Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots .22 maximum Lovell

Looking for set of dies for this caliber, preferably in western pa. area. Know it's a long shot. Inherited gun with no brass, no dies, just some fired cartridges with cracks.

I would ask on the "Single Barrel and Custom Rifles" forum on www.doublegunshop.com/BBS. Probably didn't get the forum name exactly right, but it's close to that and it's the fifth forum in their website. Lots of knowledgeable single shot guys on there, and usually very helpful.

I believe that at least one of the die makers like RCBS will make this caliber as a custom job. Extra $$$ charged, tho.

Unless I'm mistook, the real constraint is finding the basic brass to reform into this caliber. Those guys might have a source. I'll look in my copy of "Pet Loads" to see if there's an article on it there. Think I remember Ken Waters had a Stevens 44 1/2 in this caliber.

What kind of Max Lovell rifle do you have?

I called Huntington's a few years ago and they had RCBS make up a set of dies for me.

C-H4 carries them as a custom number, perhaps may even have a set on the shelf. As I recall they are rather salty- around $140. But, you know, it's only money...

If anybody needs a set of R2 Lovell dies, I have a spare set. They too are C-H4's. (They came with my .22 Maximum Lovell Krag. The previous owner thought that was what he had, based on the cartridge not marked on the barrel- just "Lovell", the builder- and the fact that the chamber is bigger than a Hornet but a little smaller than a .222...) I had the crazy idea to make a one-time use reamer, anneal the die body, ream it, re-harden, etc., etc. I bought a C-H sizing die instead, and seat with a .22 Vickerman Universal straightline seater. The rifle contributes well below sub-MOA accuracy with that die combo, more often than when it doesn't.

I don't often lament the passing fads of wildcats, but this one was pretty neat and deserved more attention IMO.

Ken Waters' "Pet Loads" has an article on the Lovell and related cartidges. He gives loads for the R2, but not the .22-3000 nor the Maximum Lovell.

Ken had an R2 on a Winchester Hi-Wall, which he had rechambered to the Maximum Lovell, but got worse accuracy with the Max and traded it off for a Lo-Wall that he had relined to R2. He says that the .221 is a modern equivalent for the R2, which I suppose it is.

Cases were always the problem with these little wildcats--the basic .25-20SS case was designed for black powder or low pressure smokeless equivalents. Cases tend to crack with maximum smokeless loads. And are hard to replace.

Cases aren't hard to replace, just expensive. Captech (Jamison) makes the brass.

My brass lasts as well as any other CF brass used by me. The trick is not trying to wring the last little bit of speed out of it and keep pressures down. Which, by-the-bye, pretty much sums up case life for all cartridges. Late run Winchester and Griffin&Howe (probably made by Winchester), which is admittedly 60+ years old now, is good stuff and not super thin like the 100 year old .25-20 SS brass floating around out there. I think a lot of guys try to emulate the over rated performance reported by the old time wildcatters who flew by the seat of their pants without pressure testing gear or chronographs, and case life suffers.

Ken Waters' considered choice of a Lo-Wall action for his final R2 underscores these words of wisdom.

He'd tried getting .222-like ballistics from a Max-chambered Hi-Wall, but accuracy and case life were lacking. Backed off and did better with both.

And for my money, a Lo-Wall-actioned varminter is one heck of a lot easier for us geezers (he was one by then) to carry as we skip lightly from one alfalfa patch to another. My Hi-Walls are gettin' like steel fence posts....

Fred Hunington, who founded RCBS, originally offered RCBS customers a set of custom-made reloading dies at the regular die-set price. All that was required was to send him 3 once-fired (empty) cartridge cases which had been fired in your rifle and he'd make a set of custom-fitted dies to the exact specifications of your rifle's chamber at no extra charge.

He made a set of these custom reloading dies for my pre-'64 Model 70 .338 Winchester Magnum that cost no more than his regular selling price for a ready-made die-set.

Fred sold RCBS and got out. I dunno if RCBS still does this... I doubt that they do, but I would think they will possibly still make you a set of custom-made dies at an extra charge if that is what you'd like.

Why not give them a call and ask? I've always found them to be very cooperative and helpful. Most of my reloading die-sets are RCBS-made... they're fine folks with whom to deal. Here's their contact information:
phone: (800) 379-1732
fax: 530.533.1647
rcbs.techatk.com
www.rcbs.com
RCBS
605 Oro Dam Blvd.
Oroville, CA 95965



Strength & Honor...

Ron T.