need barrel advice for .40 caliber

A

AMMASHOOTA

Gary Gruber
I need to find someone who makes .40 caliber barrels. I generally use Shilen for most of my barrel supplies, but i do not see that they offer anything this large.

I am building a .404 Jeffery, So far the only mfg I have found is 'Classic Barrel and Gun Works' (http://www.cutrifle.com/newbarrels.html).

Has anyone used them or have an alternative for something this large?
 
I did a quick search of the NORMAL barrel suppliers and the first 2 I checked had .423 Barrles. (404 jeffry is .423)
Lilja and Pac-Nor both makes that bore.
Ted
 
hecksf said:
I did a quick search of the NORMAL barrel suppliers and the first 2 I checked had .423 Barrles. (404 jeffry is .423)
Lilja and Pac-Nor both makes that bore.
Ted
Click to expand...

fascinating. the first two i checked didn't. thanks for the heads up
 
Shilen 40 cal.

I have a new, old stock Shilen 28" chrome moly blank in 40 cal, 16 twist. Octagon tapered-.925" to .795" with the barrel/receiver- shank/stub still 1.250.

If you could use this the total price would be less then the cost of the machine work or the blank.

Good luck with your project!
 
Roger rodbolt said:
I have a new, old stock Shilen 28" chrome moly blank in 40 cal, 16 twist. Octagon tapered-.925" to .795" with the barrel/receiver- shank/stub still 1.250.

If you could use this the total price would be less then the cost of the machine work or the blank.

Good luck with your project!
Click to expand...

i appreciate the offer. i'm not sure any lion i know wants to be shot by an octagon barrel. i believe it would be politically incorrect (LOL) to go to Africa with such a device. If however i were shooting Bison, i would jump at the chance to use your barrel. Bison should only be taken with octagon shaped barrels.

i personally know of at least two hunters who were approached by a group of Bison when they saw their chrome moly round barrels and crapped all over them -- the humiliation was terrible. Both stopped hunting-- One now plays table tennis and the other has taken up crocheting. Bison absolutely refuse to be shot with a rifle of that sort. I believe they have some sort of union to deal with things like that.

i am not one to offend Bison, or lion for that matter. i know where to draw the line. i'm sure you will understand...
 
Need barrel advice for .40 caliber

If you don't absolutely have to have a 404 Jeffery for some emotional reason, you might consider the 416 Taylor. I made mine up on a 1914 Enfield receiver with a 1917 bolt (cone breech) and a Lilja chrome moly barrel. Brass is readily available 458 Win necked down to 416. Feeding is no problem with just some minor rework of a 30-06/8mm Mauser action and opening the bolt face and extractor. I'm shooting 410 grain Woodliegh's (solids and expanding) at 2300 fps both to the same point of impact. I won't say it doesn't recoil, but at 10 pounds with 1 3/4-5X Burris, Decelerator pad, Magnaported, and Dead Mule in the butt stock, even a wimp like me can shoot it without major trauma. Food for thought.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Riflemeister said:
If you don't absolutely have to have a 404 Jeffery for some emotional reason, you might consider the 416 Taylor. I made mine up on a 1914 Enfield receiver with a 1917 bolt (cone breech) and a Lilja chrome moly barrel. Brass is readily available 458 Win necked down to 416. Feeding is no problem with just some minor rework of a 30-06/8mm Mauser action and opening the bolt face and extractor. I'm shooting 410 grain Woodliegh's (solids and expanding) at 2300 fps both to the same point of impact. I won't say it doesn't recoil, but at 10 pounds with 1 3/4-5X Burris, Decelerator pad, Magnaported, and Dead Mule in the butt stock, even a wimp like me can shoot it without major trauma. Food for thought.
Click to expand...

excellent advice. i want to stay clear of 458 win because the pressures are too high. while there is far more work involved in working with a .404 Jeffrey -- i certainly could go with the Dakota version.

i need to find someone who has modified a std Mauser action for magnum length cartridges. I can do the machining, i just need some direction.
 
The magnum Mausers were a whole different critter than the military M-98's. Used to be you could buy the Brevex Mauser that was specifically built for the longer cartridges. The MK-10 came in 375 H&H, but they removed all the material from the front of the magazine area which meant whittling away the lower locking abutment in the receiver. Never heard of one coming apart, but it sure didn't look right. I've opened a few military actions to 30-06 length, but that is very minor compared to what would be required for some of the DGR cartridges. That was one of the reasons I went with the 416 Taylor, 30-06 length magazine requirements.
 
I seem to recall that the Europeans modified P14 & M17 Enfields for the big cartridges in preference to the standard Mauser because they had extra magazine length to start with. The P14 bolt face suited the belted magnums, too. The downsides as I recall were the need to do a lot of machining on the rear sight ears & that big lightening slot under the rear sight on most actions.

Whichever way you go, you'll have to cut a certain amount of meat away from behind the lower lug recess, which doesn't inspire confidence in some.
 
Riflemeister said:
The magnum Mausers were a whole different critter than the military M-98's. Used to be you could buy the Brevex Mauser that was specifically built for the longer cartridges. The MK-10 came in 375 H&H, but they removed all the material from the front of the magazine area which meant whittling away the lower locking abutment in the receiver. Never heard of one coming apart, but it sure didn't look right. I've opened a few military actions to 30-06 length, but that is very minor compared to what would be required for some of the DGR cartridges. That was one of the reasons I went with the 416 Taylor, 30-06 length magazine requirements.
Click to expand...

there's no free lunch. i would like to keep chamber pressure down and 2150 fps max, so i may go with a necked down, shortened .404-338. i guess i'll have to look for a lion as old as me...
 
John Kielly said:
I seem to recall that the Europeans modified P14 & M17 Enfields for the big cartridges in preference to the standard Mauser because they had extra magazine length to start with. The P14 bolt face suited the belted magnums, too. The downsides as I recall were the need to do a lot of machining on the rear sight ears & that big lightening slot under the rear sight on most actions.

Whichever way you go, you'll have to cut a certain amount of meat away from behind the lower lug recess, which doesn't inspire confidence in some.
Click to expand...

after much thought, i have decided to avoid all of these issues and go with a 9.3 X 62 instead.

i appreciate everyones input. it saves me from making mistakes that will cost me a lot more in the long run.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top