700NE Project - Custom Build Complete Story - Shooting Video - Long Story

Hello All,

I'm sure you've seen the recent post about building my Bernardelli 600NE Sidelock Double rifle.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...fle-the-long-wait-is-over-l#Post12302289

Well, it was almost 2 years ago that I had Aaron Little build me a 700NE.

Here is the complete story from the beginning.

October 2015

As you may have seen, I was pleading on various forums for anyone to help me obtain some 700 NE brass.

I needed about 30 pieces of the brass for a custom 700 NE double rifle that I'm having built.

I had ordered some Lathe-turned 700 NE cases and was promised an 8 - 10 week delivery - that was 20 weeks ago.

And now I've been told those cases would be another 10 weeks, "at best".

The only extruded cases made are from Bertram, and they cost about $40 each from several sources.

I have these on back-order from 2 distributors, with no idea of delivery. One said it could be over a year.

Even at these high prices, I could not find even a single 700 NE Bertram case for sale - "anywhere in the World".

January 2016

Finally after 3 months a fellow forum member, hubel458, came to my rescue with a suggestion and some 50 BMG brass to be modified into 700NE cases.

Here's how it went. Perhaps this will help others in need.

Fortunately, the 700 NE case is ever-so-slightly smaller at the head, than the 50 BMG case



I purchased 32 pieces of 50 BMG brass for the transformation.



1st, the 50 BMG case is trimmed to 700 NE length.



2nd, the mouth of the 50 BMG is annealed and opened up to 700 NE size.



3rd, the head of the 50 BMG case is turned down by 0.024" to .780" dia.



4th, the heads of the 50 BMG cases are threaded to 5/8-24 for about 5/16"

5th, using brass bar stock, 0.890" dia. x 3/8" thick brass washers are made with a 5/8-24 internal thread.



Up to this point I had to pay others for the precision machining that was required. Now I took over.


6th, the thick brass washers are permanently attached to the case head with high torque and red loctite.




7th, the brass washers are faced-off flush with the case head. (700NE FL resizing die is used to hold the case)



8th, the brass washers are back-faced (flush with the case body) to the rim thickness of 0.080" thick.



9th, the first 3/4" of the case mouth is precision thinned to .015" thick by turning over a mandrel.

10th, the prepared cases are polished with emery paper



However, because the cups of large BMG primers are very thick, much firing pin force is required to ignite them.

This is not a problem with BMGs, or bolt action rifles, but it is a problem with the lesser firing pin force of a double rifle.

To solve this, bushings must be made to reduce the primer pockets down to standard Large Rifle primer size.


11th, the heads of once fired 300 Win Mag cases are turned down to make the LR Primer bushings.



12th the finished bushing is cut from the 300 Win Mag case.



the 300 Win Mag case head, before and after machining to isolate the primer pocket.



13th, the primer bushing length is machined to the same depth of the 50 BMG primer pocket.



14th, the LR Primer Bushing is "press-fit" (with 4 blows of a 3 lb hammer) into the BMG primer pocket ( 0.001" interference fit)

15th, the case is de-primed and re-primed with an F215 Magnum Large Rifle Primer.



All 32 manufactured 700 NE cases are now ready to be loaded.

Total paid to others = $660 = $20.65 per case. (+30 hours my machining time = $620 saved over retail)



Federal F215 Magnum Large Rifle primer - inserted into the bushing - compared to a 50 BMG primer.


Here are the details on how the custom 700NE build was coming along while I was getting the brass ready for loading

As mentioned, the Custom Gunsmith doing this project is Aaron Little, Texas.

Aaron contacted me back in October 2015 in answer to my want ad for a 700NE rifle. He inquired if I would be interested in a custom build. After a brief discussion, the project was started.

background: I had purchased a Larona 10 gauge some time earlier as an intended donor gun for a 600NE custom build project.



As it turned out, Ken Buch is an excellent salesman for Verney Carron and he convinced me that I should own a "genuine" 600NE.

