.
Sounds like phase one of this project is underway!
@Ian , you don't need me to explain this to you, so I'll just "remind" you. We've all rationalized our way out of really neat projects using logic and reason - going the more practical route and all that. "A mad want" sounds like more than enough reason, and sound enough logic to do something we could otherwise easily classify as frivolous. I always REALLY wanted a 222, even though the 223 made so much more sense. When I finally said to hell with it and got a 222, it's become the only "22" I ever shoot any more.
Ian
Notorious member
Actually, I bought a .30-30 reamer back when I built Jackie's rifle because at the time I didn't own a mill or indexer. If I had Ed's print I think I could make a spoon-type Badger reamer from scratch like Dan of Mountain Molds used to do for his various wildcats.
For the old 219 barrel, I wouldn't try doing the cutting with a chamber reamer, it would likely nick the reamer and score the chamber, plus deflect the opposite cutter and scrape a gouge in the bottom of the chamber. I would put some screws in there with high-strength thread locker so they stuck in just a few thousandths, then turn/harden/polish a chamber-shaped mandrel to buck the ends of the threaded plugs close to flush, get them within a thousandth of flush with a boring bar, THEN clean the whole thing up with a chamber reamer. I might also try putting a dab of JB Weld in the holes from the inside, carding off the excess, chambering a waxed, fired case, and slowly threading in the plugs until it squeezed the JB into all the gaps. Easy enough to undo if it doesn't last and you have to drive a case out with a long brass rod. The threaded plug will keep it from blowing out.
Nah, on second thought, just stub it. One of my 219s has a pitted bore, but very sharp rifling and a good shine besides the scattered pits. It shoots very well and I'm not messing with it. The other one is mint.
For the old 219 barrel, I wouldn't try doing the cutting with a chamber reamer, it would likely nick the reamer and score the chamber, plus deflect the opposite cutter and scrape a gouge in the bottom of the chamber. I would put some screws in there with high-strength thread locker so they stuck in just a few thousandths, then turn/harden/polish a chamber-shaped mandrel to buck the ends of the threaded plugs close to flush, get them within a thousandth of flush with a boring bar, THEN clean the whole thing up with a chamber reamer. I might also try putting a dab of JB Weld in the holes from the inside, carding off the excess, chambering a waxed, fired case, and slowly threading in the plugs until it squeezed the JB into all the gaps. Easy enough to undo if it doesn't last and you have to drive a case out with a long brass rod. The threaded plug will keep it from blowing out.
Nah, on second thought, just stub it. One of my 219s has a pitted bore, but very sharp rifling and a good shine besides the scattered pits. It shoots very well and I'm not messing with it. The other one is mint.