[Martok]

Hello all,

I am planning on a special rifle project and I need some good advices by some of you experts.

What I am basically trying to achieve is an M1A rifle chambering .35 Whelen to use it for hunting. Since this caliber is nothing more than a necked up .30-06 a Garand/BM59 receiver should be the basis of this rifle. It should be fed from M1918 BAR magazines. Everything else like the gas system will be taken form the M1A. I already found a barrel producer who is willing to build a barrel to my specifications. From my reading the twist rate should be 1:12 or 1:14. But I have no Idea about the correct size of the gas hole and I don´t know what would be an appropriate barrel length. For hunting in the woods the barrel should be fairly short. But if the barrel is to short I get a lot of muzzle blast and lose too much energy. Currently I am thinking of a 20 inch barrel as a good compromise.

What do you think about this project?

 

[JeepingJim88]

Why not simplify the process and get a BM59 and turn it over to a good 'smith for rebarrelling? Stick with BM59 mags and gas system.

 

[KurtC]

Why not simplify the process and get a BM59 and turn it over to a good 'smith for rebarrelling? Stick with BM59 mags and gas system.

BM-59 mags are .308 Winchester length. He would need to chamber for .358 Winchester instead of .35 Whelen.

 

[Wasted ammo]

Better off to swap barrels and use a M1. 35 whelen is a great round that got left behind. You being in Germany in not sure of the laws. But I would think enblocs would be easier to pass than detachable mags.

 

[KurtC]

I would convert the M1 to 9.3x62mm. I've owned dozens of rifles in that chambering and it can't be beat, especially in Europe.

 

[JeepingJim88]

BM-59 mags are .308 Winchester length. He would need to chamber for .358 Winchester instead of .35 Whelen.

Totally forgot about that part. GI6

 

[Redneck Yankee]

Classic battle rifle teamed up with a classic hunting cartridge is a cool, unique idea.

 

[Martok]

Better off to swap barrels and use a M1. 35 whelen is a great round that got left behind. You being in Germany in not sure of the laws. But I would think enblocs would be easier to pass than detachable mags.

German gun law does not differ between internal or external magazine. It is just important that it is a self-loading rifle. If you want to know more about our crazy gun las go ahead, but I am afraid this would bore most of the other folks.

I would convert the M1 to 9.3x62mm. I've owned dozens of rifles in that chambering and it can't be beat, especially in Europe.

Converting a M1 to 9.3x62 is no problem at all. Lothar Walther is offering barrels in this and other calibres. But there is no detachable box magazine in 9.3x62 available that would work in the Garand. Another problem is that there are plenty of BM59 receivers available here in Germany but it is impossible to find one Garand receiver.
Besides I still want the M14 gas system because it is self-regulating. I don´t know how the operating rod is going to react at some hot 9.3x62 load.

 

[beeks]

I've built a m14 on a garand receiver in 308. The only issue I see is that bar magazine feed ramps don't work well in a garand.

 

[KurtC]

German gun law does not differ between internal or external magazine. It is just important that it is a self-loading rifle. If you want to know more about our crazy gun las go ahead, but I am afraid this would bore most of the other folks.



Converting a M1 to 9.3x62 is no problem at all. Lothar Walther is offering barrels in this and other calibres. But there is no detachable box magazine in 9.3x62 available that would work in the Garand. Another problem is that there are plenty of BM59 receivers available here in Germany but it is impossible to find one Garand receiver.
Besides I still want the M14 gas system because it is self-regulating. I don´t know how the operating rod is going to react at some hot 9.3x62 load.

9.3x62 is a low pressure cartridge. Much lower than the .30-06 or .308

 

[POLACK]

308 works on everything in north america.set up a 168 or 175 pill with a schuster gas plug.
just remember,run out or forget the ammo on a hunt,with these crazy calibers,you cannot get by with store bought or borrowed ammo from somebody,you have custom created ammo,which no store will carry. basically,you brought a club along.

 

[Herr Trigger]

A M1 Garand in 35 Caliber would have an extremely thin barrel wall in certain places. Personally I don't Think it could be done

 

[4gundrill]

A M1 Garand in 35 Caliber would have an extremely thin barrel wall in certain places. Personally I don't Think it could be done

Tim Shufflin does a .35 Whelen. I’m not sure if he sells the barrels outright or if you have to send him your rifle.

 

[POLACK]

you have to send him the rifle

 

[Herr Trigger]

Well if they can do a Whelan, a 338-06 would be another option.

 

[POLACK]

header says garand,narrative m1a?
here's some sites discussing the issue
http://m14forum.com/steel-wood/82568-m1-garand-338federal.html
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?288089-M1-Garand-in-35-Whelen
https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=5267
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.338-06

 

[jaholder]

Exactly what and where are you hunting?

I didn't think Germany had anything larger than Red Deer, for which .30/06 should work just fine. I also thought Germany had some pretty restricted laws on using semiautos for game, like no more than a 2 shot capacity. If my assumption above are correct, I'm not sure it's worth the effort unless you just want to do it for the heck of it.

FWIW .35 Whelen is a great big game cartridge. I have a cousin who spends a bunch of his life up on some land in Alaska and carries a Remington 750 in .35 Whelen as his go-to rifle, it goes just about everywhere he does up there.

 

[nicholst55]

Seems like McCann Industries has done this in the past, chambering Garands for, IIRC, .338 Win Mag, .35 Whelen, and .458 Win Mag. I see from their website that they no longer offer those. Probably no market for them here in the States.

http://www.opticstalk.com/458-win-mag-garand_topic30624.html