Since the Larona was no longer required for the 600NE project, I inquired to Aaron if it would be suitable as a 700NE donor. Aaron asked for some initial measurements and a description of the Larona.

This particular Larona was actually built by a high quality Spanish builder, Pedro Gorosabel, and imported by Frank Clark Jr., Cheyenne, Wyoming, back in 1957. Researching this fine 10 gauge double resulted in the following information being found.

This double was in MINT condition with 100% remaining case color. It is a virtual unfired "safe queen" with some very desirable features suitable for a custom double rifle: Anson & Deely pattern box lock - Reinforced Frame - Chopper Lump Bbls - Greener Cross Bolt - Scotts 3rd Bite in Rib Extension - Purdey Side Clips- Vented Firing Pins, Hinged Front Trigger - 11-3/4 pounds - and best of all, it only cost me $580.

When Aaron received it in hand, he was impressed by the size and quality of the piece.

Its only negative was the recoil pad which was crushed and crispy from standing in a safe for nearly 60 years.










February 2016

Here are a few step-by-step pictures I received from Aaron showing some of the transformation.

To start the project, the original 10 gauge barrels were cut-off leaving the breach intact for mono-blocking the new barrels.

Two .700 caliber barrels were purchased from pac-nor. The cartridges along side the barrels are: 700NE, 500NE, 450NE and 338 Win Mag.

That's a 500NE in the bore and a 700NE on top.


After cutting off the shotgun barrels, the breachblock/monoblock is clamped in the mill vice and indicated. One hole is indicated and bored out, and then the second hole is indicated and bored out. The bores are not parallel with each other and the mill head must be angled accordingly.


Boring out the first hole with a boring bar.


Facing the breachblock after boring (not terribly important since the barrels will be smoked onto the breachblock face)


Turning the first barrel to fit into the monoblock - tight fit.


First barrel into the monoblock.

Turning down the barrel outside diameter.


With both barrels now in place, Aaron started optimizing the weight for proper balance. To off-set the 28" barrels, 3 pounds was added to the stock, bringing the total weight of the rifle to 18 pounds, with the balance point to just in front of the hinge. With 2 loaded rounds in the chamber, the carrying weight will be a "pleasant" 18-1/2 pounds. As was expected, the original recoil pad could not be removed without damage, so it has been replaced with a new one.


As the project continues, the new extractor has been made and fitted, and a new forend hanger has been made and installed.

Next, Aaron will be making the top rib, and installing it, & the bottom rib. Front and rear sights will also be added. Then, he will be refitting the forend wood to match the new barrel contours.

When all this has been completed, the rifle will come back to Wisconsin for my load delelopment and testing. Once the desired load has been established, the rifle goes back to Texas (with 40 rounds of loaded ammo) for regulating. I'm sure Aaron is looking forward to that day. And after regulating, the rifle will receive final finishing.

While Aaron has been busy on his end, I too have been preparing. In addition to manufacturing the 700NE brass, a dummy chamber is in the works to serve as a "go-nogo gauge" so I can check my loaded rounds while waiting for the rifle. Finally, I've purchased an Italian Leather Case, and designed an appropriate Trade Label.



For those interested; here is Aaron's contact info:

http://www.facebook.com/profil...p?id=100001646464847

A.M. Little Bespoke Gunmakers LLC
682-554-0044
Michael08TDK@yahoo.com


Here are a few progress pictures that Aaron shared with me to show some details of how the build went.

Here you can see the rib being laid-in using High-force 44 and pine rosin.


Here you see making the forend hanger. He leaves them "wide" as not all guns are made with forend iron dead center. When he's further along, he mills the sides to fit.


Next he files the correct angle on the hanger face that will drive the forend iron into the action knuckle. You can see here it needs more fitting so that the forend iron drops closer to the barrels.

Here is shown - "contact"


Here the stop is just shy of touching the barrels/rib.


