Dean Miller built me a Schuetzen rifle about 25 years ago. With the help of Frank DeHaas they designed a new action, that had the best features of the Borchardt and Hauck (sp?) actions. It was a striker block design. It's a shame most of you do not have access to Precision Shooting Magazine issues from 1988 to 2000. There was an eight or nine month series I wrote for them on the Schuetzen history in the US.
There were two commonly used cartridge cases. The original was the 32-40 or Pope's rebored 32-40 to the 33-47. The other was designed by Dean Miller. Dean created a smaller, but similar profile cartridge called the 32 Miller. I had gone up to Tacoma to get a Lee Six unlimited stock, and sleeve to fit a long action Remington. A noted gunsmith named Manley Oakley had them for sale, sort of. My wife and I drove up, got the stock and sleeve, and were wandering how to kill a weekend in Seattle. Manley tells me there is a Coors Schuetzenfest Regional Match at the Tacoma Rifle & Pistol Club. So, we drive over to see the match, and someone recognizes me from some articles I had written in PS. They con me into competing in the media/celebrity match. Ten shots from 200yds with scope off the bench. I draw a shooter with a Clerke Serrafile (sp?) HiWall replica in 32-40. It was a perfect set of conditions and a very accurate rifle. The 25-ring is 1.5" and the target is 200yds downrange. I killed the competition that afternoon. My first shot was a 25. I looked behind me, and there were 3 or 4 people standing there, some with spotting scopes. I fired two more 25's, looked over my shoulder, and the crowd was about twice its original size. They score inside/out, if you cut a line, you get the lower score. You can remember days when you are "in the zone", and you can't shoot fast enough? I shot a 247-7X (25 ring) which is still the media/celebrity record. It has been matched, but unless that score was topped, I have some small claim to fame.
Anyway, I was invited to attend the Nationals, at the Coors Range in Golden, CO, that summer. My wife and I met Dean Miller, his wife, and their son Cyle. I shot one of their rifles in competition that week. Third Place, crazy swirling winds were my downfall. I was sitting at a table talking with them afterwards, and Dean asked for my opinion on how to build a better mousetrap. I had shot at the Super Shoot that spring, and marveled at the accuracy of the 6PPC. I believed the 101% loading density was the reason why it won. That and the shorter powder column than the 6x47 (aka 6mm 222 Magnum) which used the same charge weights. The phrase "Short and Fat is where it's at..." was the advent of shorter, fatter designs in accuracy.
Dean's 32 Miller was initially based on a straight taper of the 357 Max case to 32 caliber. 1.520" long. We measured that afternoon, and he was at about 65% loading density with 4227.
I doodled on a legal pad I was taking notes about the shoot on, and just thought, cut the case length down. "a quarter inch..." fell out of my mouth. Dean was interested in that idea, but a set of two reamers from Keith Francis was about $350. A chunk of change to invest on a writer's whim.
About six months earlier I wanted a fast, fast 25 caliber Rockchuck LR killer. I ended up with a couple 6,5 x 68 empties. NO belt to complicate reloading, a bit more case capacity than a 300 WM, and high quality RWS brass for the parent case. I got Keith to cut a set of reamers, got the rifle built by noted Washington gunsmith and BR competitor Steve Kostanich, and conned Bob Simison (sp?) into making the first VLD bullet making dies. Then I got Jeff Fowler in NC to buy a set of dies and make bullets. About the same time Mac McCloskey in Seattle started making them as well.
Mac built my 22-284 the year before, and was well past meticulous. He made a tool to turn 6mm J4 jackets into suitable for making 25 caliber bullets. He actually went to the trouble of using the machine to turn those jackets to .0003" uniformity one at a time. 100gr bullet at 3900fps, and quarter inch aggs.
That January, at the SHOT Show, I convinced LEICA to "loan me, long term" a set of the first GEOVIDS. I made half a dozen, first shot hit and kill on Rockchucks, and one very unlucky Badger, at a bit past 1000 yards that late spring and early summer. When I turned the article in to PS, Dave Brennan used a picture of the JGS Reamer print, an unformed, and a loaded round of the 257 Banshee on the cover.James Cuthbert had purchased the business, and it is now known as JGS. I was smart enough to have PS send them a couple copies of that issue, with their print on the cover.James Cuthbert was happy enough that he offered me a credit for a two reamer set.
As I said, the Millers were a bit reticent to spend that kind of money. I gave Dean the reamer credit, and he promised to give it a shot. He had also offered to make me a good price on a Schuetzen rifle of his design and build. We drove up to St Onge, SD, the week before Easter the next spring. We went to his range on his wife's family's ranch, and started testing. AA#9 powder. 9gr gave us a 246-7X score (one oops). It was the lowest score of the day. I ended up shooting two scores of 248-8X before the winds started howling. 9.5gr gave a 95% loading density, and ten shot SD of under 3. He wanted to call it the 32 Kayser, but his business could use the promotion, so he finally agreed to call it the 32 Miller Short. Today I do not believe anybody has placed in the Top Ten at a Schuetzenfest Match with anything else. If you show up at a match, and you are not shooting a 32MS in a Miller-DeHaas actioned rifle; you are wasting time and money. Every perfect score, 250-10X shot was with that combination.
I have been blessed by God with a creative streak, I can communicate with words. And, a very supportive wife. We drove to 19 HBR Matches in Oregon and Washington one year. Unfortunately, a couple years later I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. By 2000 my eyesight has deteriorated to the point of wearing bi-focals, and allowing others to place ahead of me.
Fortunately, the Rockchucks have stood up and stayed in place long enough to keep me going.
I just read this out loud, and there is an awful lot of "I and ME" in this. On a positive note, it leaves no one else to blame for what has happened since that first article for PS in summer of 1988.
thanks for your indulgence,
Rich
It's an absolute beautiful piece of handcrafted artwork. Has the double set triggers and amazing engraving work. Wish I had a picture of it.
