Thanks for all the responses guys. I have been experiencing trouble with this barrel misfiring with handloads, to the point I can?t trust it in a hunting situation. A while back, I bought a box of Hornady Leverevolution cartridges to give factory loads a try. I finally had a chance to shoot them two weeks ago and they all fired without any misfires, but I had to quit shooting after a few rounds because the gun locked-up and was extremely difficult to open after each round. Initially I thought they were locking the gun due to pressure and that?s when I was ready to give up on it.

Fast forward to yesterday and I was out sighting in a few other barrels using the same frame. I shot 30 herrett, 25 Bullberry Improved and 7-30 waters as normal. Switched to a 357 herrett barrel and same thing; locked up tight. Reinstalled the 30 herrett barrel and shot it again without issue. I installed the 357 herrett on a different frame and everything was just fine. What would cause a frame to behave like this?

I?m a fan of 35 caliber cartridges and i?d really like to have something that could stretch it?s legs so-to-speak. I recall the reading about the 358 Bellm back in the day, but couldn?t find any references to it or rechambering work on their website. I could sell it, but I really want to make this barrel a keeper. Still haven?t ruled out going the 358 JDj route. I?ve wanted one for years!

I?ll have some over the next couple of weekends to try the 35 rem barrel on my other frame with Leverevolutions. It will be interesting to see how that works out. I still have a lot to learn about Contenders........