I recently inherited a sporterized hunting rifle built by my Grandfather. It's an Arisaka Type 99 action mated to a custom barrel (chambered for 25-06) glass bedded into a custom wood stock.

I had it checked by my local gunsmith and they determined the chamber is oversized and the rifle is not shootable (didn't pass the headspace checks).

If I want to shoot it my obvious course of action would be to have a new barrel fitted.

However, I'm wondering if perhaps an oversized chamber is a "problem" that could be fixed with handloads?

I don't know if the chamber is a little oversized or a lot oversized so I suppose my first task would be to get a chamber cast made so that I can determine exactly what chamber dimensions I'm dealing with.

But before I do that ... is this an avenue I should even explore? Is it possible to safely shoot custom handloads in a chamber that is out-of-spec?

Do you have any knowledge of the guns shooting past as it is a family piece?

I would get a second opinion for sure.

It may be possible to set the barrel back and still use the same barrel and im sure you could have another barrel put on it as well. I would look into the cost of all your options and your projected outcome before I did any of it.

My Grandfather made the rifle for my Uncle and it was in my Uncle's possession until he gave it to me. He told me it was his "go-to" deer rifle for many years and that he had shot it a lot. I don't know if he handloaded for it .. I kind of doubt it. If he just used it for hunting then I wouldn't think it would have been shot all that much ... not as much as a target rifle.

Oversized as in the chamber was cut too deep?

If so, unscrew the barrel, have a smith chuck it in the lathe. He will reface the shank and cut the external threads farther to make the head-spacing correct. This is a removal of material issue. I think that's your least expensive route.

...the chamber casting will tell the tale of what's possible...until then everything is pure speculation. Went thru this on my 3rd rifle in 1968, a beautiful sporterized '96 Mauser 7x57 I'd bought out of an estate sale for a song...learned how expensive that song really was and never had to buy that education again.

With wages at $4.25 an hour, including the Night Shift differential on a Teamsters freight dock in those days you could run outta money real quick fixin Other Peoples mistakes.
Ron

Is the uncle that gave it to you still alive? If he said it was his go to deer rifle sounds like he fired it with somewhat regularity. I would talk to him get it to a different person to check out, see what they say.

Sadly, no, he passed earlier this year.

It's sounding like at the very least I need to get a second gunsmith to take a look at it and perhaps get a chamber cast made. There's a chance the chamber could have been cut too deep to begin with. I'd like to think my Grandfather did everything perfectly and correctly when he built the rifle, but that's just being sentimental. The reality is the rifle could have always been out of spec and my uncle just never checked and was very lucky all these years when he was shooting it.

Sounds like I need to look around for a second gunsmith to consult. Thanks!

What kind of problem are you having with gun? Case head seperation?

If the headspace is minor you can handload as a work around. Just resize the case till the bolt will easily close

I was given one by one of my Dads friends he'd taken off an officer along with his sidearm and sword when they liberated a prison camp in the Phil. Is. It had been rechambered to '06. There are stories of many of them blowing up. I'd find a Military Armorer old enough to know what he's about if you don't trust the first smith. My Mom burned mine in the burning bbl as she was afraid if get hurt with it.

I have never fired it. When my uncle gave it to me he suggested I get it checked out. So it went immediately to the gunsmith where it failed the headspace check.