Need a new gun...to load for. Yes, I have the sickness.

[callahan318]

Ok, I really know I have the sickness. I was looking at my meager reloading collection of TWO calibers and decided I need a new caliber/gun combo to reload for. Gonna be buying next week, so what do you suggest?

[jawjaboy]

What 2 do you have now 318?

[BigSlick]

Run wit da big dogs

.22 Hornet

.338-378 Weatherby Belted Magnum

[ede]

funny i've thought the same thing. i want a contender in odd calibers to load for, not that i want a contender i just want odd calibers to load for.

[willie_pete]

ede,

I know the feeling. I just bought a Contender barrel for .256 Win Mag. I've already made some brass and shot some I've loaded. Neat little round; too bad it never caught on.

WP

[lcarreau]

What is your criteria? Do you want something that is easy to get brass for or something very unique?

-Lonnie

[Tailgunner]

Humm, one of the Eichelberger rounds would be a interesting to load for, but the brass might be a little tough to make (he designed/built a series of rounds from 12cal to 22cal, all baised on the 25ACP case necked down).
OTTR has a series from 14 to 20cal, all baised on the 5.7x28 case, and they make barrels to fit the contender series of handguns for them.
The 22 Orphan would make a interesting varment rifle (276 Pederson necked to 22cal).
All those would be "unique", or you could go with something mundane like the 22-250 AI, 220 Swift, how about something with a little "thump" behind it, 404 Jeff, 416 Rigby, 500 Nitro?

[freakshow10mm]

funny i've thought the same thing. i want a contender in odd calibers to load for, not that i want a contender i just want odd calibers to load for.
If you go single shot pistol, go Encore. Lots more choices, stronger action.

ede,

I know the feeling. I just bought a Contender barrel for .256 Win Mag. I've already made some brass and shot some I've loaded. Neat little round; too bad it never caught on.

WP
Cool. I'm still waiting on my Encore .256 Win Mag barrel. Got a bunch of formed brass that I made with a 30 Mauser sizer die. Have a few dozen loaded up, just waiting on that damn barrel.

[callahan318]

I have .223 and 9mm

as far as criteria...well, I want something different

I was thinking about an M1A or something big...maybe a 1911.

Nothign too oddballl, as I want to be able to get components for it easy.

[RampTester]

9MM class 1911 gives you choices of 9mm, 38 super, 38 special wadcutter, 9x23, 9x21, and even the possiblility of 30 luger if you can find a barrel.

Revolver - try the 22 Rem Jet out of a contender or Smith and Wesson model 53 Big flames and smoke.

[creophus]

Callahan,

It's time to get a 45 (Glock or 1911). I recommend 1911 since you already have a Glock.

[callahan318]

how much would a nice 1911 cost me? more than 750-800?

Could I change out what I do not like about the pistol?

How are they on brass?

[MakeMineaP99]

If you want to stay in the $700-$800 price range get a SIG 220 in .45.

1911s are nice firearms, but there's a huge difference between a $500 1911 and a $1000 1911. There's also a huge difference between a $1000 1911 and a $2000+ 1911.

[AlPackin]

Get a revolver in .41 or .44 mag. You can load them light or make real thumpers.

[creophus]

how much would a nice 1911 cost me? more than 750-800?

Could I change out what I do not like about the pistol?

How are they on brass?
You could get a nice Kimber for around that much I'll bet. 1911s are fine on brass. You can also change almost anything on the gun that you don't like, internal and external. The Kimbers have a nice finish on them. You could also go with a Springfield GI if you want really cheap, not as customizable (fixed sights) or you could do what I did and get a Taurus PT1911. They're not as cheap as they used to be though and some people have had some real problems with their quality.

[freakshow10mm]

Get a Rock Island Armory for $300.

Easy as hell on brass. 20 firings or more.

You can change out anything you don't like. Just takes time and a file.

[Crazy4nitro]

http://www.impactguns.com/store/media/marlin_1895G.jpg
http://www.theothersideofkim.com/images/uploads/2005files/45ACP_x_45-70.jpg

Buy a Marlin 1895G .45-70 .....A Boat load of Fun to shoot and Load for. You will Never Look Back.

'Nitro

[callahan318]

Nitro, that is one big round! How versatile is .357?

[creophus]

Nitro, that is one big round! How versatile is .357? 357 is versatile, but maybe you should tell us what you plan to do with your new caliber.

Do you want another rifle round or handgun? Accuracy, plinking, huting, self defense, making a lot of noise, etc??

