Love reloading for junkers

[Wolfdog91]

On of my main hobbies is getting guns on the cheap ( pawn shop finds mainly)and getting them to shoot good and so far my latest lil project is coming along nicely. Quirky quirky little gun. Has a super long throat ,had to use O rings to basically free float the barrel ..kinda , it still fire forms brass short as heck, apparently the barrels on there went stress relieved so unless your careful about letting it cool between shots its gonna throw a round out of the group randomly... I mean it's reminding me more and more if a spring piston Air gun the way it's so finicky, but gotta say perry happy with how far it's come.
Stock with factory ammo @ 100yd

And now with hands loads and a Lil TLC at the same
Now if I can just get a clover leaf lol, boy I love reloading ... Now if I can find some more if these hornets lol. This box was probably made in the 90's !

And can't seem to find them for sale so might try some of the lighter V Max's

 

[GLShooter]

Did I miss the chambering?

 

[Wolfdog91]

Did I miss the chambering?

Sorry .223

 

[Herzo]

Don't know that you can call it a junker, but I have worked up a load for my Model 1896 Swede (built in 1899) that makes 1 MOA and is a joy to shoot at 600 yards in the CMP sniper matches.

 

[Downhill]

I really love to take an old junker rifle and with handloads and tweaking, to see just how well it will shoot. Don't care if it's 5" or 1/2' at 100yds, if I have it doing the best it'll do I'm happy. My son handed me an old Mosin 91/30 and declared the best it would hold was 7" at 100 yards. With some cleaning and a little bit of handloading showed him a target with a 10 round 1 1/2" group. Had a blast getting it there.

 

[bozo699]

A wise man once said
“Only accurate guns are interesting “
I tend to agree but I as well like to see what I can ring outta a known shitter
Wayne

 

[Cbashooter]

Yup its far more satisfying taking a clunker and wring it out rather than buy a 6.5 Creedmoor that it hard *not* to shoot MOA with known recipes !

 

[NZ_Fclass]

I owned a Remington 783 once.

 

[Homerange]

I owned a Remington 783 once.

780 in 7-08 here got cheap. Got it clover leafing at 100 and shot 2 deer with cheap 120 grainers locally at 180 and 250yds....furthest I've ever taken venison. Must show you the horrible thing next time you're down.

 

[JimSC]

I love restoring junkers also

One of my favorite rifles originated as a Stevens I picked up for $75 ten years ago. It had been kept on a loading dock to deal with a pack of feral dogs and ran over by a forklift. Only thing salvagble was the receiver. Now it is in a Boyds stock, Rifle Basix trigger, and a Criterion .223 barrel and it is a half MOA shooter. Total cost was about $500

 

[Mike Casselton]

Since it's a 223, I'd move forward with bullets of the proper diameter.
Those would be .224

I'd try the Hornady 50 gr SP or better yet the SX.
I've never had a 221/222/223 that wouldn't shoot them well.

If you decide to stick with the 45gr Hornet bullets, I might have a box or two laying around here.

 

[jrb06]

On of my main hobbies is getting guns on the cheap ( pawn shop finds mainly)and getting them to shoot good and so far my latest lil project is coming along nicely. Quirky quirky little gun. Has a super long throat ,had to use O rings to basically free float the barrel ..kinda , it still fire forms brass short as heck, apparently the barrels on there went stress relieved so unless your careful about letting it cool between shots its gonna throw a round out of the group randomly... I mean it's reminding me more and more if a spring piston Air gun the way it's so finicky, but gotta say perry happy with how far it's come.
Stock with factory ammo @ 100yd
View attachment 1317787
And now with hands loads and a Lil TLC at the sameView attachment 1317788
Now if I can just get a clover leaf lol, boy I love reloading ... Now if I can find some more if these hornets lol. This box was probably made in the 90's !
View attachment 1317793View attachment 1317794
And can't seem to find them for sale so might try some of the lighter V Max's

Nice project and good way to spend some time tinkering . Were those from Rusk Gun Shop in Madison WI?

 

[K22]

Before this component mess, I was always of the opinion that I could get just about any rifle to shoot at least 1 moa with proper bedding, tailored reloads, aftermarket stocks, trigger jobs or replacement etc. In a few cases, the barrel was just not good and had to be replaced.

It was fun but can easily turn into the money rabbit hole once you start chasing this goal.

However, with few exceptions, I got almost all of them to shoot well and that was satisfying.

 

[V509]

Where is RUSK? Sounds familiar, think in my travels I have been there

 

[Creedmoor02]

I have a savage axis… getting dime sized groups at 100 yd. I thought that was pretty good.

 

[Homerange]

Since it's a 223, I'd move forward with bullets of the proper diameter.
Those would be .224

I'd try the Hornady 50 gr SP or better yet the SX.
I've never had a 221/222/223 that wouldn't shoot them well.

If you decide to stick with the 45gr Hornet bullets, I might have a box or two laying around here.

Yep have an old Sako L56 trebly that shoots SX into 1/4 MOA all day long yet a Model 7 in 223 much prefers the Nosler 50gr BT's that the Sako won't shoot for shite.
Rem 50gr CL 2nd's in bulk bags shot well in the Sako too but the 45gr Hornet Hornady's wouldn't.
You never know until you try..........

 

[timeout]

Nice project and good way to spend some time tinkering . Were those from Rusk Gun Shop in Madison WI?

I was wondering that myself.

 

[jrb06]

Where is RUSK? Sounds familiar, think in my travels I have been there

Was a gun shop in Madison WI closed probably 15 years ago

 

[Wolfdog91]

Since it's a 223, I'd move forward with bullets of the proper diameter.
Those would be .224

I'd try the Hornady 50 gr SP or better yet the SX.
I've never had a 221/222/223 that wouldn't shoot them well.

If you decide to stick with the 45gr Hornet bullets, I might have a box or two laying around here.

Little confused here. I know you can have either .223 or .224 dia bullets for the hornet but these are .224 dia like all the other bullets I use in my .223/5.56's ,maybe I'm missing something?

 

[Wolfdog91]

Don't know that you can call it a junker, but I have worked up a load for my Model 1896 Swede (built in 1899) that makes 1 MOA and is a joy to shoot at 600 yards in the CMP sniper matches.

Junker as in walk into the pawn shop see something that looks half decent and if it's under $350 you grab it lol !