Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers any Other 405 winchester shooters?

BFaucett,
i have done exactly what you described about milling the wings off the semi buckhorn rear sight, then changed the notch to a "U" shape to match the bead. Doug Turnbull does the same thing. it's almost like handgun sights. it makes a big difference for me in group size and hitting ability.

Hey, good to know! Thanks for passing that info along. I think I'll try that first and see how well I can see the rear sight. I might as well try that before I go to the trouble and expense of mounting the Williams peep sight. (My rifle is not drilled and tapped from the factory for the peep sight.)

Thanks again.
-Bob F.

jorgeI what is the part number I can't seem to find it at
Numrich- that is the Win.94 sight you are showing. Thanks for your time. Cheers NC

I'm on travel but I'll get it to you this weekend

Here you go:Product No. 1048330
$21.60

BTW, just got back from the range and testing the 300gr North Forks. They were very accurate,on par with the TSXs. What was interesting though is they shot a good 60 fps slower than the TSXs given the same load (55.5gr RL-15)because normally NFs require less powder to generate the same velocities. They even put not in theor boxes telling you to start with less powder because they generate higher pressures. jorge

Jorge,
Sorry, but I have been in town and my reloading records are at the farm. I will make a note to answer your load question this weekend.

No probelm. Thanks!

See??? This is why I like blackpowder!! Just fill up the case, jam in yer wad,stuff in yer slug and go kill things

Just got back from the range, I'm trying to get the 300gr North Forks to shoot to original specs and I finally succeeded. 2252,2252, 2241 fps which is wonderfully stable. Accuracy was acceptable, but the TSXs are definitively more accurate and I can achieve the same velocities with exactly one grain less. Maybe some of you NF shooters can share some loads with other powders, but right now the TSXs seem tough to beat! jorge

My very best accuracy and velocity came with 57 grs of Rl12 cci lr primers, under the NF. Velocity is running 2350 with very little deviation. 58 grs of rl 15 with any of the 300 gr bullets is where my rifle found it's groove.
Might give some 4320 a shot, so to speak...

thanks. 2350 is too hot (in my view anyway) for an 1895 Winchester even though it's a new one. Running 55.5 now and groups are at 1"@ 50 yards, a bit bigger than with the TSXs. NFs are great bullets but at 90 bucks a box (yikes!) I might stick with the TSXs. They also will probably penetrate more.

Take a look at pressure data from Lyman and Hogdons. 45K is about as high as it gets.....

Jorge,

All things considered, I'd say you're pretty well set with your RL-15 load pushing the 300 gr Barnes TSX bullets at 2250 fps. You're getting good accuracy with a bullet that will maximize the potential of the .405 cartridge.

I've never used Barnes bullets but I know you're a fan of them. Just based on what I've read and what others have to say about the TSX bullets, I think they should work just fine on about anything you'd hunt with a .405 Winchester.

I think you found a great load early on with your handloading for the .405. Why fight success?

Cheers!
-Bob F.

You're right Bob, but here I sit with 90 bucks worth of NFs so I figure I need to kill something with them as well. Incidentally I installed that rear sight peep on my 9422 Winchester and it works GREAT. Now all I have to do is determine if a 94 sight base will fit the notch of the 1895's and I'm set, or I can always have it cut to fit. jorge

I am pretty sure your sight will work. I've installed peeps on my 94 and GG, and used the same 3/8" dovetail filler for both.

Hello Jorge,
Well, the bad news is that my reloading range book has gone missing, likely with the move to the farm last November. The good news is that in my .405 WCF notebook, I found the research notes on the North Fork 300 grain loads of interest.

One of the dozens of places where I researched possible .405 loads was the Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading 7th Edition, which had loads using VVN133, H 4895, aand AA 2015. All their listed .405 loads used Hornady 300g FP or SP bullets. I first tried the 4895 loads with mediocre results and then tried the VV N 133 loads - following the NF formula of how to use less powder than for other bullets (.93 x other bullet load grains = NF load), I computed the average velocity increase per grain to calculate loads from 2000 fps to 2400 fps.

The plan was to start at the low end and work up until reaching 2400 or until the rate of velocity increase per grain approached zero. At 2250 fps the velocity gain began to drop slightly. Since this is the 1895 design velocity for 300g bullets and these loads shot to the same 100 yard point of aim as the factory 300 g Hornady ammo, I stopped right there at 51.6 grains of VV N133. I did fire the loads of 53.4, but the velocity gain continued to diminish and the velocity standard deviation increased beyond acceptable. I just discovered that I still have the 55.8 grain loads and will not fire them, but will pull the bullets and recycle the components.

I also tried the Ramshot TAC with the NF bullets and at 2100 fps had an extremely accurate load with an almost zero STD for 5 shots. However, after this, the velocity gain and STD degraded before reaching my velocity goal, so the remaining rounds were recycled.

BTW, if this does not help you with all those old, unused NF bullets, you can ship them to me and I promise to load them and to think kindly of you every time I take down a critter with them.

PS I agree with your tag line.
PSS Pics of NF CPS, a 1500 pound water buffalo, smiling hunters.
http://www.northforkbullets.com/magento/blog/?p=204
Makes a beauty of a cartridge and shoots through stuff.

Thank you very much! I'll have to try the VV powder and see where that takes me. I'm using F210 primers what did you use. And I tell you what, if I can't get them to shoot or decide to stick with the TSXs, I'll PM you and send you the rest of the NFs I have left. Thanks again. jorge

Jorge,
Without my log book, we must rely on my memory. I know I used new Hornady brass and think it was CCI large rifle primers. Best of luck with the N133 and your NF bullets.

BTW, since this experience, I have read and been advised that for compressed loads of ball powder in long cases like my .405 and .45-90, magnum LR primers are recommended to help assure satisfactory (the best) ignition. Magnum LR primers may have helped with the TAC loads as they became more compressed, and as I am continuing to experiment with ball powders and N133 in heavy .405 (400 gr ) and .45-90 ( 450 g solids) loads, I will definitely try the mag primers this fall and winter (too damn hot here in Texas now to be testing hot loads outdoors). I have to find that log book though -

Thanks! is N-133 ball or extruded?

N 133 is extruded, not ball, but the granules seem small and meter well, with rarely a grain being cut.
I will check my V V reloading manuals for an overview of the 100 series powders and see if there anything there I can scan and send you. Their web site is rather shallow and has likely been lawyered to death, but you could check it.


http://www.lapua.com/index.php?id=851