[callahan318]

General use- hunting, self defense, making noise, accuracy, plinking...I know, I want it all...

[callahan318]

oh, and I would prefer a rifle, but a pistol would work fine.

[Tailgunner]

Nitro, that is one big round!

{Paraphrase} That's not a big round, these are big rounds {/Paraphrase}
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j212/Tailgunner1954/Picture003.jpg
The little one is a 45-70

[creophus]

Ok, then how about a 308? Great for hunting, overkill for self-defense (inside the home) and can be made very accurate.

You thinking semi-auto or bolt gun?

[callahan318]

I am thinking semi-auto, but .308 in a semi-auto is $$$$ unless...what about Saiga that has been converted??

But a bolt gun would not be a bad choice, just not my thing.

[Tailgunner]

M-700 chambered in 308 Winchester, with quality optics.
Feel the force young Skywalker.

[creophus]

I am thinking semi-auto, but .308 in a semi-auto is $$$$ unless...what about Saiga that has been converted??

But a bolt gun would not be a bad choice, just not my thing.Bah, get the semi-auto 308. Or a really accurate bolt action. How much are you looking to spend?

You already have a .223 that's semi-auto right? AR?

[callahan318]

That would be interesting, now wouldn't it...how much $$$ would I be looking at spending?

[callahan318]

Yeah, I have an LMT AR, an older Mossberg .308 that was grandads (could refinish that one) glocks, and .22 rifle and pistol.

[creophus]

That would be interesting, now wouldn't it...how much $$$ would I be looking at spending?
For what the semi auto 308 or a bolt?

[callahan318]

Bolt gun...a .308 semi auto would run 350 for a Saiga, 1000 for a PTR-91 (hard to reload for), and $1250-1500 for an M1A (which is of dubious quality)

[freakshow10mm]

I'm looking at a Century Arms CETME (precursor to the HK G3). Mags are dirt cheap.

[callahan318]

Freak, reloading for those is a PITA, they dent the brass all to hell. Figure a loss of 25% of you brass every time you shoot.

They also fling brass a long ways from your gun...be ready to go searching.

[creophus]

You could get a semi-auto 308 with the DPMS LR-308 around $800 to $1000 or so.

As far as bolt guns, check out http://www.snipercentral.com/rifles.htm

[mbat]

i second the .45-70 great fun and historic and very, very easy to reload for. Brass is everywhere and bullet selection is endless. I too have an 1895G 16".

i think a great .308 stick shift is the browning A bolt. Many top of the line features for your money and will shoot just at MOA to sub MOA right out of the box. I paid about $550 for mine. I got the micro hunter. 4 in the detachable mag and is as light as a feather. You could carry that thing all day and snap up into position in a flash when the time comes. Also light rifle - no shaking on offhand shots.

[layusn1]

Get a Mosin Nagant...cheap ammo, $100 for the rifle, BIG boom, and lots of fun. My Polish is pretty accurate too...

If I had the money my choices would be, in order,

Dragunov SVD
M1 Garand
Remington 700 in 308
Springfield 1911 GI 5" barrel

[MakeMineaP99]

M700 in .338, you know know you want one.

[freakshow10mm]

Nope, go 375 H&H Magnum.

[callahan318]

Hmmm...still decidering. Good suggestions though.

Probably just gonna go with something simple and easy on brass.

A. Refurbish my old Mossberg

B. Go with a .357 or a .44, probably Ruger on either choice.

[freakshow10mm]

A Ruger .357 GP100 is never a bad choice.

[MakeMineaP99]

Nope, go 375 H&H Magnum.

You can't get match kings bigger than .338 or I would be looking at a a bigger bore for my project.

The RUM is more akin to .338 LM than the H&Hs. Never been a fan of the belted mags.

[freakshow10mm]

I'm going to learn the basics with the 10mm dies I'm getting, but I'm saving up for a set of Corbin RBT dies so I can make some VLD boattail .375s for my Holland.

[MakeMineaP99]

I'm going to learn the basics with the 10mm dies I'm getting, but I'm saving up for a set of Corbin RBT dies so I can make some VLD boattail .375s for my Holland.

Tailgunner (Bob), his 'smith, Bruce, and myself talked quite extensively about caliber choice for my upcoming project.

We dismissed barrel burners (.22-250, .243), the .338L because of cost (and it uses a unique bolt to the Rigby), and most if not all of the belted mags because of well, the belts (a whole new topic in itself), and anything over .338 because of lack of SMKs bigger than .338, .408 because of cost. The only thing we didn't dismiss was a 50 BMG, but I don't want to go there, yet, seeing as how I'll need new tooling.

