Trying to decide if I should purchase this rifle
 

Was at a local gun store the other day and spotted a Rem 580/590 that was converted to 17 AH. It looks to be a 580 solid bottom action set in a 590 stock. The replacement bolt head has a plunger extractor and a Sako style extractor. Has a 24" barrel the same OD as the action body. Don't know if the barrel was pinned or threaded on to the action, or if a rear action screw was added. I would need to pull the stock off to determine that. Overall the workmanship looked quite good. It's a consignment/estate sale rifle and asking price was a firm $275. I was feeling foolish to have left it on the rack.

John

I've seen a similar conversion to 221 Fireball. This was at least 5 years ago and my memory tends to run on out dated software. If I remember correctly it had a Lilja barrel and I have no clue how it was affixed. The work was done by a gunsmith up around Flathead lake (Kalispell?) Montana. Again no clue as to a name. The rifle shot well though. The owner had a load using 2400 pistol powder. The base rifle being a 580 had a nice trigger, not an oh wow trigger but nice so the gunsmith knew at least a little bit the 580 having a poor trigger pull reputation. The 580 rifle being basically a scaled down Remington 788 with two row of locking lugs instead of the three rows on a 788 seemed strong enough. I asked about case stretching as the 580's like the 788 are rear lock up and was told that it wasn't an issue. So there you have it an old faulty memory of an unique rifle. If the workmanship looks good for $275 you shouldn't get to badly hurt dollar wise. It would be hard to recreate it for that money. Good Luck you'd probably have the only one on the block.

I have a Rem. 541-S in 22lr. The 541/581 series did have pinned barrels. If the 580/590 was converted to 17AH and had a larger barrel OD - same as the receiver - I would bet the 17AH might have had a the action threaded for the 17AH barrel. Original Rem 541/581 had single action screws, but later models had two action screws. Also, the 541 triggers had more (three screws)adjustable triggers than the 581 (two screws). I am also curious how they could have gotten a cartridge the length of a 17AH into a 581 action, unless they had to take the bolt out both to load and unload the 17AH cartridge into the rifle.

No you shouldn't buy it. You should just give me the number of the shop so I can. I love the little 580 series rifles and have one now I want to convert to centerfore.

A 17 for $275 - worth a try. If its a bust, you aren't out much

It's mine now. Time to form some brass and take it to the range.

John

Congratulations, now the fun begins. Hope it works well for you. Keep us posted, please.

Pictures or it didn't happen! :)

have to agreed +1

Bought the rifle, but haven't signed up for a replacement service like Photobucket to share pictures.

John