14 caliber barrels
- Thread starter Bluefish
- Start date
1raggedhole
Silver $$ Contributor
Suggest you also check at saubier forum. Someone there will know for sure
searcher
Gold $$ Contributor
I just have to ask. What will you use it for? Sounds interesting.
I’ve only ever seen one 14 caliber rifle. I was in a country gunshop, and while the gunsmith fiddled with my Ruger 77, I looked at some interesting guns on a small rack. One of them was a small rifle with a Martini action. I asked about it and he said it was 14 caliber, though he didn’t say what the necked down case started out as. That was years ago. The gunsmith has died, and the shop closed, and I still wish I had bought that rifle (or tried to). Really nifty looking rifle. Probably built for somebody’s kid.
17VLD
Gold $$ Contributor
Pat shoots an XP in 14/221 he is a super nice guy and would probably tell you all you need to know about 14 caliber. This thread shows a picture with great perspective of just how small the bore is.https://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/a-day-with-a-14.4046673/post-38169556
wildcatter
Silver $$ Contributor
I shot a couple back in the late 80's. Ron Pence, a hand cut rifle barrel, and deep hole drilling expert made a few. In the 80' we were shooting 17, and 14 caliber rimfires, both made using commercial long rifle and magnum ammo.
He had a retired machinest that specialized in making bullet dies and barrel making tables, that was retired from Bench Rest back in the early 70's, make him bulletcases. Robert Sheers I think was his name.
Then he made reloading dies and she'll holders to take factory ammo apart, and form the primed casings into 14 and 17 bottleneck casrses.we would use the powder that was in the 22 cases we altered to charge the newly altered cartridges.
The 14 was a ball out to 50 yards on birds or ground squirrel, and chipmunks. Then the 17 naturally was the most usefull, as today it is commercialized. But he made very few of the 14 caliber barrels because they were very critical to drill. I'm sure today, as back then with Ron, those that got one paid a premium if they could talk him into making one. The deep hole drilling was very time consuming!
But today, Ron no longer makes barrels, maybe try Dan Lilja?
He had a retired machinest that specialized in making bullet dies and barrel making tables, that was retired from Bench Rest back in the early 70's, make him bulletcases. Robert Sheers I think was his name.
Then he made reloading dies and she'll holders to take factory ammo apart, and form the primed casings into 14 and 17 bottleneck casrses.we would use the powder that was in the 22 cases we altered to charge the newly altered cartridges.
The 14 was a ball out to 50 yards on birds or ground squirrel, and chipmunks. Then the 17 naturally was the most usefull, as today it is commercialized. But he made very few of the 14 caliber barrels because they were very critical to drill. I'm sure today, as back then with Ron, those that got one paid a premium if they could talk him into making one. The deep hole drilling was very time consuming!
But today, Ron no longer makes barrels, maybe try Dan Lilja?
If you really want a 14 cal and you find a barrel, my sources say a 14 XPL ( 14-222 ) is the ways to go.
17 gr bullet with a something around RL-7 burn rate should get you over 5,000 fps !!!
Good luck and I hope you find the barrel and keep us updated.
Sounds like a very fun project and a cool caliber/cartridge to shoot !
17 gr bullet with a something around RL-7 burn rate should get you over 5,000 fps !!!
Good luck and I hope you find the barrel and keep us updated.
Sounds like a very fun project and a cool caliber/cartridge to shoot !
wildcatter
Silver $$ Contributor
With a 17 caliber and a 221 fireball case, 4200 fps is easy, 222 case is why in 17 ihave a MKIV. I have seen these fragile 17 bullets fail from a blade of grass above 4500 fps. Plus the 222 17, javelina is more picky with its components and its accuracy. So the barrel was shortened and the 17 MKIV was rechambered. Life got much more productive.
Probably why the 17 Remington died! Bigger does not always mean better, but often means OVER BORE?
I believe the 14 would best with 221 Remington brass or smaller. But 5000 fps would be a very fragile load, and quite doable in that case, quite possible over bore?
The 22 magnum rimfire case was an explosive load on small birds, even Starlings were reduced to balls of feathers. Just my experiance.
Probably why the 17 Remington died! Bigger does not always mean better, but often means OVER BORE?
I believe the 14 would best with 221 Remington brass or smaller. But 5000 fps would be a very fragile load, and quite doable in that case, quite possible over bore?
The 22 magnum rimfire case was an explosive load on small birds, even Starlings were reduced to balls of feathers. Just my experiance.
rickiesrevenge
Silver $$ Contributor
Call Don Unmussig. Last time I talked to him he made a few each year
TRSR8
Silver $$ Contributor
That is an absurd overbore. I guarantee you of far more problems than you bargain for. The 221 is probably too much.
When Bill Eichelberger was alive he indicated the Hornet sized case will do just about all you need in a 14.
JohnW...ski
Gold $$ Contributor
I shoot a .14/221 with a PacNor 3 groove 1:7 barrel, it does well on paper at 100 yds using 15 gr. bullets from
Don Unmussig, his bullets are by far the best.
