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At least I seem to recall you have an MRC 1999 in 7x57.

How is the throating on that - long, short or in between, and is that a standard MRC barreled action or was it custom chambered?

The reason for asking is that my inner loony is nagging me about the really, really long throat on the factory 6.5x55, so long that the 3.1" mag length is rendered moot by still not being able to get close to the lands at a 3.050" OAL with mid-weight bullets. It doesn't seem fitting to waste that length on a .243 or 7mm-08 so I was thinking of having them rebarrel it to 7x57 and wondered if they put the same old military throat length on that.

I'd ask them directly but, while I like their rifles, have had less than specific and informative answers to tech questions like this.


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It's a custom rifle on a 1999 Montana action, not a Montana rifle. It was made by Serengeti Rifles, the company that became Kilimanjaro Rifles a couple years later, with one of their patented "Stealth" laminated stocks, all made from the same blank of wood by sawing out a thin middle section and then reversing it and gluing back together. (Most people can't tell they're laminated unless they're told so, and then look really close.) The reamer is a Pacific Tool & Gauge "USA Match" reamer with a short throat.

My custom 6.5x55 on an FN Mauser action also was chambered with a USA Match PT&G reamer. Both rifles shoot very well.


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I see that (from their web site) that Kilimanjaro Rifles is located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Weren't they once located in Kalispell, Montana?

Last edited by djs; 03/17/17.
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Thanks, I knew your rifle had something to do with an MRC 1999 but didn't recall the specifics. Not sure I ever followed the full story of names, there was a Montana somebody making barrels who was or wasn't affiliated with Montana Rifle Company, and they became someone else, and...???

Anyway, instead of rebarreling this 1999 ASR 6.5x55 - which is in every other way a very nice rifle - I'm trying to accept the rifle throated as is. It's really a good candidate for the pre-war German treatment as talked about here German pre-war restyling and as a peep sighted rifle I wouldn't miss those last few hundreds of an inch that I can't quite eke out of it right now with a 12 power scope. wink

Another possibility of going that route is that I could learn to love period correct 160 grain RN bullets and finally reach those elusive lands... whistle


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djs,

The owner of Kilimanjaro Rifles lives in Hawaii, so that's where corporate headquarters are. The gunsmithing is done in Kalispell, as it was when the company was Serengeti.


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Jim,

I'm guessing from "those last few hundreds of an inch that I can't quite eke out of it right now" that you've shot the rifle and at least some loads shoot pretty well?


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Actually that was more of a tongue in cheek comment about how loonies - which definitely includes me - obsess over every little detail that isn't absolutely perfect with a rifle, like not being able to get the bullets up .010" from the lands.

That said, it isn't all that hot as modern rifles go, most loads running in the 1.25" to 1.5" range for four shots. An occasional group will go down into the .9's but those seem more random chance that a repeatable trend. I've only used three Hornady bullets in it so far from 100 to 129 grains and the longest one, the 129 Interlock, is 3.14" OAL or .04" longer than the magazine when touching the lands and there isn't much shank in the neck at that length. I have to seat it about .2" (200 thousandths) off the lands to have any sort of reasonable amount of shank inside the neck. The others, 123 and 100 grain A-Max's are even further off with the 100 A-M sitting several hundredths outside the case mouth to hit the lands, that's using my old Stoney Point gauge to measure.

What's a real kick in the pants is that I have a 1915 vintage M96 Swedish Mauser that also requires bullets to be seated way off the lands and with that long 29" barrel sight radius and a little adjustable iris doohicky on my eyeglasses that 102 year old rifle with iron sights can shoot groups that just about equal this MRC when it's wearing a trusted 12X load development scope.

That's why I was thinking of a) rebarreling to a different caliber or b) turning it into an iron sighted rifle with a peep sight where my eyes would be happy enough holding 1.5 to 2" at 100 yards.

Obviously it shoots well enough for a hunting rifle as is but my MRC .243 from a recent Whittaker's group buy allows a choice of seating depths right up to the lands and is much more accurate than the 6.5x55.

Oh well, first world problems to be sure... whistle


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Sounds like a "+length" military throat!


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Hi,

Talking about "short throat" vs. CIP standard or original specification "throat" 7x57s, I chose the original one! No problem, if the barrel is a good one, to obtain stellar accuracy performance! Of course, the potencial is reached with handloads in a good M98 Mauser whose magazine lenght allows 7x57 cartridges 3,25" OAL with even the heaviest Nosler Partition bullets.
Long live to the 7x57!!

PH

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Update - just for the heck of it I got some Hornady 160 RN and 140 Spire Point bullets, Hornady is unfortunately discontinuing the 160's so I got four boxes. Anyway, here are left to right a Hornady 123 A-Max, a 140 SP and 160 RN seated to touch the lands in the MRC 6.5 Swede, showing how long that throat is.

That 123 is barely in the case, even coming off the lands .020" or .030" leave very little shank in the neck. The 140 is at an OAL of 3.12", .02" longer than the magazine. Seated .030" off it will just barely fit the mag. It's been too rainy to get out and the range is closed this weekend but these may show some promise.

The RN which is apparently made for the Swede is 3.05" OAL when touching the lands so it has room. In case the location of the ogive doesn't seem to jive with the other bullets, the 160 tapers from .264" to .263 and .262 ahead of the cannelure.

I don't know why, but when I look at that cartridge loaded with a 160 RN bullet I have this strange urge to shoot a charging elephant in the brain pan... wink

[Linked Image]

Before Mathman gets on my case, yeah, I know the 123 is having a little runout problem... wink


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Norma Oryx 156 grain and call it done.


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