Next he starts to file the hanger to accept the sliding lock.


Shown "finished".


Forend hanger in place.



March, 2016

Here is a progress report of the 700NE project.

First off, let me start by saying that the pictures I'm sharing here depict a "work-in-progress" and the "rough look" is by no means a reflection of Aaron Little's Gunsmithing skills. Make no mistake, his "finished" work is Masterful and pictures at the completion of the project will be posted.

Aaron Little has been busy. Today I received the 700NE Double Rifle "in-the-rough" for Load development.

Aaron told me that things will be looking very "crude" at this point because nothing has been finished. Only the basics have been completed to the point where it can be safely fired for me to develope loads. Nothing has been regulated.

Tomorrow I start shooting and recording the obtained velocities. Actual targeting will be recorded but for curiosity only - absolutely "no expectation" of left and right shots being anywhere close together.

I think the pictures below speak for themselves.

Barrel length is 28"
Weight is 17-1/2 pounds (loaded)
Balance is slightly ahead of the hinge

Last picture shows the 700NE compared to my 600 NE VC

Comments are welcome.

Well, I'm back from the range. What a surprising experience! Shooting this double is nothing less than awesome.

My goal was 1500fps with a standard 1000g Woodleigh bullet. Using data obtained from Accurate Powders, I loaded 16 cartridges with 5744 at 5 grain intervals, starting at 100 grains, alternating between jacketed and lead bullets. Each cartridge had a 1-1/4" long piece of 3/4" dia. foam backing rod over the powder to act as a filler in order to keep the powder in the bottom of the case and against the primer.

It seems that in this double, the starting load of 100 grains was already too high resulting in an average velocity of 1562 fps with Woodleigh bullets. My next trip to the range will be with cartridges loaded with only 85 grains of powder. At that expected 1500fps velocity, the recoil will be a managable 67.2 ft/lbs.

I went to the range with cartridges loaded with 3 types of bullets; (1) 1010g Lead bullet of my design - .697" dia, (2) 1000g Woodleigh Soft Point - .699" dia, and (3) 1000g Woodleigh Full Metal Jacket Solids - .698" dia.



Here are the results of the testing. There was no measurable differences between the Woodleigh Soft Points and the Woodleigh Full metal Jacket Solids. Here is the data.

powder wt bul wt vel recoil
-------------------------------------
5744 100 1000 1562 77.1
5744 105 1000 1582 80.5
5744 110 1000 1605 84.2
5744 115 1000 1708 94.5

Now-

What came as a surprise to me was the very first 2 rounds I fired through the rifle. I thought I would save money by using cast lead bullets, which are virtually free, over using store bought Woodleigh bullets, that cost over $3 each. Well, I did save money, but WOW! That first shot unexpectidly bashed me into next week, with over 106 ft/lbs of recoil.

In fact, one of the two friends at the range commented; "I never seen a neck get stretched that far, without the head snapping off at the adam's apple."

I was expecting 1400fps which would result in about 55 or 60 ft/lbs of recoil. The second shot was the same, but at least this time I was ready for the beating. Before I looked at the chronograph reading, I wondered "what did I get myself into?" If this rifle kicks this much at 1400 fps, what would it be like at 1500 fps? I was starting to second-guess this entire project. Then I saw the chronograph readings: "1900fps" and "1902fps", and instantly decided not to shoot any more of the other lead bullet loads, which contained even "more" powder. I then went on to the jacketed bullet loads and was very much more pleased with their recoil, albeit they well still higher velocity than my 1500fps goal. Here is the data.

powder wt bul wt vel recoil
-------------------------------------
5744 100 1010pb 1900 106.1

I had experienced higher velocities with lead bullets over jacketed bullets in the past when shooting my 600NE. The lead bullets obturate to fill the bore completely with no gas getting past them, unlike jacketed bullets which allow some leakage. But I never before seen such diffrences in velocity as measured here. I will recheck this phenomenon but with some lighter loads.

