Thanks for the response on an old thread! I see Dakota 76's in 330 Dakota for sale from time to time, at god prices, but I knew the ammo was non-existent and brass is rare. I am not a reloader, yet. Just wanted to know what I could do with one if the price was right for the rifle.
The math doesn't work. I know I can get a rebore and rechamber done for $1500, but that the handful of groups that do it are unreliable or have a 2-year backlog. The time value of money, buying say a Dakota 330 for $4000 that would be worth $8000 as a 404 Jeffery, then sitting around twidling my thumbs for 2 years, then receiving the frankenstein gun that is underweight and not properly balanced as a largebore, only to find its now worth $6000-$6500 as best, just doesn't work for me personally.
If it were a single shot dakota 10 falling block, and the choice was going from 330 Dakota to 375HH Flanged, I know that the utility is far broader at the end, the weight won't be an issue, and if I can turn a $2000 gun into a $6000 gun in that manner, it is probably worth it. Alternatively, sending the gun back to Parkwest for a barrel/sights swap of a single shot is fairly straightforward, would take 6 months, and would cost $2000, that also would be worthwhile. The gun would be near-original since work performed by the same Dakota-Parkwest hands, therefore the final product by style, weight, balance, and aesthetic would have virtually no value loss over a new one.
Complex math calculations for highest and best use of the gun, the capital, and the buyer's time.
I've seen Dakota proprietary caliber rifles for absurdly cheap prices over the year, but none quite so cheap that the math works for me. If someone had the brass and was a handloader, it would be a wonderful gun to leave as-is and just enjoy driving a ferrari on a chevy budget.
