Ruger No 3 caliber conversion

[potatojudge]

I'm thinking of having my No 3 sent off for a rebore and rechamber. It's a 22 Hornet reamed to 223, so basically anything 338 and larger that'll clean up the 223 chamber should work. I'd keep it as-is, but the twist rate favors lighter bullets and I don't really need a varmint gun. I'm favoring a larger bore to help lighten the gun. Even with the little carbine barrel the thing is a brick in 22 cal.

I talked with JES Reboring yesterday and they will do it for $225, including return shipping. 
www.35caliber.com/8.html

I'm considering:
338-06
357 max
375 H&H
445 Supermag
454 Casull
500 Linebaugh
50 Alaskan


If it was yours, what caliber would you go with?

[Encore64]

I collect #3s. You can get recoil too high quick. Its a light gun, with lots of pitch and thumps you pretty good.

[kings6]

414 Supermag and I have some brass for you if you do!

[potatojudge]

I had the same thought about the 414, but I didn't know if 405 (410) on his site meant he could do 414 or not. Would that leave me using cast bullets?

I think it'd be pretty much ideal if he can do it. 

[dougader]

480 Ruger for me

[magnumwheelman]

I'd personally rebarrel it rather than rebore & rechamber for the 3rd time...

from your list of cartridges I'd go 357 Max, & use it as a companion gun to my revolver

... or 50 Alaskan... only because I don't have one yet...

[seak89]

Did a 45-70 to 458winmag,ouch big time.Ended up having to put a big Bell and Carlson stock on it to shoot. More of a shove than kick,kinda like a elephant bumping into you.

[lange1]

I think you should re-bore to 445 Supermag. I have been looking for a No. 3 to do just this very thing.

[kings6]

The 414 shoots the same .410-.411 bullets as the 41 mag.

[DiamondD]

Jan 17, 2017 15:09:21 GMT -5 dougader said:

480 Ruger for me

Me too.  From the calibers you've listed I would probably go .338-06 because I've always wanted one.

[dougader]

Or you could go with a 35 caliber like 358 Win. JES has some interesting calibers listed on his website.

[potatojudge]

I got the gun back today, right at 3 weeks. They rebored, rifled, crowned, remarked the caliber, and recut the ejector. The chamber seems tight trying a few different 38/357 reloads. Some need finger pressure to chamber. Everything looks good so far.

I'm going to put together some 180 grain jacketed loads to test accuracy.

The rifle used to be very muzzle heavy but now it's 6.6 lbs (unscoped) and balances just forward of the receiver. Still not as svelt as my Browning Low Wall in 45 Colt, but it's a definite improvement and I appreciate the tang safety for hunting over the 1885.

How far I'm going to take this depends on accuracy. If it's a shooter, I'll reshape the stock and change the plastic for a nicer metal butt plate then send the gun off to Turnbull for CCH/blue.

[Encore64]

With my tight chambered guns, I finalize my reloads with a Lee taper crimp die. It usually cures the problem fast.

[dougader]

So did you go with the 357 Max, then?

[potatojudge]

Yep, 357 max. I've always used H110 and lil gun just because that's what I had, but my pop had some 4227 on hand so I'll be putting together some loads with that instead. Just trying to decide on a bullet. My reloading stuff is maybe 1/4 unpacked from a recent move and it's probably easier to just order a box of something instead of digging through a few heavy crates of lead. I'm thinking 180-200 grain jacketed given the velocities I'll get out of the long barrel, and the proven accuracy of these bullets that will allow me to assess the gun's abilities best.