7mm Gibbs to 35 Whelen

J

jackstrawIII

New member
Hey guys,

Question for you. I'm considering buying an older gun chambered in 7mm Gibbs. Mostly buying it for the wonderful walnut stock.

I have no interest in loading for the Gibbs... but a 35 Whelen would be great.

I know the shoulder on the Gibbs is blown forward, about .2" longer than the Whelen, meaning I'd have to set the barrel back at least .2" to make it work.

Will that much of a setback mess up the stock/barrel fit? This is a very nice looking gun and I'd hate to have a big gap around the barrel.

Am I looking at this the right way? Thanks!
 
"Will that much of a setback mess up the stock/barrel fit? "

I can't see that it wouldn't end up leaving a gap, unless everything is perfectly cylindrical and one diameter from the receiver to the muzzle.
 
Sure it would.

You might see if a .35 Brown Whelen would clean up the 7mm Gibbs chamber.
Or just have it made a .35 Gibbs.

Or deal with a shop that would copy the profile of the Gibbs barrel on a new .35 blank.
 
There are quite a few places that will rebore a barrel.
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For sure. The issue is finding a cartridge that will "clean up" the old chamber. The problem with the Gibbs cartridges is that the shoulder is blown way forward. The standard 06-based cartridges are .2" shorter in the shoulder... which is a mile in chamber dimensions. Even the Brown-Whelen is over .1" short.
 
I was answering Nathan's question. If it's a nice rifle with a weird chamber, it makes more sense to rebarrel IMO. Pick your barrel company and be prepared to wait, .35 caliber barrels are not high on the list for most manufacturers.
 
I am sure you are aware that by the time you have a barrel turned to contour, chambered, headspaced, and blued, you will have a lot sunk in that pretty stock.

A set of Gibbs dies would be a lot less expensive.
 
A set of Gibbs dies would be a lot less expensive.
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This is quite true, but I’ve just never been crazy about the 7mm cartridges. No real reason, they just don’t tickle my fancy.

Anyone with experience with the 7mm Gibbs? Maybe this will win me over?
 
Either shoot it and let it impress you or get another barrel. If the barrel has any taper in it setting it back 2 inches will definitely leave a gap.
 
"Either shoot it and let it impress you or get another barrel. If the barrel has any taper in it setting it back 2 inches will definitely leave a gap."

2 inches?

The difference in cartridge length is actually .2 inches.

By the time the barrel would be set back far enough to cover the rechamber you'd be talking under an inch.

But that would still leave a gap at the stock. I've seen rifles where the barrel has been set back, and it's pretty unsightly.
 
"This is quite true, but I’ve just never been crazy about the 7mm cartridges. No real reason, they just don’t tickle my fancy.

Anyone with experience with the 7mm Gibbs? Maybe this will win me over? "


How about just opening the barrel up to .30 Gibbs?

I believe the cartridge dimensions are identical except for the neck diameter.


If you're not happy with what would basically be a slightly longer .30-06, jump up to the .35 Gibbs.

I can't find a dimensioned drawing of the .35, but again, I believe it's the same basic case, but here's a discussion on it: https://www.go2gbo.com/threads/35-gibbs.295466/
 
I've seen rifles where the barrel has been set back, and it's pretty unsightly.
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That is the bottom line I needed to know, thanks.

At this point I guess I’d lean towards keeping it as a 7mm Gibbs and then someday rebarrelling if need be.

With that said, any hot tips on making Gibbs brass?
 
jackstrawIII said:
With that said, any hot tips on making Gibbs brass?
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I'd see how close by a chamber drawing or chamber cast to .280 AI and see if you can fire form from that. You can also purchase a Hydraulic Form Die Set to form your brass. Quality Cartridge Company makes 7mm Gibbs brass if you have a large enough order.
 
I had to see if Quickload includes this wildcat, and they do. As a wildcat, they list MAP as 4,050 bar/58,740 psi. According to QL, you can drive a 160 Accubond to nearly 2,900 fps with a near full case of Re-19 within that limit. Not too shabby. It's a case forming custom die deal, of course, but it sounds interesting.

I agree that you should rebarrel if you are set on the Whelen. I know Shaw will match some barrel profiles; they did an older Sako for me. Good luck!
 
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