Winchester 32-40 rebarrel to 30wcf. change back
Hi,
I have an 1903 Winchester 32-40 rifle (per Cody). But it had a 30wcf carbine barrel put on it. My question is will a 32-40 shoot the 30 wcf with out any other mods.
I want to return it back to original configuration. I'm just wondering if I'll need to do more than just change the barrel, and the other exterior hardware.
Will I need to replace the carrier?,bolt?
thanks
Gordon
I have an 1903 Winchester 32-40 rifle (per Cody). But it had a 30wcf carbine barrel put on it. My question is will a 32-40 shoot the 30 wcf with out any other mods.
I want to return it back to original configuration. I'm just wondering if I'll need to do more than just change the barrel, and the other exterior hardware.
Will I need to replace the carrier?,bolt?
thanks
Gordon
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I am 90% sure you only need to change the barrel Bert H or KIMI are 2 of the best Winchester guys here and Nononsence should know about cartridges just a quick look in Cartridges of the world look like almost the same case except the bullet diameter of course. 0 -
Before changing the barrel, you might want to inspect the gun very closely for physical evidence that the barrel has been changed. The Winchester warehouse records are by no means infallible. I have several Cody letters listing calibers of guns for which that model was never chambered.
If you elect to do the barrel swap, everything will probably work okay. The only problem might be somewhat sloppy cartridge feeding since different calibers used different cartridge guides. If your gun has .32 caliber guides, .30 caliber should feed, but might be sloppy at times. It is going the other way that can cause problems.0 -
You also might want to find out if it was sent back to Winchester for an r&r. 0 -
Hello Gordon,
The likelyhood of the records being wrong is very very small. I have personally examined more than 100,000 serial number records (covering all of the Antique models), and the incidence rate for written errors in the ledgers is well less than 1%. That said, it is also possible that the person in the CFM research office made a mistake when they researched the ledgers for your letter (that happens occasionally). If there is any doubt on your part, either Jessice or Connie will be more than happy to recheck the records, and if an error is discovered, correct and send you a new letter.
In answer to your question, Yes, if you put a 32-40 barrel back on the receiver, it will cycle and shoot. At a minimum though, you will need to insure that the barrel is headspaced properly.
The issue glabray raised with the cartridges guides is not truly a problem, as Winchester routinely made Take Down Rifles with two or three barrel set assemblies, each of different catridge/calibers. If your rifle still has the factory original 32-40 cartridge guides, a 30 WCF cartridge will not be sloppy... in fact, the oppposite is more likely. The 32-40 cartridge is closer in size to the 25-35 WCF cartridge, and both are slightly smaller in body diameter than the 30 WCF. It is the cartridge body size that determines the cartridge guide size.0
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