Don Unmussig, his bullets are by far the best.
Woodchk
Gold $$ Contributor
It might be but I have been shooting an XP100 in 14/221 Walker . I have shot it for several years and many woodchucks have take taken dirt naps with one at 254 yards .
What type of 14 caliber barrel are you looking for? They are pretty hard to come by right now but I have one that is shorter then I usually use. ( 21" blank) It's a 1 in 8 twist in chrome moly 1.125" bull barrel.
If you do decide to build a 14 caliber I HIGHLY recommend a chamber smaller then the 14-222.
I run three 14/221 Walkers and they are really overbore for the majority of the shooting and testing we do, To each is his own on what he wants but if you start small you can always re-chamber to the overbore 14's later without the need to cut the chamber off in the future.
I do love my 14 Hornets as well but finding good actions for the rimmed Hornet brass is getting harder and you can't really full throttle them to peak speeds in my opinion. (I have a couple 14 Hornet Extremes that do well but you will loose some brass fire forming to the 30 degree shoulder on the thin Hornet brass.)
I still have several new 14 caliber PTG reamers for sale if any of them fit your interest. (14 Jet Junior finish reamer, 14-218 Bee Finish reamer, 14-221 Fireball finish reamer, 14-221 Fireball re-sizer reamer.
I have a couple new 14 cartridges that I have designed that are going through testing now. I can try to keep you posted on how they do as we develop load data with them. I think they will be better matched to the sweet spot of case capacity for the 14 caliber but only time and testing will say for sure. It definitely would not be the first time the 14 calibers have baffled me or proven me wrong....
Wish you the very best of luck on your project if you decide to pursue it.
As always stay on target,
Carl C.
Extreme Accuracy
14caliber.com
If you do decide to build a 14 caliber I HIGHLY recommend a chamber smaller then the 14-222.
I run three 14/221 Walkers and they are really overbore for the majority of the shooting and testing we do, To each is his own on what he wants but if you start small you can always re-chamber to the overbore 14's later without the need to cut the chamber off in the future.
I do love my 14 Hornets as well but finding good actions for the rimmed Hornet brass is getting harder and you can't really full throttle them to peak speeds in my opinion. (I have a couple 14 Hornet Extremes that do well but you will loose some brass fire forming to the 30 degree shoulder on the thin Hornet brass.)
I still have several new 14 caliber PTG reamers for sale if any of them fit your interest. (14 Jet Junior finish reamer, 14-218 Bee Finish reamer, 14-221 Fireball finish reamer, 14-221 Fireball re-sizer reamer.
I have a couple new 14 cartridges that I have designed that are going through testing now. I can try to keep you posted on how they do as we develop load data with them. I think they will be better matched to the sweet spot of case capacity for the 14 caliber but only time and testing will say for sure. It definitely would not be the first time the 14 calibers have baffled me or proven me wrong....
Wish you the very best of luck on your project if you decide to pursue it.
As always stay on target,
Carl C.
Extreme Accuracy
14caliber.com
Larry Koch
Silver $$ Contributor
The Woodchuck Den, Inc.
11220 Hilltop Road SW
Baltic, OH 43804
(330) 897-0614 M-F 9:00-5:00 (Visits by appointment only)
Check out our web page at www.woodchuckden.com
Shooting Accessories for the Serious Varmint/Target Shooter
11220 Hilltop Road SW
Baltic, OH 43804
(330) 897-0614 M-F 9:00-5:00 (Visits by appointment only)
Check out our web page at www.woodchuckden.com
Shooting Accessories for the Serious Varmint/Target Shooter
Larry, is Todd now carrying 14 caliber supplies? I knew from past work with him that he carried Eichelberger's reloading manuals that covered the 10's, 12's and 14's but I never heard he was supplying 14 caliber components or anything smaller then 17. If he is this will be great news!
He really helped push the 20 and 17 caliber world back in the day.
The last I heard he was doing consulting work on the small calibers but stepped away from them. This will be great news if he's working with the very small calibers.
I'd love to see more suppliers of 10, 12 and 14 caliber components.
The 12 caliber world has almost been extinct these days. So sad.....
Carl C.
Extreme Accuracy,
14 caliber.com
He really helped push the 20 and 17 caliber world back in the day.
The last I heard he was doing consulting work on the small calibers but stepped away from them. This will be great news if he's working with the very small calibers.
I'd love to see more suppliers of 10, 12 and 14 caliber components.
The 12 caliber world has almost been extinct these days. So sad.....
Carl C.
Extreme Accuracy,
14 caliber.com
RegionRat
Gold $$ Contributor
Somehow, I missed the news that someone picked up Todd's shop.
I know he wanted to retire and more or less closed down, but this latest header on the old web site looks like maybe somebody talked him into keeping the shop going?
Larry Koch
Silver $$ Contributor
He might no where to go for supplies. I no a friend from work built a 14 caliber rifle and Woodchuck den was in on it. I think he used like 12 gauge copper wire to swag bullets.
This was all pre y2k .
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