.416x.348 Win On H&R Topper

[gitano]

I thought I'd give the 300-grain bullet a 'fair shake' in ME since I allowed the other bullets to go up to as much as 3240 ft-lb at the muzzle. Allowing that level of recoil with the 300-grain bullet, I get the trajectory table you see below.

The MV can go up to 2205 f/s, yielding a Max Pressure of 32.0 kPSI, (up from 27.7 kPSI) and a ME of 3239 ft-lb (up from 2844 ft-lb). The trajectory gain at 300 yd is only 2.6 inches. The delivered energy gain at 300 yd is 234 ft-lb. So, you can see why I didn't run this bullet up to the max ME. The "floor" for delivered energy is 1500 ft-lb. At that level, the pressure and recoil were 'good', and the extra 3" of drop is insignificant at 300 yards.

Paul

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Yeah, I looked at the Williams sights (and site). Going to have to give 'sights' some considered thought.

As for preference for break-barrel... NOT ME!

Paul

Rolling blocks you can keep, falling blocks better, solid breech face even better!

[Paul Hoskins]

Interesting conversion of the gun, Paul. I've made up two similar rifles. One is on a NEF break action & the other on a Model 219 Savage hammerless action. Most of the later NEF  actions are alike & parts are interchangeable. The model 219 & 220 Savage  actions are identical. Model 219 designates rifle & 220 designates shotgun. I dislike the NEF action because it has an external hammer. Not to mention it's ugly as a mother-in-law. To make things worse the stock is designed to kick you back into last July. The Savage makes a poor man's Kreighoff. They have the general lines but quality & finish don't compare. .......You rebarelled it the hard way & I did it the easy route. I never liked turning gun barrels but Douglas will turn one to any specifications you want for 300 dollars or so. Including cutting & crown but no chamber. That's the route I took. You attached the new barrel in the same manner I do for the most part. I buy barrel stubs from a friend I the parts business. Actually I buy the  shotgun barrel & he saws off about 4 inches of the breech & mails it to me. I buy 20 gauge barrels because I can bore them out to 0.8125 thru & thread about an inch for a 7/8-20 thread. The barrel shank is turned to 0.8120 but make a 7/8 inch long section for threading into the barrel stub. A 20 gauge will clean up thru & get rid of the cartridge rim counterbore. Almost all the barrel shanks have the same outside diameter regardless of what gauge they are. Different makers have different outside diameters over the chamber section. The NEF gun is chambered for the 204 Ruger & the Savage is chambered for the 7/30 Waters. I have another 219 Savage action & trying to decide what to re barrel it to. The 260 Rem. comes to mind & I have a reamer for that cartridge.     .......Paul H

[gitano]

Excellent information, Paul! I shoulda called you before I bought the 12 ga barrel! You're right about the OD of the chamber ("lump"). I would have preferred not to have the 12 ga rim to deal with. I was planning to cut a 'ring' to insert. Only for cosmetic purposes, but still...

Those are good-lookin' pieces!

Paul

[gitano]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Harrington-Richardson-H-R-Buffalo-Classic-WALNUT-STOCK-SET-AWESOME/142428993404?_trkparms=aid%3D777003%26algo%3DDISCL.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D47301%26meid%3D1a080b366d82468eb663de4a9641db93%26pid%3D100012%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D111919207667%26itm%3D142428993404&_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985

For another $100 I can buy a whole rifle!

Paul

[Paul Hoskins]

They think it's awesome at 300 dollars. Actually it's downright obscene. They drink downstream from the herd.  .......Paul H

[Paul Hoskins]

Paul, if you need shotgun barrels at very reasonable prices call Stephen Dell in Iowa at 563-652-6656. He has a wide variety of used barrels at what I consider reasonable prices. Really likeable & down to earth accommodating fellow too. .......Paul H

[gitano]

I have been waiting on parts to come in the mail. Yesterday, the bolt for the butt, and the .45-70 extractor came in. Today, I milled the slot for the extractor and filed the extractor to fit the .348 Win head. Just looking at the uninstalled extractor with the .348 case setting 'in' it, it looked like there was very little metal that needed to be removed. However, once the extractor was inserted, a cartridge would not fit in the chamber until a considerable amount of filing had been completed.

