Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 429 Express

More a question for Ken Howell if he pops through <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />. Anyone know of any rifles chambered and whether they were a success? Anyone have exerience with one?
The 429 Express is a straight 30/06 using a 429" projectile seated. Can be chambered for using a 444Marlin reamer I believe and it headspaces on the case mouth. Looking for any feedback on it and the whole "headspace on the case mouth" thing.
Cheers...
Con

That's my old .444 Marlin Rimless. Mine's on a Mauser. Headspaces on the mouth of the case. Load with .444 Marlin dies and '06 shell-holder. Works great, as Charlie O'Neil proved many years ago with his .423 OKH and 0.423 bullets. The .45 ACP, the .30 Carbine, and other cartridges headspace successfully on the mouth of the case, so Charlie's and mine should neither surprise nor worry anybody. Mine has a shorter twist than the Marlin, to use 265-grain and 300-grain bullets. The Mauser bolt action safely handles higher pressures than the Marlin can.

Thanks Ken,
I'm considering one as a rebarrel for an M17 Eddystone target rifle I have. To be built as a heavy rifle for testing cast and jacketed 44 projectiles, and slowly converted back to a magazine fed rifle. Did you have a reamer specifically cut for the cartridge or did you make use of a 444Marlin reamer? If a 444Marlin reamer ... how is the front end of the chamber cut to set up the headspacing on the mouth, likewise the throat?? Need to get my facts straight before sending the rifle off to my 'smith.
Cheers...
Con

The barrel-maker who fitted mine altered the reamer as I requested, to make a definite stop shoulder for the mouth of the case. This leaves a definite imprint on full-length cases when I fire-form 'em with inert filler, so I know then exactly where to trim 'em back to. I don't recall how the throat is. Don't know where the chamber cast is. I'd advise as short a throat as you can get-by with.

Ken,
Could I PLEASE hassle you to dredge through your thoughts to remember how the reamer was altered? If you have any dimensional drawings I can pass them onto my smith who will grind down a reamer if he has an existing one close to it ... otherwise I can buy a reamer. Would love to get this wildcat up and firing as I already have 35Whelen cases for it and 444Marlin dies wating to be used.
Cheers...
Con

yeah, seems like that would be interesting, any one know the velocity you can safely scoot those hornady 265 grain hornady 44 caliber bullets too in those necked up 30/06 case wildcats?

I'd expect to get over 2,200 ft/sec with the 300-grain Hornady HP, over 2,300 ft/sec with the 265-grain Hornady, at pressures beyond the reach of the Marlin but moderate for the Mauser (say about 50,000 lb/sq in. � I think the Marlin's limit is about 40,000 to 45,000). I wouldn't spend a lot of time on anything lighter than the 265-grain, but a few tests might be interesting.

Barrel length is important here, of course. I think that my barrel on this rifle is only 24 inches. A 26-inch barrel would deliver 'em out the end a little faster. Who needs "a lot faster" when you've got a fat bullet (like a "preexpanded" .375 bullet) heading-out at 2,000 ft/sec? It's a short-range gun at best, so velocity loss with blunt bullets at reasonable ranges isn't a great worry. The bear never lived that was a threat � yet � at 200 yards. Deer? Engrave "Bang-flops guaranteed" on the barrel.

Ken,
Sounds like a great fun thumper and plinker using 44 projectiles. Did reloading for it present any particular difficulties? Obviously ... cases will need to be checked for length before each loading for correct length... that seems critical.
Cheers...
Con

How are they going to stretch, with a stop ledge at their mouths when they fire?

Ken ... yep temporary brain hiccup. I like the idea behind this cartridge ... I think I'll build! If it goes to hell ... I'll have it recut for a belt for use with 240Weatherby cases. On another forum a 'smith is claiming to have cut almost 400 chambers to this type of wildcat (30/06 and 308Win length) with no complaints so far.
Sounds like a ripper of a "budget" big bore.
Cheers...
Con

It's what I call one of my "poor man's wildcats."

Ken,
Looking at the dimensions Clymer lists for their 444Marlin reamer ... would I be correct saying that your reamer is probably of the following dimensions. It has no counterbore for the rim. A base diameter of around 0.469". The square shoulder is cut by having a case mouth diameter of 0.454" then a square cut to a short freebore with diameter of 0.430"(??). The freebored section runs into a 5deg throat to the pilot?? I'm not a machinest or reamer designer ... but I'm trying to learn, just incase I need to order one.
Cheers...
Con