Re-chamber 30tc to .308?

[foggy]

Is is possible to re-chamber a 30tc Icon to .308? If so, what is involved in the conversion besides a new chamber? I don't think the 30tc is a bad cartridge, I just think it will be hard to find in the (near) future and the possibility of switching to .308 would be nice.

 

[mapsjanhere]

From what I found in the bench rest forums about the 30 TC
"The shoulder diameter is .461, far bigger than the 308W case at the same location"
I haven't found a dimensional drawing, but sounds like you can't simple get a 308 reamer and redo the chamber. You might be able to take a thread of the barrel and do it, depending on the gun; never seen an icon with the barrel out. But since they make the Icon in 308, might be easier and cheaper to just buy a new barrel.

 

[Scorch]

There is not a lot of info about the 30 TC, even on the internet where you can find all sorts of stuff. But here is my opinion as a smith. If you want to rechamber to 308 Win, you will need to either:

1- Set the barrel back to allow enough of the current chamber to be cut off to make up for the dimensional differences between the two cartridge case dimensions. This typically means cutting off the threads and re-thread the barrel, then cut a new chamber.

2- If you can't or don't want to cut off the barrel threads for some reason (lightweight barrel profile, or you don't want a gap between the barrel and stock to ruin the appearance of the rifle, or don't want to lose velocity), you can have a good gunsmith line the chamber and then re-chamber the rifle.

3- Rebarrel the rifle.

Since you are in Tacoma, you could call John Taylor at Taylor Machine (he's in Puyallup)

 

[GeauxTide]

+1 Scorch

I don't have a good local smith anymore, so I'd get it rebarreled.

 

[foggy]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Jim Watson]

I daresay a careful handloader could die form and fireform .308s to fit the TC a lot cheaper than a new barrel.