.38-50 Hepburn

[Distant Thunder]

Yea, but if it puts all the bullets through the same hole how you going to shoot a group?

[Kurt]

Well Jim, this way I can say if I miss the whole paper with a couple I can say they went through the same hole.

[Kurt]

Arnie,

I got the Lee .303 Brit sizing die today and ran 10 corn meal loaded shells through the die and the tight fitting shells after getting through the die fell right in and the breach closed like it should.
Now in the morning I will chuck it up in the lathe and cut the neck off the die if I have some carbide. I ran a file over the die and it's pretty hard. The file would not mark it.

[ian45662]

I hope mine will do that

[Kurt]

Ian,

I'm sure it will. I have three CPA's and they all are fine shooters.
If Gail wouldn't have given me the extra time thinking about this order with her slow reply it would have been a 4th CPA.

[Kurt]

Today I modified a .303 British sizing die to size the .38-50 cases. I cut the dies shoulder and it still had some material at the taper and I did not ream the cut yet. I ran a case through to check the diameter and I found that slight taper is sharp enough that when the case was pushed all the way in and extracted it made a uniform cut reducing the wall thickness one thousand per side or two thousands combined. It is a very good neck shining cut better than I could use a neck trimmer. I have a notion leaving it as it for this use and get another $17. lee do this again for the sizing die so I can run the case all the way down to the rim to swage the base. But the cases are just fine for the DDPP 371-345 bullet so I will ream the cut.
This is turning out to be a fun project.

[ian45662]

They are sexy if nothing else. 65 grains of powder. With my 14:1 they weigh 357 grains. Tomorrow I am going to push a few past my labradar and get a BC on them.

[Kurt]

Ian keep me posted with the bullet. I been thinking on having one cut to 1.425 to get over the legal limit for the pit safety of 345 gr.
I can open my 1.4" base a little and get over the 345 gr.
I been shooting 15 gr of unique cornmeal blanks and have 500 cases now that blew the shoulders out very good and I'm starting to load those with 65 grains with old 05 3F Goex Express for the final forming. Right now I think the cases as they are are shooting just fine from what the few third load showed but I have not shot them at 200 yards yet and for the longer range it will have to wait till April when Alma starts and if I can make it to Friendship in March to give the 500 mtr a try.
I would like to stretch it to the 1K at Lodi to find out what this caliber can hold up to.
My purpose for having this rifle build is for the midrange or less.

[beltfed]

Kurt,
ian, Bill
I can supply some of my 371360E bullets that are 1.460" long/360 grains
if you want to try them at longer range in your 12 twist rifles
to look for the true length limit.
They may be stabile enough to hold to the Rams or even 600yds.
You could even cut off the nose some to reduce length a bit.
Ultimately you are likely to want to go to a shorter /fatter elliptical ogive
to build some more weight for the rams and stay with around 1.4" long
Arnie

[Kurt]

Arnie
That is what my thought is with a shorter ogive but I don't have any idea what my rifle is capable of. I don't know if I can compare this rifle to my .44-75 with what it does with a 16 twist or the .44-77 with a 17 twist with the length bullets they handle past 1.4" at the distances I shot them at the Gong shoots past the 1K.
And this I cant find out till summer.