.250 Sav in a M 81?

[Texas by God]

This has surely been addressed before but why couldn't a M8 .25rem barrel be rechambered and installed in a .300 sav M81-no other changes? A.250 sav autoloader would be a HOOT!

[Sarge756]

Yes it certainly would be a hoot if only for the rarity.However, I can think of a drawback or two. #1 you would have to have a donor barrel from an otherwise junker 25Rem. The 25 Rem being the most sought after of the Model 8`s I wouldn`t think you would want to use a nice one. If it was a junker, how good could the bore be??? After completion the 250 Savage would be in a rifle that would never be able to live up to the accuracy potential of that cartridge. If considering just for hunting deer sized animals it would be more potent than the 30 Rem but would be left behind by the 300 Savage it replaced. Only plus that I can think of is that it would be softer on the shoulder and you`d have a good conversation piece around the campfire.
Joe

[Sebastian21]

Another problem would be to get the correct spring balance. Each caliber has its own springs. No replacement springs are being made. You would have to try different existing recoil springs and buffer springs. A almost impossible situation with the current supply.

[Texas by God]

Ruin my daydream with facts why don't ya! It would have been great if Remington had gone gone that way when they brought out the M81. Thanks and God bless!

[81police]

There was a gunsmith, back in the day, that rechambered some into 250-3000 Savage. I saw one at the Tulsa gunshow many years ago. The caliber was hand stamped on the gun, it actually looked pretty cool. I've never seen one of these conversions disassembled to comment on the condition of parts subject to recoil forces, but I do know 8's and 81's are surprisingly robust for the most part.


But...here's what John Henwood had to say about those rifles...

"the .250-3000 conversions were the work of a Klamath Falls, Oregon, gunsmith in the early 1930's...none of these conversions was sanctioned by Remington, and they are (at least in the author's opinion) unwise, and may even be dangerous, as the firing of 250-3000 in these rechambered rifles is the equivalent of firing .25 proof cartridges...If the buffer and recoil springs were not replaced by the stronger 35/300 springs, this will certainly lead to excessive "battering" and premature failure of various internal parts (barrel nut washers and recoil spring cases in particular) due to excessively violent recoil" - The Great Remington 8 - page 233

[Texas by God]

Thanks Mr Woodall - I knew you would know. Best, Thomas.