remington XP-100 bolt

Hi all, I'm re barreling / re chambering a XP-100 to 7.62 X 39. I used a take off RUGER NO-1 barrel,with .308 bore, cut to 17 in.and installed a muzzle brake,In my haste to shoot this piece, I chambered and head spaced, using a bolt from another XP in 7mm/BR. The good news is, this thing really shoots, 1/2 MOA with hand loads right out of the SPEER book. Bark and bite is less than a 44 Mag, but down range performance on live game is un believeable. All in all,this is a sweet piece to shoot, and has already taken a toll on the hog population, here in so. Florida.
Now for the problem.I intended to open up the original bolt face,(221 fireball)but have been warned against this by several 'smiths I trust, for various reasons. I tried all the usual sources for a new or used bolt, and came up empty, even my REM. factory connection failed me on this one! Can the 221 bolt be modified safely? How? or can anybody source a bolt for me? A good condition used 7mm-BR bolt could be easily fitted / head spaced, even if I have to set the barrel back a turn. Is anybody else out there playing with this combination? Thanks for the help, Paul

Why can't you open it up and install a M-16 or Sako extractor? It has been done many times. Butch

Another caliber to consider is the 270x39 Imp. I did this to a Mini Mauser and it is very accurate and a great kids gun. Butch

Don't see any reason you can't open up a small boltface. Although many "unlimited" silhouette pistols were built from Fireball guns using .223 and .222 Mag cases; I would expect a .30-.222 Mag would be basically the same as a .308 X 39.

I suggest you check the law on your barrel length, however. I think the maximum length a pistol can have without being classified as a "sawed-off rifle" is 15.99", measured as the distance from the boltface to the end of the barrel including any muzzle weights or muzzle brakes/compensators. Don't want you to receive any visits from the BATF fellows.

I hadn't heard of a maximum barrel length on a pistol, but the atf would not call it a "sawed off rifle", as their own licensing demands that once a receiver is licensed as a long gun or pistol, it can not be reclassified.

or, perhaps (grin) this is yet another one of those atf things where one law doesn't weigh against another

j

Actually many benchrest rifles, before the days of custom actions, were legally made from XP receivers. The ATF rule was that making them into rifles was OK but they couldn't be made back into pistols (typical government logic.)

Call Time Precision, they have XP100 bolts new. Very nicely made too.

hi. i built my fireball into a 6br by opening up the origional bolt face and have had no trouble with it. it shoots VERY well. i did go thru the action and true everything up at the time. i see no reason why you can't do it. good luck. Duane

The original production run of that action design was as a pistol - which was then reissued as a rifle. That caused some idiots at the ATF to sue but they lost as the letter of the law was no rifle to pistol conversions. Not that there is anything wrong with that in itself but due to historical situations the law was passed that way to prohibit that sort of thing..

Most such conversions were of rifles used for criminal purposes during the Prohibition era. You don't weant to fire typically .30 cal rifle with a shortened barrel in a city environment. Normal noise is bad but sawed off noise and flash is still worse.

I have an XP-100 7mm remBR which I never used. Modified to "race" gun specs for metal target work - has the typical lightening holes in the bolt lever and some crudely drilled holes through a milled flat on the left side of the receiver. Nice millwork on the receiver but apparently all hand drilling on the half inch receiver holes on the left side.

I considered keeping the bolt face as it is .308 style. So I could adapt anything made with a .308 hull. There are already about four rounds, now obsolescent, based on the .22 BR - the 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm. I wanted to make a .270 or a .257 version which is easy enough to form.

The question is what type of thread is used in the barrel. I have a spare new shorter .221 fireball barrel but haven't checked the threads. Eyeballs out at about 15/16" with a tape measure. To best recollection coarser than the 1.055" nominal dia of a Savage 110 series rifle. I have a Savage bbl in .270 which is about new but with a schmoozled thread on the breech end. I was trying to figure out a way to adapt the barrel to the Remington receiver if there was anough meat. On the other hand it might be possible to turn down, sleeve, etc, to find some way to adapt - provided I had nothing better to do.

Logic says just have Douglas do a new install to accomodate your fiendishments. They do the XP-100 (only) as a complete install for about the same as rifle barrel prices. A long .257 on a modified form of what I now have with a rifle stock adapted to the aluminum mount would be just fine. But I must do something about the butcherwork on the receiver which requires some gas welding filler work.

