Ammunition

[hutchman]

Rifling is recut, completely new.

Here is one who specializes in the larger calibers.

Home - Reboring by J E S

Another who does reboring and makes liners.

Redman's Rifling & Reboring: Gun Barrel Liners

Bruce

That's good info. I have a .303 that the barrel looks like sewer pipe (thanks to good ole Cordite) and I've been wondering what to do with it. I was my dad's and he had it sporterized (it's a buba special ... black synthetic stock and gaudy silver scope). I accidentally discovered that Speer #2214 (123gn .311 FMJ) shoot fantastic in it. It think it's because of the way the jacket is struck and I think the base is expanding a bit (like a HBWC) which is sealing the bore. I slugged it once and I can't remember what it was but I know it's more than .311 (I think .314). Since it's not a Ishapore I really can't go higher in pressure so I thought of just re-barreling it and keeping it as a .303. I guess I'm kind of weird but I like the .303 for some reason. Maybe because one of the biggest bucks I've ever harvested was with it.

Folks say they aren't accurate but I guess I hit on the right combo of a reload because the ole girl sure will shoot and make your mouth drop open with it's accuracy.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Redmans rebores are top notch, I know Randy personally, and he does excellent work.

To re-bore, you have to go UP, (larger diameter) if it's 303 now, you will have to go to a larger bore... You can just go up in diameter and then neck the 303 brass you now have to take the larger diameter bullets...but it requires reloading to make the ammo.

SR

 

[hutchman]

Yeah, once you get about 15 miles southwest of South Bend, its one long, flat, boring drive almost all the way to St. Louis!

Moss, if you come across one of those thousands of South Bend Heavy 10 lathes that every school had at one time that was made in your area ... let me know if they don't want a fortune for it. I spotted this one:
South Bend Heavy 1 Tool Room Lathe

... and talked to the guy. Wants $3K for it. At first I thought that was too high (word got out gunsmiths like the Heavy 10 due to it's large spindle bore so now any time you find one they always cost more than they should for what they are) but he's got a collet system on it, a 3 phase motor ran by a VFD and a bunch of tooling .... which is how my current one (Logan, not South Bend) is setup. I'd like a Heavy 10 but don't want to spend $3K on one. If I'm going to spend $3K I'd just go on and get the Grizzly G4003G.

 

[hutchman]

Redmans rebores are top notch, I know Randy personally, and he does excellent work.

To re-bore, you have to go UP, (larger diameter) if it's 303 now, you will have to go to a larger bore... You can just go up in diameter and then neck the 303 brass you now have to take the larger diameter bullets...but it requires reloading to make the ammo.

SR

Thanks for the Redmans endorsement (I really enjoy your "tractors & wood" posts too). I'll have to file that info in the back of my head!

It's been a number of years but I found some discussions on interesting caliber conversions for the Enfield's at one time. When I'm ready to do something I might look for that again. Reloading isn't a problem ... I'm also a NRA Metallic Reloading Instructor and as my wife says ... way more reloading equipment than I need I've dabbled around with a few wildcats and enjoy them ... like some of the Ackley Improved.

 

[MossRoad]

Moss, if you come across one of those thousands of South Bend Heavy 10 lathes that every school had at one time that was made in your area ... let me know if they don't want a fortune for it. I spotted this one:
South Bend Heavy 1 Tool Room Lathe

... and talked to the guy. Wants $3K for it. At first I thought that was too high (word got out gunsmiths like the Heavy 10 due to it's large spindle bore so now any time you find one they always cost more than they should for what they are) but he's got a collet system on it, a 3 phase motor ran by a VFD and a bunch of tooling .... which is how my current one (Logan, not South Bend) is setup. I'd like a Heavy 10 but don't want to spend $3K on one. If I'm going to spend $3K I'd just go on and get the Grizzly G4003G.

You see them from time-to-time, but usually, if someone has one, they don't get rid of them AND they know what its worth.

South Bend Lathe... just one more reminder that at one point in the not-so-distant past, pretty much every American touched something on a daily basis that was made in South Bend, Indiana! Not anymore.

 

[MossRoad]

South Bend, Indiana. Home of:

Studebaker wagon works, then automobiles.
Oliver chilled plow works, then Oliver tractors, then White Farm Equipment.
Stephenson Mills (woolen underwear - the classic union suit).
Bendix, now Honeywell.
Birdsell Manufacturing - Clover hullers.
Dodge Manufacturing Company
Wheelabrator
Sibley Machine Tool Company
Singer Sewing Machine Company
South Bend Bait (Makers of the famous Bass-Oreno)
Miller-Knoblock Wagon Company (makers of magnetos)
South Bend Toy (if you had a wooden croquet set, it was probably made in South Bend)
South Bend Watch
Bantam Bearing Company (the first bearing company to offer a catalog).
South Bend Range (cook your dinner).
South Bend Lathe
Read more here..... The History Museum >> Business History

Anyhow, it was once a great manufacturing area and I got to see the tail end of it in the 60's. :thumbsup:

Now back to ammunition...

 

[hutchman]

FN- FAL 7.62x51

The careful observer wil notice something else about that FAL picture I posted. No carry handle. The receiver isn't even cut for one.

The M16A1 (long and with pencil barrel) we had in Basic Training had a carry handle. If you got caught carrying the weapon that way you would draw the ire of the drill sergeant who always had crafty ways of reinforcing behavior change .... would smoke you and usually say something like "you don't carry it like a purse"!

As Paul Harvey says, now you know the rest of the story.

 

[bcp]

The careful observer wil notice something else about that FAL picture I posted. No carry handle. The receiver isn't even cut for one.

The M16A1 (long and with pencil barrel) we had in Basic Training had a carry handle. If you got caught carrying the weapon that way you would draw the ire of the drill sergeant who always had crafty ways of reinforcing behavior change .... would smoke you and usually say something like "you don't carry it like a purse"!

As Paul Harvey says, now you know the rest of the story.

So, was "carry like a purse" for the Navy, Marines, or the Air Force?



Bruce

 

[hutchman]

So, was "carry like a purse" for the Navy, Marines, or the Air Force?



Bruce

I believe the butt chewing was universal ... regardless of branch. I've even heard soldiers that have the FN FAL get chewed out too if they are caught carrying it by the carry handle.

 

[hutchman]

One more funny story on my FAL. The very first 3 gun match I did with it was kind of funny. I finished the pistol stage and transitioned to the rifle. Hey had this blue plastic barrel with the bottom cut out of it and oriented horizontal about 3ft. off the ground and you had to engage targets with your rifle in the barrel. So I ran up to it and went down on one knee and put rifle in barrel and acquired my first target ... pulled the trigger ... I could hear the clang of the steel target but couldn't see anything ... but I could hear this roar of laughing behind me.

The barrel had a bunch of VA red dirt in the bottom of the barrel. I have a zero climb brake and the gas confined in that barrel atomized that dirt into a huge cloud that looked like a bomb went off. The fine dirt was in my hair, up my nose, in my eyes ... all over the rifle ... in the action etc. I wish it would have been captured on video as I would of liked to have seen it myself.

The rifle was so dirty when I got it home I put it in the shower and sprayed it down with hot water ... the only other time I had cleaned one that way was in basic training ... dusty road marches in the sand at Fort Dix would crap up a rifle like that too.