Win 94 Big Bore question

[Levergunitis]

It may seem silly but....I have availability to an early 94 Big Bore XTR in 375 win. It's in great shape and a decent price. I have no real use for .375 win or .38-55 and I already have a pre-safety model in .356 win. With that said, I also have availability to a dirt cheap new .307 win barrel. I may have use for a .307 sooo...is this as easy a conversion as it seems by just swapping out barrels, .375 to .307?

Thanks in advance and hopefully keep the flames kinda low!

Levergunitis

[Nath]

Wow, awesome find.
I hope it works out for you.
Someone will know to answer your question.
I only ever seen one 307 in the UK!

[Tycer]

Well, the rim size is the same. OAL is the same. My guess is they’re interchangeable.

[Drawdown]

Great jam to be in, seems if it where me, I'd be down a new road whichever way you go. But, I'd love the 375 BB and be happy!

[elmo123]

If your 375 was made prior to the change of ownership it has a barrel similar in size to the 94's in 30-30 and the larger barrels won't work. I ordered a 375 barrel from Numerich years ago and it was larger in diameter and had finer threads.

[Levergunitis]

That's good info! Which change of ownership though? From WRA to USRAC in 1980 or USRAC to Herstel/FN/Browning in 1989? The .375s date back to '78 or so while the .307/.356 started around '82-83. I'm assuming you mean the fire sale in 1980.

Edit: After pondering for a few moments, I would surmise the real change line would be top eject vs angle eject.

[Old Savage]

Explore the 375 you may like it. Likely will chamber 38-55 brass. I think Paco did an article on it.

[BenT]

All big bores have the same thread pitch. The 307 barrel will have the extractor groove at 1 o'clock because it should be angle eject. Most 375's were top ejects so the groove will be at 12 o'clock. This 307 barrel groove can be cut to 12 o'clock if needed , so check into that. The only other thing should be the cartridge guides. There is one on each side of the receiver and easy to switch out. The 307 and the 356 cartridge guides should be the same since they share same parent cartridge. Swapping barrels back and forth is not a problem if you have a good barrel vise. Doing this conversion should only take a couple hours. The hardest part is getting the original barrel off which I soak the threads with Kroil for a week. I would give it a try, you can always put it back to a 375. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions on this.

[Trailboss]

I personally wouldn't change a thing. The effective range is nearly the same for both cartridges in the lever action Winchester. Both are very effective cartridges so nothing gained by swapping.

[OldWin]

I personally wouldn't change a thing. The effective range is nearly the same for both cartridges in the lever action Winchester. Both are very effective cartridges so nothing gained by swapping.

Good advice.
I've never owned a Big Bore 94, but have had piles of 94s in 38-55. It is a fantastic cartridge.

[arclight]

Many years ago I had the Marlin version. With a young family/single income and therefore limited resources, I fed it with cast bullets from an RCBS mold, and .30-30 brass necked up. Not optimal but it kept me shooting. It is a grand and fun cartridge, so if it were me (and it's not) I'd shoot it as is, at least for a while. 'Course the .307 would be great fun, too. Some (but not all) of those Big-Bore .307 94's will feed, fire, and even extract and eject properly-loaded .308 cases. But in any event you must buy this rifle. It will hold its relative value in an economy which is suffering inflation well north of "eight percent."

[samsi]

I'm another vote for buy it but leave it as is. The .375 bore, whether WCF or H&H, makes its own distinctive businesslike note. I shoot mine with 38-55 level loads for the most part but keep a box stoked with RL7 and 220 Hornadys on hand for serious work. They're pretty hard on coyotes...

[JFE]

I am not sure about the barrel threads but I have read before that they are different between the top eject and angle eject models. I have a top eject 375 and an angle eject 375 and the barrel on the AE model is a larger diameter. Assuming all the AE models share the same barrel diameter, you would need to alter your forend and need the larger barrel bands. As mentioned you would need to cut another extractor groove and swap the cartridge guides or modify your existing ones.

[RIDERED350r]

As a proud owner of a roughly 1980 made top eject 375, I'll cast another vote to leave the 375 as is and enjoy it. Definitely a handloaders cartridge, but just the reactions from those who say to you "30-30 eh?" when you answer that question is worth it. Usually spurs good conversation. .


Would love to add a top eject 356 to the safe one day

[Scrumbag]

Wow, awesome find.
I hope it works out for you.
Someone will know to answer your question.
I only ever seen one 307 in the UK!

Would be a very cool option to have with our hunting laws!

[Nath]

Wow, awesome find.
I hope it works out for you.
Someone will know to answer your question.
I only ever seen one 307 in the UK!

Would be a very cool option to have with our hunting laws!

Hello Scrumbag. It would but dirty thirty does me. Most our laws are way over the top any way....

[Scrumbag]

Wow, awesome find.
I hope it works out for you.
Someone will know to answer your question.
I only ever seen one 307 in the UK!

Would be a very cool option to have with our hunting laws!

Hello Scrumbag. It would but dirty thirty does me. Most our laws are way over the top any way....

You're right, they are. I think I've managed to get my .44 mag fallow / roe legal (Though whether a fallow would notice being shot with a bullet with 1680 ftlbs vs 1700 seems to be somewhat of an academic question...)

Scrummy

[Nath]

Wow, awesome find.
I hope it works out for you.
Someone will know to answer your question.
I only ever seen one 307 in the UK!

Would be a very cool option to have with our hunting laws!

Hello Scrumbag. It would but dirty thirty does me. Most our laws are way over the top any way....

You're right, they are. I think I've managed to get my .44 mag fallow / roe legal (Though whether a fallow would notice being shot with a bullet with 1680 ftlbs vs 1700 seems to be somewhat of an academic question...)

Scrummy

Don't worry about it. They will never know or care buddy.
I nearly went for a 44 mag recently but opted for the .30 instead. 44, 357&30wcf are arguably as versatile as each other I think.

[Scrumbag]

Would be a very cool option to have with our hunting laws!

Hello Scrumbag. It would but dirty thirty does me. Most our laws are way over the top any way....

You're right, they are. I think I've managed to get my .44 mag fallow / roe legal (Though whether a fallow would notice being shot with a bullet with 1680 ftlbs vs 1700 seems to be somewhat of an academic question...)

Scrummy

Don't worry about it. They will never know or care buddy.
I nearly went for a 44 mag recently but opted for the .30 instead. 44, 357&30wcf are arguably as versatile as each other I think.

I'm sure you are probably right. The way you hear some people load it does make you wonder...