You might want to check with E.R. Shaw they use to convert XP-100 .221 Firballs to .243Winchesters and .308Winchesters all the time. This was before the 7mm08 was developed.
There is no problem with the bolts on this conversion.
Rustystud

The XP *should* have a 1-1/16-16 thread in it, same as a 700. The Savage is 20 TPI. I don't trust de Haas' numbers (1.055) for diameter, since he lists the Remington as 1.050.

Probably the only way to use the Savage barrel is to make a barrel nut and fit it like the Savage. Unless you can do this sort of thing yourself, and I assume you can since you're posting it on a machinist forum, I have to question the logic of putting the money into having a takeoff factory barrel refitted. There might be a reason somebody took it off to begin with

Actually this was just a mental exercise with a salvage operation. The XP is 7mmBR, the spare barrel, bought for study on the receiver end, is new, and hopefully there might be enough meat to convert the damaged Savage to an XP receiver thread - this is the earlier XP version with the "crank handle". I do not, however, want a .270 win XP.

I would like to go to a roughly 16"-18" bbl and legally list this as a stocked rifle. Will check with the ATF but I don't see why this couldn't be recorded as being a rifle as opposed to being listed as a pistol. This would be a toy in some partciular caliber and would be for make-believe precision shooting.

I am down to zero on lathes and other metal cutting tools at the moment. I never set up my LeBlond w/ 1934 style headstock (or was it the 1931?). My other one was useless for barrel work of this length. Will have to search for a used replacement.

I did get a 175gr box of spire pointed bullets today so am noting the fit and length. That round is normally loaded much lighter. With study of loading data and careful work it might be possible to justify the weight in a slower speed loading.

But my main interest is in the necked out .338 version for which I made one hull. I will get 225 and 250gr .338's tomorrow so I can fit for length. The Whisper version might be loaded with 300gr in .338/7BR. In fact the SSK loads start at 250gr and they didn't bother with studying anything lighter.

Lotsa theory, lotsa work, but accomplishment is slow - especially when projects overlap.

The ATF is the best source of the data but I think you can go down to 16"+ barrel length with overall length of 28" and have it qualify as a "rifle." Once made into a rifle, it cannot be legally made into a pistol again (although in reality, that is more dependent on whether it is ever recorded as being a rifle with a government agency.)

You are right on those dimensions. This would eliminate the usual persecution and pogroms with pistols in some areas around Chicago. I have a C&R license so will write to Geowjah or Alabamy or wherever and get the info.

Actually with proper format as a bolt gun I could likely register as a rifle and forget what about it useta-wuz. I'm involved with the City of Chicago in a suit as plaintiff in a type of Federal civil rights suit involving traffic tickets and other issues. If I git on their hit list I want to be as legal as possible when the storm trooper come a knockin'.

FSPIC;
a civil rights suit on parking tickets?
i was in Chicago 3 weeks ago. didnt seem to be any profiling by the local police in writing parking tickets. seemed to me the just wanted people to keep moving.

i cant imagine you getting on anyones hit list.

i would suggest you confine you contacts with Georgia and Alabama to letter writing, some one with your attitude may not be too welcome in the deep south, you may fit a profile you dont want...jim

[Quote GGaskill]Actually many benchrest rifles, before the days of custom actions, were legally made from XP receivers. The ATF rule was that making them into rifles was OK but they couldn't be made back into pistols (typical government logic.{Quote}

Where did you get that information? I have had a couple of XP actions that I have converted back and forth between pistol and rifle several times and have never heard of such a regulation.

"... and have never heard of such a regulation."

I have seen it many places over the years (American Rifleman for sure) and I am sure the statement is correct. Absurd, but correct. If you really want to know for sure, write the ATF and ask (but don't tell them you have switched back and forth unless you want visitors.)

Does the Contender have a specific exemption to allow this? I know there was some fuss over it. Not sure what it was, but I'm pretty sure you can't buy one as a carbine and put a pistol barrel on it. Going the other way is of course no problem, as long as when you're switching it back and forth the buttstock gets removed before the pistol barrel is put on.

I just got my Pacific Tool and Guage Catalogue(sp) it list bolt replacements for XP-100 actions.
You might want to check it out.
Rustystud

I have read that pacific makes these bolts, but they are not shown on their website. Maybe I'll order a catalog.