Lock up strength of break action guns

[olafhardtB]

I have often read of people having reservations about the locking strength of break actiom guns. Several years ago I bought a NEF Handirifle in 500 S&W magnum.  I consider the unbreaching distructive impulse of a cartridge to be a function of the internal pressure times the internal area of the cartridge head. The 500 was designed to work at 65,000 psi which is higher than most other cartridges. The internal cartridge head area of the 500 is greater than belted magnums so the Handirifle could handle stuff like the modern magnum cartridges.
   Now I noticed that the lock up on my Savage 219 is similar to the Handi. I think 219's with messed up barrels, chambers etc can be converted to high intensity cartridges.

[Mike Armstrong]

I'm sure you COULD convert 219s with wrecked barrels to a higher intensity ctg. than .22 Hornet or .30-30.  Whether you should or not depends on a number of things.

If the new ctg. has more recoil than the originals, you would at least HAVE to glass bed the head of the stock to prevent cracking (or MORE cracking in many cases of older guns).  Then you would have to consider whether the recoil would be manageable by YOU. 

The only such conversion I've ever fired was a .30-30 that had been rechambered to .30-40 Krag because the chamber was deeply gouged in an attempt to remove a stuck .30-30 case.  Recoil from a standing position was certainly bearable.  I would not have enjoyed sighting the gun in from a bench, but how many times do you do that with a hunting rifle (the guy that owned it had fired a total of 4 rounds to get the new ctg. to zero, and he used it only for elk hunting).  I once had a .35-30AI  wildcat on  a relined 220 shotgun barrel, but that is hardly "high intensity."  Nice shooter, tho.

With me, and many hunters, adrenaline cancels out the recoil when actually shooting at a live target, so if the gun is strictly for hunting big game, the recoil isn't really a factor.

The rimmed case needed for 219s is also a limiting factor.  I'm sure some bright gunsmith could make a 219 extract a rimless case.  But at what cost in time and loot?

I could see converting a .30-30 219 to a few rimmed ctgs with more horsepower, the .375 Win, .444, and .356 Win come to mind.  But how much advantage do any of these have over a .30-30 with modern powders and bullets for lower 48 big game?   And for AK hunting critters that bite, would you really use a 219, however powerful?

I realize that "rifle loonies" as John Barseness calls us, will do anything for fun, and I do endorse fun.  Just do your " higher intensity" experiments on wrecked barrels only, and I'm interested, for sure.  And wear safety glasses.  9.3x74R?  GO for it!

[Garnett]

Supposedly, The R&D department at Savage made at least three experimentals (for this action) in standard calibers.  They were .30-40 Krag .22 Long Rifle, and .45-70.  There is some difference of opinion on these experimental guns.  Some say the .30-40 Krag was a simple re-chamber with a second firing proof mark for the Krag cartridge.  A Savage historian says while the .45-70 was made, he does not know if a special barrel was made or if a shotgun barrel was lined for the rifle cartridge.  He says the .22 LR was a heavy barrel target version.  I never was a hunter, and at my age, seldom shoot anymore.  However, I would not convert one of these guns that was still in original good condition.  As Mike more or less says, these original calibers for the 219 rifle are adequate for most game in the U.S.  Also, the .25-20 and .32-20's are so rare, it would be a shame to convert either of them.  But...each to his own (and his wallet), as that is what makes our sport so great!