Re-boring

[Angry Perch]

I have a Ruger No. 3 in .223 with a not so great barrel. I don't really need a .223, so was looking into re-barreling to .35 Whelen. I don't really need .35 Whelen either, but I figure if I'm going to have a gun I don't need, it might as well be a big gun I don't need. Anyway, re-barreling ain't cheap, as many of you know. I looked into re-boring, and found JES Rifle Re-boring in Oregon, that specializes in .35 caliber. I can have it re-bored and back on might door step in 2 weeks for $250. Anyone have any experience with re-boring, or with this particular outfit?
Any input would be appreciated.

[Firedogg]

You can rebore, but hopefully the receiver is strong enough for the increased pressures it will see. That would be my biggest concern.

[Angry Perch]

I'm not concerned with the receiver, as they use the identical receiver for all calibers in the No.1 and (old) No. 3. But a very good point, and I appreciate the input. I'm learning as I go.

[Bofire]

Is the base diameter the same? where will the firing pin hit? will the ejector work?
Carl

[Angry Perch]

I'll need a new ejector, which is about 10 bucks. I believe everything should line up fine. I'm mostly concerned with the quality of a re-bored barrel. It's not something I've ever looked into. It's not going to be the quality of a PacNor that I was considering, but it's also 1/3 the price. But it doesn't matter how cheap something is if it doesn't work.

[724wd]

Those that use reputable rebore services have been generally happy with the results.  though I've never heard of going from .223 sized case all the way to 35 whelen.  Most will only go up a caliber or two...

[HighlandLofts]

Have you tried Benchmark Barrels over here in Arlington? The do top of the line barrels, A friend had a one done there a year or so ago.

[AWS]

What you end up with will be a cut rifled barrel with all the original markings, sights, forend hanger and blueing which is a lot of extra work and cost on a new barrel.  My 35 Whelen is a rebored Rem 721, I'm very happy with it.  JES has a good reputation.  My only concern would be if a sported weight 223 barrel will have enough meat in it to rebore to 358 and still have enough wall thickness but a quick call to the reborer will answer that question in a couple minutes.  Keep trying as I hear they can sometimes be hard to get ahold of.

[Angry Perch]

The .223 barrel is pretty beefy. Muzzle diameter is about .06 larger than my Model 70 30-06, according to my cheap digital caliper. So it looks OK. Any yes, the savings on all of the above is a real bonus.

[huntinguy]

I think a rebarrel would be less money.

[Angry Perch]

Less than $250?

[Brad Harshman]

This is intriguing. 
Question: what about quality? Putting money/cost/time aside, which option will give you better results in regards to accuracy?  Wouldn't a high quality replacement barrel be better than a custom boring?

[Angry Perch]

Very valid point. I'd assume a high quality aftermarket barrel would shoot better than a factory barrel, whether it be the original bore or a re-bore. But for a woods gun, It doesn't need to drive tacks, it just needs to kill stuff. Big stuff. 

[jdb]

Just sell me the number 3!!!

[j_h_nimrod]

You can rebore, but hopefully the receiver is strong enough for the increased pressures it will see. That would be my biggest concern.

I believe the .35 Whelen works at the same or slightly lower pressures anyway and the larger head would have less thrust per area than the .223. As Perch said, the different caliber a all use the same action anyway.

I looked into reboring a number of years ago and all the outfits I could find at that time were close to the price of a new barrel.  If you can get a new cut barrel for $250 I would jump on it.