SWAP BARREL 336

Lots of ways to go...the Lapua has a small rifle primer and I had some problems with the "old" 6BR Rem case in cold weather so I laid that one aside. I have a 250 Sav AI and the Creedmoor case is about the same as that one and would be a good one except for needing new dies...but I guess I could pop for a set of LEE RGB's. ;D

I looked at the 270-308 because I've never had a .277 cal rifle but couldn't find a rental reamer...wish I had then this conversation wouldn't be happening...I would have already ordered the barrel.

I'm still thinking which way to jump...it will have to be a case that will work well in the action without a bunch of messing about and one that will fit in a type S bushing die I already have so that limits it to 308 or BR cases or jumps up to belted mag( ??? )

I'm not sure how well a BR length round would feed but I WILL before I finalize and there are a few other short wildcats that I can use my present dies with and the reamers are available for rent.

I'm REALLY going cheap on this one...4D reamers has a 260 Rem for about $15 bucks cheaper than ReamerRentals and I will just bore out my 243 Redding bushing die far enough to handle bushings for a 338 Fed...that one is itching me also...not for the 336 but for my Ruger SA switchbarrel 7-08/308 or Savage SA 243.

The problem with the 336 is the pressure limitation and I already have at least one rifle/barrel in all the cals and bolt guns that give me much better performance...but Hey...velocity isn't always the most important thing and I'm flexible most of the time.

I think I can get away with <$150.00 for the whole 9 yards at least I'm gonna try.

No actual FP jacketed bullets for the 6.5 that I know off, but bobbing the noses on the Nos PT's would work and there are several other brands with enough lead tip to nip off and some very nice lead hard cast FP's.

Hey...anyone for a 17-20cal BR Marlin 336 levergun...talk about bragging rights. Hahahahahah

LUCK

I can handle up to 2.67" COAL's so the bullets will just need to be seated a bit deeper than published numbers. I crunched some numbers through my Load from a Disk and I will loose more velocity through the pressure limits than anything else. I will also probably just shoot 75gr Sierra HP's or Horn VM's seated about 2.65". I can get an easy 34-3500fs at ~43-44KCUP with a 26" bbl. No where near my 25-06 but plenty good enough for sageratz out to 250-300 yds depending on the final accuracy.

I've thought about doing a 257 R but for all intents and purposes, with the pressure limits of the Marlin, the 25 Souper and 257 R are identical and I also thought about doing a 250 Savage but I have a 250 SavAI and I've had 2 - 250 Savages in the past.

If I was as smart as I wish I was...I would just do the 250 SavAI and use the dies I already have and not have to mess around at all...just drop my existing 75 VM load down 3 gr. That would work out fine until the ammo go mixed up and I stuffed a maxed out boltgun load in my poor Marlin. :'(

Better to do a different cartridge...!!!! ;D

I envisioned this project to keep the rifle in service during the "big" game off season and swap in the 356w/444m bbl when deer/bear season rolls around.

Actually I have so many shooters I get a bit picky when it comes to which one I grab...gotta hogtie the critter and measure and weigh THEN decide which cannon to use when I turn it loose. ;D : Hahahahahaha.

Yeah...I like Hornady bullets and one of my favorite 25-06 bullets is the 100 Horn SP. It shoots bughole groups in ALL the 5 25-06's I've ever had. I'v dusted many rockchucks and potguts WAY the heck and gone out there, with that bullet and the Horn 120 HP. Open country deer and antelope never have a chance.

LUCK

Yess and Noooo and you have a very good point...I could use those rimmed cases AND use my reloading 250 AI dies...I use the same reloading dies for 356/358 W, but WHY??

I can use rimmed and rimless cases interchangeably using 444 M, trimmed 30-06 or 7-8mm Mauser cases or ANY case with the same base dia trimmed to the correct length for the 444M, 2.225", I've already done that with the 356W...AND checked that out when I was considering the 375-444 originally to do a switch barrel in a NEF and the Marlin. It's very hard to tell the difference between a 375-444 and a 375-short '06 at first glance.

Doing a rimmed 250 SAI would be duplication of effort in one sense...but simplicity in another.

In actuality the difference between the NET case volumes between the AI at 2.58" COAL and the Souper at 2.67" is about 2 gr H2O...(OR...the 257 R)...and that is with the bullet seated the same amount...0.215" deep in both. Not enough to even bother about as fiddling with the seating depth in both could change that to zero or that amount on the other side. ???

The Marlin will handle slightly higher pressures shooting the lighter bullets so I'm not really sweating a accidental swap.

I'm still vacillating on which way to jump...I'm just in the "wondering" stage while I finish the 444 and still have to make up some dummy's to check out the feeding when I get the mill work done on the barrel for the mag tube/forend mounts.

And I still have the 17-20 cal in the back of my mind...not very many Marlin 336's in those calibers. Hahahahah

LUCK