Re-barreling / re-chambering a BAR?

G

ginshun

New member
I have a Browning BAR Safari in 30-06 that I am considering re-barrelling and possibly re-chambering. Can anybody tell me what I might expect to pay for something like this?

Would it depend on what I would re-chamber it to? I like the 30-06, but have other rifles that overlap its uses, and other 30-06’s if I really desire to shoot one. If I would there be extensive work to the action that needed to be done to re-chamber it to something that used the same parent case like a 30-06 AI, 338-06 or a 25-06?

Just putting the feelers out to see if this is even possible or whorthwhile.

Thanks
 
There should be no extensive changes to the bolt if the same case head size is retained. Now, note that I have worked on a couple of those rifles, but have NOT rebarrelled any. With that understood, I will try to help a bit.

That is a gas operated rifle, so if you go with a new barrel other than from the factory, the gunsmith will have to drill the gas port, install the cylinder, etc., all of which will require very careful work. The gas port size will be critical and may require a lot of trial and error if going very much in either direction pressure-wise. Also, the factory sells gas cylinders sized for a particular cartridge group, and anything outside that group will also be in the realm of trial and error.

It may sound like the same old song we hear a lot on this forum, but if the caliber you want is available in that rifle, it will be a LOT less trouble and expense to simply trade the .30-'06 in on what you want. If you do decide to go the rebarrel route, try to find a gunsmith who has experience with those rifles, something that might not be easy.

Jim
 
I don't have any problem with the 30-06. I was just wondering if the option was available. Sounds like more of a hassel than its worth though.
 
If you change the bore or the cartridge case volume significantly, the gas port size will likely need to be adjusted to compensate. You can look over the other chamberings that Browning offers the BAR in and buy their parts to convert to one of those without getting into trouble. But if there is no existing information on the cartridge, that becomes a development project for the gunsmith and good reliability would be time consuming to prove.
 
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