Good morning, in view of the lack of new 24” barreled lever action rifles, I’m looking for the name of a reputable gunsmith to rebarrel my Marlin XLR.30-30. Your suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Tom

Just an FYI - if you intend to shoot in NRA silhouette matches, re-barreling is not allowed.

It's a sad fact of the rulebook.

Steve.

I believe you will be OK if it is factory barrel changed for another factory barrel....

You can keep the original barrel and have it relined to a different caliber. I can't suggest a gunsmith but I'm curious about this too.
You might look at Redmans Rifling and Reboring.

If you are willing to go to a different caliber....... I had my 1952 Marlin re-bored to 38-55 and I am Very pleased with the results. The "new" bore looks like it has been polished and the rifle is as accurate as a new gun.

http://www.35caliber.com/

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. Tom

Contact Ted Ulmer, Ulmer's Gunsmithing. Spring Mills, PA
Phone 814-364-9230
He will re-barrel or line whatever you need. Has lever guns shipped to him from all over the country.

https://johntaylormachine.com/

John Taylor does very nice work. He uses TJ liners. I’ve had 2 relined and know several other people that have as well. All shoot fantastic.

Jetmugg wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 9:27 am Just an FYI - if you intend to shoot in NRA silhouette matches, re-barreling is not allowed.

It's a sad fact of the rulebook.

Steve.

That. (Started to type out a diatribe but thought better of it…)

TomJ wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 9:07 am Good morning, in view of the lack of new 24” barreled lever action rifles, I’m looking for the name of a reputable gunsmith to re-barrel my Marlin XLR.30-30. Your suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Tom

I'm curious.
You say that your rifle is a Marlin XLR 30-30. I had always thought that the XLR already had a 24" barrel. Is yours not 24", or is it worn out? I know that my own (several) XLRs are 24". Or is it that you want a different cartridge?

TomJ wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 9:07 am Good morning, in view of the lack of new 24” barreled lever action rifles, I’m looking for the name of a reputable gunsmith to rebarrel my Marlin XLR.30-30. Your suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Tom

Hello Tom, those SS Marlin XLR 30-30 barrels take a long time to wear out. I have one I have used since they came out, with over 7000 rounds shot, all with jacketed bullets. And any time I think the rifle is loosing accuracy I clean the carbon and jacket fouling out of the barrel really good and the accuracy comes right back. I Just make sure the barrel crown is not damaged during the barrel cleaning process.

Relining is cheaper and you get the same results. TJ Barrel liners are hammer forged and ought to give a bit more barrel life than redman’s which are button rifled. Both are good. I have an 25-20 relined with a redman liner and it shoots great. I then decided to reline a Marlin 39A because the micro groove rifling lost accuracy. I compared redman’s bore dimensions to TJ and figured out quickly that TJ’s is tighter at 0.219 and 0.222” like a rimfire ought to be. I ordered the liner and it showed up taped to a 1x2 oak board. The OD was precision ground to uniform dimension and the muzzle was clearly marked as having choke. Redman gives you no indication they choke the muzzle end. I’ve recently discovered Lothar Walther sells a 22 rimfire barrel with 0.39” OD that is another excellent choice for rimfire.

My vote is for John Taylor because he will use TJ liners.

on the other hand, if you’re relining a vintage Winchester and you want to preserve the factory crown then hire Rocky Mountain Rifle Works. They know their stuff and when you get the rifle you can’t tell it’s been relined. Look them up.

Once again, thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions. Tom