Rebore .351 to .357

[rcathey]

Hey all,

I have a “money pit” project in mind and was curious if anyone has any experience with reboring.
The tricky part of this project is the small amount I need cut away.

One site I found said they needed to cut a minimum of .030” away to get a clean cut. Perhaps that was just with their tooling though.

So is boring out a .351 bore to .357, cleanly, possible?

A Winchester 1907 in 38 Super would be pretty cool! But yes, an expensive project

[browningautorifle]

I had a rebore done in a model 64 Winchester from .30 to .38/55 and it was fine. I don't know about yours, you should contact any one of several that do it in the US and ask the man himself. He'll want to pull it apart with you over the phone...

I had a .351 self loader that I chambered in 9mm and left the barrel as was. It was clean enough and I used P38 mags with a spacer built against the rear with a simple mag catch. The cartridges didn't have far to go into the chamber and I lightened the slide to allow it to function...worked great. No mods required besides. The gun is solid so I wouldn't worry about .38 Super. Might feed as is.

[rcathey]

What about the difference in bore size between the (true) .351 Winchester and the .357 (or so) 9mm?
Overpressure issues?

[browningautorifle]

I didn't have any, the cases looked good. I used ball of every make I could get reasonably and military...my own loads... Even with holes drilled the bolt and operating slide are heavy. They are also still blowback...

I'll probably get roasted here for carelessness but it worked fine. I've done clutchier crap and come out fine too...

[rcathey]

I’d certainly prove safety to myself before firing heaps through it. No need for a safety roasting, just a discussion.

It’s and interesting thought. And still salable as original if I didn’t like how it behaved.

I’ll have to think about this. But quick. I ran across one with a poor finish and no wood. Paid a whole $100 for it...but it’s up for sale now. Might let it simmer for a couple days. If it doesn’t get snapped up I’ll have to pull it and play around a bit.

[browningautorifle]

I forget what the bore was like...but it was probably not shiney and new. You could slug it before the chamber ream went in, I did ream for 9mm so it fit. If you look in history you find they were used and called something like Fidels carbines...that's where I got the idea.

[wjw]

A rebore from .351 to .357 will most likely not clean up the grooves; and for what you are contemplating is not necessary. To keep my .35 Win Self Loader operational I turn the rims of .38 Special and load with 357 bullets, when I get lazy I just single load .38 Special commercial +Ps. These rifles have been converted to .357 Magnum using the issue barrels and in the 1970's there was an article recommending this alteration in one of the sporting gun magazines.

Best, Bill

[rcathey]

Well that settles that. I’ve pulled my listing for this item so I can play with this idea.

With auction season settling down a bit for winter, maybe I’ll have some time to fiddle with this.

Thanks guys!

[browningautorifle]

Let us know once it's done...might help others in your position later.

[fritz1255]

Lee sells custom bullet sizing dies. You can order one in 351 or 352. That's what I did. It can be used for either cast or jacketed bullets.