|
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,162 Likes: 3
Campfire Oracle
|
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,162 Likes: 3 |
Was able to pick up my rifle on the way home from a successful elk hunt today. Makes for a pretty nice day all the way around. Was very happy with the way it turned out and the weight and balance. The only bummer is the feeding didn’t work out as smooth as hoped. The smith spent about 15 hours tweaking things and got it to where it will feed the 360 Northforks consistently but only with three down. Hopefully Barnes or Woodleighs will do better if I can ever get my hands on some. Hoping to get it scoped this weekend and load up some CFE 223 loads to see what she will do. Sweet!!
Life Member SCI Life Member DSC Member New Mexico Shooting Sports Association
Take your responsibilities seriously, never yourself-Ken Howell Proper bullet placement + sufficient penetration = quick, clean kill. Finn Aagard
Ken
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,846 Likes: 8
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,846 Likes: 8 |
That’s a good looking rifle. Congratulations.
Chronographs, bore scopes and pattern boards have broke a lot of hearts.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,354 Likes: 10
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,354 Likes: 10 |
Very nice rifle. That’s a 400 made to hunt. I dig it.
Semper Fi
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,489
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,489 |
Med River.....very cool rifle.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,616 Likes: 7
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,616 Likes: 7 |
Med,
I don't think cfe 223 will give you acceptable velocity using 350 grainers from a carbine barrel. Its too slow.
I've got over 7 years of handloading and hunting a similar cartridge doing exactly what your about to do: 350 grainers from a 20" barrel.
Tac was too slow, 2230 was too slow. About the best I found, was slightly compressed loads of rl 10x. Better velocity and less recoil too.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,846 Likes: 8
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,846 Likes: 8 |
Now you need a personalized plate to match.
Chronographs, bore scopes and pattern boards have broke a lot of hearts.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477 |
Med,
I don't think cfe 223 will give you acceptable velocity using 350 grainers from a carbine barrel. Its too slow.
I've got over 7 years of handloading and hunting a similar cartridge doing exactly what your about to do: 350 grainers from a 20" barrel.
Tac was too slow, 2230 was too slow. About the best I found, was slightly compressed loads of rl 10x. Better velocity and less recoil too. Thanks for the heads up. I actually think I have a little 10X around here.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477 |
Now you need a personalized plate to match. Now that’s dedication to a cartridge!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 819 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 819 Likes: 1 |
You might consider aa2015 if you need a faster powder. I had a great 35 Whelen 225 load. 60k+ load though. I would think it well suited for a bigger bore 400 Whelen and a 350.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 5
New Member
|
New Member
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 5 |
That's a great rifle MedRiver, you'll have lots of fun with the 400.
Mart, it looks as thought you've settled in.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,846 Likes: 8
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,846 Likes: 8 |
Mart, it looks as thought you've settled in. Getting there. Still have a garage full of boxes. We did quite a bit of painting and flooring work before we started moving in. I need to get with Fish and Game to see what I need for a hunting license to call coyotes this winter until I qualify as a resident.
Chronographs, bore scopes and pattern boards have broke a lot of hearts.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477 |
VX3 1.5-5x20 with Heavy Duplex and QD rings. Seems like a good fit. My neighbors horses hang out a 175 yards. At 5x the heavy duplex works great. Should be great for a moose rifle.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2022
Posts: 310
Campfire Member
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Oct 2022
Posts: 310 |
2.5X Leupold Alaskan on mine in G&H mounts.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,846 Likes: 8
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,846 Likes: 8 |
Medriver and Elkhtr, both are good choices on a 400. Mine wears a Redfield 2 3/4x post and crosshair.
Chronographs, bore scopes and pattern boards have broke a lot of hearts.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477 |
I tried the backwards .41 Mag bullet yesterday with H4198. I had some Virgin R-P .35 Whelen brass that necked up easily with a single pass in the .400 sizing die. The shoulder looks like a perfect .458” to me.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,846 Likes: 8
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 5,846 Likes: 8 |
Looks great. Some H4895 and some 300, 350 and 400 grain bullets and you’re ready to hunt the world.