To start with, I needed to cut the slot in the breech of the barrel to receive the extractor. That's not as trivial as it might appear. While it is true that one COULD rig things in the mill, consider how long the barrel is, and the fact that the slot is in one end of the barrel. The only way I could have cut that slot on the mill is to turn the head sideways, and load the barrel horizontally. All in all, it would have been a goat-rope.

j0e_bl0ggs had recently performed this same task for a Contender, and explained how he did it on the lathe. Simply put, one puts the mill cutter in the lathe chuck and mounts the barrel in the tool-holder. (Mounting the barrel in the tool-holder is trivial because the lump provides a perfect place (square and level) to "grab".) Using the cross-feed and saddle, you position the barrel as necessary while the lathe head rotates the cutter, and the tool-holder moved the workpiece (barrel) into the cutter. Worked like I knew what I was doing.

Here are the pictures.

First, the slot after it's been cut:


Then with the extractor installed.


Then finally, with a cartridge in the chamber.


With that task out of the way, the next parts I'm waiting for are the sights. These are what are going on this piece. The rear site is the exact one that Williams makes for the H&R Buffalo Classic, so it matches my chamber/breech perfectly.
















Oddly enough, Williams doesn't sell the front globe sight used on the Buffalo Classic, Lyman does. (Think International Harvester cars and machinery.)

(Lyman isn't as proud of their sights as Williams is, so they don't offer as many pictures.)

I am seriously considering getting this set of inserts:
http://stores.leeshavergunsmithing.com/17-series-globe-front-sight-insert-card/
because, you will note there is a "cross-hair". (Actually a few of them of various styles.) I think I would like to try that. The Buffalo Classic has only the "normal" insert set: https://www.buffaloarms.com/target-iron-sights/front-sight-insert-cards/series-20-mjt-ljt-inserts-anschutz-size-set-of-7-lym3201165

I should get the front and rear sights 'soon'. I hope early next week. Because I have to wait on 'stuff', I will get started on making the forearm and reshaping/refinishing the butt. I don't have to wait on parts for that.

Because this 'thing' is turning out better than I expected, I am going to put a little more lipstick on this pig. First, I'm going to polish the receiver. I believe that if polished to a fairly high gloss and then blacked/blued, it will remove the H&R 'gestalt'. I'm hoping that it will start to have a certain 'elegance' to it, that the roughly-finished and case-colored H&R receiver doesn't have.

Finally, for the same reason (looking better than I thought it would), j0e_bl0ggs has talked me into putting a barrel band front sling anchor on it. I'm not sure yet that I'm going to get THIS one, but whatever I end up with, it will look a lot like this one:
https://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/Gun_Services/item_info.asp?Brand_id=4720&ST=NECG%20Classic%20Barrel%20Band%20Swivel

You will note that it comes with a hole diameter EXACTLY right for my barrel (0.890"). :D

Rear sling attachment will look a lot like this:
https://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/Gun_Services/item_info.asp?Brand_id=7822&ST=Screw-On%20American%20Swivel%20Base%20w/2%20Screws

This 'thing' may end up being a rifle I wouldn't be ashamed to be seen hunting with, (or telling someone that I made it). BUT... There's still A LOT to do. (Read "screw up".) We'll see....

Paul

[gitano]

Here's a barrel band that is considerably cheaper: http://www.talleymanufacturing.com/Products/MISCELLANEOUS/890-ID-Barrel-Band.aspx

Paul

[sakorick]

The internet is amazing.....the stuff you can find is simply incredible!

[gitano]

The internet is amazing.....the stuff you can find is simply incredible!

Amen!

Paul

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Wow! Time to kick this pig...

[gitano]

I started work on making the new forearm. Of course, I spent more time 'rigging' than actually working on the forearm. But, I now have the contrasting tip epoxied on. I'll start shaping it tomorrow. I think it's going to look good.

I decided not to drill and tap the barrel for the forearm attachment screw until I get the forearm made. Then I will know exactly how I want the screw to look AND I will know how long the screw will need to be.

I may take the guts out of the receiver and start polishing it tomorrow too.

Paul

[Paul Hoskins]

Paul, it's sounding good. When I cut an extractor groove in these barrels I just level the barrel in the mill vise on it's side & use a small key seat cutter to cut the slot. You can move the mill table up or down to get the width you need. For rifle cartridges I prefer an extractor no wider than 3/16ths inch. I don't trust wide extractors in high pressure barrels. Extractor slots should always be less than 0.100 inches deep. .......Paul H

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Thought I might have posted a picture in the contender build thread..