Winter 30BR project

[AlNyhus]

Just putting the finishing touches on this project....an Old School 30BR. The gun was originally built by Gary Long, a long time BR rifle 'smith from Millville, Pa. He and his wife Helen were very involved with the IBS and Gary was known for doing very good work. It's a 700 with a Panda foot print sleeve that Speedy Gonzales had available at that time. Bolt handle is a Holland that's been well timed with good mechanical camming. Barrel is twisted 1: 15. It's likely a Hart as Gary used a lot of those. The chamber has a bit more freebore than we'd do now, on the order of .045-.050. With my 1.00" 7 ogive bullets, the base of the neck is right at the halfway point down the neck to the 'TP' (Touch Point). The chamber is a .330 neck and it and the barrel look very good. The muzzle was a bit beat up. Randy Robinett took pity on me, shortened the barrel a smidge and did a nice indicated crown. Mike Bryant fitted a .703 sleeve to the rear of the bolt body.

I'm not sure who did the laminated stock. It had a lot of barrel movement when the front action screw was cracked loose, so I ended up redoing the bedding and making new pillars. In the mill, there was a definite high spot mid way along the length of the action. I also gave the bottom of the fore end a touch of New School. As it sits with a 21 oz. scope, its 11lb/13oz which gives plenty of leeway for balancing it. The ejector hole is plugged and my suspicion is that the plug is epoxied in since the hole size is the standard .160 700 ejector size. Will see if I can get that out and get an ejector back in there.

There's 50 prepped cases here waiting to go once the weather straightens out. We're going to end up with 8-12" of new snow starting tomorrow. My test fires tomorrow will be into a snow bank.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[LVLAaron]

Nice! I just did a test chamber with my new 30br reamer. Not a benchrest guy so I'm not sure what I want to do with it yet... but I know I want one. I might throat it out in a 10 twist and shoot something heavy and slow. Don't hate me.

 

[Bill Norris]

Just putting the finishing touches on this project....an Old School 30BR. The gun was originally built by Gary Long, a long time BR rifle 'smith from Millville, Pa. He and his wife Helen were very involved with the IBS and Gary was known for doing very good work. It's a 700 with a Panda foot print sleeve that Speedy Gonzales had available at that time. Bolt handle is a Holland that's been well timed with good mechanical camming. Barrel is twisted 1: 15. It's likely a Hart as Gary used a lot of those. The chamber has a bit more freebore than we'd do now, on the order of .045-.050. With my 1.00" 7 ogive bullets, the base of the neck is right at the halfway point down the neck to the 'TP' (Touch Point). The chamber is a .330 neck and it and the barrel look very good. The muzzle was a bit beat up. Randy Robinett took pity on me, shortened the barrel a smidge and did a nice indicated crown. Mike Bryant fitted a .703 sleeve to the rear of the bolt body.

I'm not sure who did the laminated stock. It had a lot of barrel movement when the front action screw was cracked loose, so I ended up redoing the bedding and making new pillars. In the mill, there was a definite high spot mid way along the length of the action. I also gave the bottom of the fore end a touch of New School. As it sits with a 21 oz. scope, its 11lb/13oz which gives plenty of leeway for balancing it. The ejector hole is plugged and my suspicion is that the plug is epoxied in since the hole size is the standard .160 700 ejector size. Will see if I can get that out and get an ejector back in there.

There's 50 prepped cases here waiting to go once the weather straightens out. We're going to end up with 8-12" of new snow starting tomorrow. My test fires tomorrow will be into a snow bank.

Good shootin' -Al

Looks Like a very nice "wake up" of the rifle. I bet it will shoot as good as it looks too.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Very cool project. Those ejector plugs we always just had to do back then to remove them we would drill and tap them with a little screw, heat and pull it out. I always made my plugs from brass and super glued them just to make it easy in the future

 

[AlNyhus]

The weather finally straightened out enough to get to the range yesterday with this project. Winds were variable at 12-16 from the 2 o'clock. On the 5 shot group, there's a bit of a weather report. The tails were dropping when I pressed the trigger and it blobbed one out the right and a skosh low. It tuned up easily, like any good 30BR will. It shoots down low and up high...never a bad thing. Wave form was consistent and predictable as the powder charge went up.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[jackieschmidt]

Well Al, even if it’s just an average shooter, you are a shoe in for “best appearing”.
But it appears to be a tad above average

 

[DShortt]

I really like the appearance of that stock. Very nice!

Someone please educate a 'non-benchrester' and explain the 'shoe' on the fore-end. (?)
I'm sure there's a purpose but what it is I have no clue.
Is that a composite material or ......?

 

[jackieschmidt]

I might throat it out in a 10 twist and shoot something heavy and slow. Don't hate me.

Oh Geeze, that’s just wrong

joking aside, I have a friend that throated one out in an old 1-14 twistHBR barrel and shoots 168 Sierra Match Kings in it.

 

[Bill Norris]

Looking good Al.

 

[AlNyhus]

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with this gun. I bought it because my gut told me there was potential and because I like doing this stuff.

Maybe someone just getting into Score shooting will get a good gun without breaking the bank.....provided they don't want me to make bullets for them. -Al

 

[jimmymac]

Score shooting will get a good gun without breaking the bank.....provided they don't want me to make bullets for them. -Al

If he doesn’t want the bullets, I’ll take them.

 

[AlNyhus]

I really like the appearance of that stock. Very nice!

Someone please educate a 'non-benchrester' and explain the 'shoe' on the fore-end. (?)
I'm sure there's a purpose but what it is I have no clue.
Is that a composite material or ......?

If you mean the black material on the bottom of the fore end...it's a piece of thin, adhesive backed carbon fiber. The bottom of the stock was dinged up in the area where the I put the pillar in so I used this to clean things up a bit.

This material is commonly used in race car applications on roll cage and under hood tubing that gets a lot of wear.

 

[butchlambert]

If you mean the black material on the bottom of the fore end...it's a piece of thin, adhesive backed carbon fiber. The bottom of the stock was dinged up in the area where the I put the pillar in so I used this to clean things up a bit.

This material is commonly used in race car applications on roll cage and under hood tubing that gets a lot of wear.

Did you get my emails?

 

[AlNyhus]

Did you get my emails?

No I haven't, Butch. My spam filter is pretty aggressive and sometimes dumps legit stuff, though. -Al