Chronographs, bore scopes and pattern boards have broke a lot of hearts.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,268 Likes: 2
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,268 Likes: 2 |
You bet Mart.
Great looking setup MedRiver, that turned out great, when i get all my Woodleighs shot up i cant wait to load the used to be .416 cal 400gr partitions Riflecrank drew down to .411" for me, imho, they will take no prisoners on any game animal up to Elephant.
Trump Won!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477 |
You bet Mart.
Great looking setup MedRiver, that turned out great, when i get all my Woodleighs shot up i cant wait to load the used to be .416 cal 400gr partitions Riflecrank drew down to .411" for me, imho, they will take no prisoners on any game animal up to Elephant. With the current state of the component market, swaging down .416 bullets seems to be one of the most viable options.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,268 Likes: 2
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,268 Likes: 2 |
Exactly right MR, and with .com being down for repair the last few days, i went to the shop this afternoon to see what i could do with the 400 Whelen at 3.340" COL.
I had a few sticks of formed but not fired QC brass, seated in some FED-215's, loaded 68gr CFE-223 under all 400gr bullets, sent Riflecrank a pic, maybe he can post it after while.
Bullets in pic left to right are:
400gr ABW bonded Kodiak 400gr Swift A Frame 400gr Nosler Partition 400gr Woodleigh Weldcore 400gr Woodleigh Solid 400gr CEB BBW#13 Solid
Some if not most of these bullets are not directly out there for purchase from online dealers right now, all but the 400gr [Thanks Riflecrank] partition can be had, the rest are out there, a man just has to watch for them, the 400gr BBW#13 solid was loaded at 3.350" COL because of length, it still ran fine through my rifle, that said, if CEB makes a 350 grainer it would indeed be perfect and more than one would ever need from a 40 cal Solid.
Trump Won!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477
Campfire Regular
|
OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,477 |
Great stuff Jerry.
I actually just ordered 150 Hawks today. 100 350s and 50 400s. At just over $1 each they are actually a pretty affordable option…and they will be shipped next week after their production run.
I went with the 0.035” jacket. Hoping they feed well and are reasonably accurate. The ability to match the jacket to the game seems appealing if they will shoot to the same POI.
Sounds like they should open up down to 1600 fps or so…maybe less. That gives a little extra range for a guy shooting a stubby rifle at modest velocities.
My rifle feeds best with a shorter OAL so I had to back off some powder charges to avoid overpressuring. Velocities still seemed decent when I shot over the chrono yesterday afternoon with Reloder 10x (thanks Mainer) and a 360 North Fork. The extra freebore compensating for the capacity loss????
Pressures seemed good in the 2225-2275 range with sized, trimmed, and annealed Virgin QC brass. Stepped up to a tad over 2300 and the primer was flat. Never had any extraction or bolt lift issues.
Decided to be kind to the brass and stuck at 2225 which will keep the NF above 1800 fps to 200 yards. The shoulder is closer to .459” with these loads and a little sharper versus the 210s I was using with H4198 which made a .458” shoulder on non-annealed R-P .35 Whelen brass.
Sighted in 2-3 inches high and it is point and click out to a bit over 200 yards.
After hunting season will play with other combos for velocity and accuracy.
This rifle really is a pussycat with the 360s at 2225. I shot it interchanging with my .358 Norma today and would take the .400 everytime. Just a much more pleasant recoil impulse.
Lined up permission today on a farm with lots of deer. After thanksgiving hoping to shoot 2 or 3 does with this combo.
|
|
|
|
519 members (007FJ, 12344mag, 06hunter59, 10gaugemag, 160user, 1beaver_shooter, 59 invisible),
2,687
guests, and
1,213
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,193,644
Posts18,512,469
Members74,010
|
Most Online11,491 Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|