I have access to a fully furnished machine shop, but the though of tuning bullets for .408 or .50 doesn't appeal to me. Match bullets for both calibers are expensive, upwards of $3 for .408 from Chey-Tac.

I keep coming back to .30 Cal because of bullet choice, but .338 RUM competes very well with .338L. I'm either going to start with a .300 or .338 RUM factory rifle, probably a 700 or Mauser action. As I burn the barrel out, I'll research caliber choice, it's going to be a on going process.

I'm giving though to turning some swaging dies. I am engineer after all, I should be able to design. :banghead: I'd like to examine a set before I start out on that path, might be more cost effective to buy them if I have to buy specialty steel.

[MakeMineaP99]

To the OP,

If you decide to go with a bolt gun, I highly recommend a wildcat. I'm starting into the wildcat world and wonder why I didn't do this sooner.

Don't settle for a factory rifle. Find either a good factory rifle and have it reworked to your specs or start from the ground up and have it built to your specs.

[freakshow10mm]

P99, check with the guys on CB. They make some of their own dies.

I got a set of 9mm swaging dies you can take a look at if you want. Getting them off of CB. Should be here soon. I don't shoot 9mm and these were priced right so I figured WTH.

When I get this 10mm thing worked out, I'm going to move to .22cal for the AR and .375 Holland. I'd love to swage for stuff like the 404 Jeff and 408 CheyTac, but it would violate my rule of "I never sell something I've never shot", so I don't.

Callahan318, Rugers can be had used for good prices. A 357 or 44 is always good to have around. Do you hunt? Either of those are a good start. If you get one, get into casting. They are super cartridges to cast bullets for. So many molds and designs out there for these it's a sickness by itself.

[MakeMineaP99]

Thanks. Let me know when you get them, I'd love to take a look. If I'm in MI when you come down, maybe you can bring those. I'll know right away if it's something worth reverse engineering or buying.

I'll check in at CB, been meaning to for a while.

I believe all Chey-Tac bullets are turned from solid brass. Some calibers work better with turned bullets than swaged, I believe .408 is one of them. I have seen turn brass bullets for .50 BMG too.

[Tailgunner]

FS10
The 2 "little ones" pictured below have turned brass bullets in them. For scale purposes, 1 is the 408 Chey-Tac and the other is a 50 BMG (I got these from a LR target shooter in AZ).
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j212/Tailgunner1954/Cartridges002.jpg

P99
Bit of trivia, one of Bruces classmates, and shooting buddy at school, is named Corbon (ya, THE bullet swedge guy).

[MakeMineaP99]

I better start taking notes, between you and Bruce, I've learned more in a few hours than I have in the past few months ;)

Interesting. Do you know anything about making swaging dies?

[callahan318]

I do hunt...and a 357 would be a better bet for me I think.

But you can only load a 357 up so far but a 44 can be loaded down.

Something to consider.

[AlPackin]

B. Go with a .357 or a .44, probably Ruger on either choice.

here you go, pics of both, handguns that is

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj300/AlPackin/DSC_2113.jpg

[craig110]

If your shooting needs/wants are general but you want to get into fun calibers for reloading, have you considered getting one of the guns with swappable barrels? My next gun will likely be a TCA Encore Pro Hunter so that all I'll need to do to get into a new caliber is buy another barrel. (The Pro Encore isn't the cheapest of the swappables, but is does appear to be the most accurate so if I'm getting one platform for multiple calibers, I'd rather get it.) The swappables have the added reloading benefits of not denting brass at all since it isn't being wildly ejected plus the brass is sure hard to lose when you manually remove it from the gun.

Accurate. Doesn't mangle or lose brass. Lots of calibers to choose from. Other than not having quick follow-up shots for hunting, what's not to like?

[Tailgunner]

Just some of the basics, and that comes from being around the tool coating field more than anything. One of our customers swedges high pressure cylinders, so I get to see the punches and draw dies they use.
For the first phase, your looking at more of a "siizing" operation, with a push through die that's slightly smaller than the finished jacket (to account for spring back) and a punch that matches the inner profile of the "doner" case. Polish both to a 10-15 microinch finish and harden to around RC45. A hard tool coating on the punh will reduce wear from powder residue, while a lubricitive coating inside the die will ease the passage of the case. The photo is the steps required to make a cartridge case (happens to be a 20mm cannon round), bullet jacket manfacture is similar. What you guys are talking about is close to the final forming steps of case manfacture.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j212/Tailgunner1954/20x110.jpg