Worth mentioning is that the Federal F215 Magnum primers functioned perfectly in igniting the 5744 powder in these large cases. Also, the cases that were made from the 50BMG brass showed no measurable difference in velocity. All primers (even the 1900 fps load) were flat, but with round edges and no cratering or flow-back into the firing pin hole. Same for the 50BMG cases with bushed primers. Also, all cases had easy extraction with little resistance, and could be replaced back into the chambers, and the action closed.

update


This time the velocities were a bit low, so tomorrow I'll increase the loads ever so slightly. I'm going to try 95g and 97.5g of 5744 powder.

Needless to say, I was absolutely surprised with today's results. Keep in mind that this was fired from a rifle that was assembled by a gunsmith that mathematically calculated the convergence. No actual shooting regulation was done. I guess you can see why he is a "Master Gunsmith".

Here are the targets:

update

Here is today's shooting ... I had a young man with me (shooter no. 2) who wanted to try his hand. I've pretty much got 1500fps bracketed. Next time it will be testing a 95.5g load. Boy, these $3.60 projectiles are a bummer.

Well, I'm back from today's shooting. Since yesterday's loads showed velocities slightly above my desired velocity of 1500fps, I cut back on the powder.

I've finally tweaked the load to my 1500fps goal.

Looks like the second shot is repeatably, just a tad lower.



Aaron said he'll be able to bring the left barrel down a bit. It will be interesting to see his targets. I'll bet they're "snake eyes" and better than mine.

In addition to measuring velocity, I also took some time to carefully "target" the loads.

With the load having been developed for 1500 fps, the rifle was sent back to Aaron for regulating and completing.

update

He received the rifle today, and here's his progress report to me.
.
.
.


.
.
.
The entire group measures about 1-15/16" at 35 yards. That would be 2-3/4" at 50 yards. The last 2 shots, R3 & L3, ( snake-eyes ) measure about 1-9/16" center to center. That would be just over 2" at 50 yds. which would be great.

Now all I have to do is patiently wait for all the final finishing. I'll be keep you posted as more information comes available.

April 2016

Well, the 700 NE Double Rifle finally arrived back home to Wisconsin yestereday; 4/5/16. Total build time was just over 5 months. That's remarkable! But I think Aaron Little went above and beyond as a fovor to me. I expect a build of this type would normally run 12 - 14 months. That's more realistic for such a project.

The finished weight of the rifle with its 28" barrels is 18 pounds 1-1/2 ouces empty, and 18 pounds 10 ounces loaded.

Balance point is slightly ahead of the hinge when unloaded, and "exactly" centered on the hinge when the rifle is loaded.

Fit and Finish are amazing, and I expect its Aaron's attention to detail that defines him as a Master Gunsmith. My pictures don't do it justice. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll get some nice weather so I can shoot it.

Compare these pictures with the ones posted earlier; during the build, and now after.

update

I got out to the range yesterday. It was COLD - temp was right at 34 degrees with sleet.

However, I managed to shoot 3 targets and get some data. Needless to say; I'm pleased with Aaron's regulation. I think you'll agree.

Tommorrow I'll start trying some higher velocity loads. But I have to be careful in this COLD weather so I don't BREAK.

And, tommorrow is here.

It was not a very nice day at the range today. Temperature was 30 degrees - Wind was in my face at 20mph - and it was snowing an inch per hour.

I had to cover the chronograph between strings to keep the light screens clear.

So .... I stayed with AA5744 powder to keep the powder weight down. (powder weight is a factor in gun recoil) Estimated data was obtained from AA last year and I also used some of my earlier measured velocities as a guide to load the following.

I fired 4 shots with each and recorded ave velocity and group size. All were shot at 50 yards.

110g = 1680 ave vel - 2-1/4"
115g = 1780 ave vel - 2-3/8"
120g = 1840 ave vel - 1-1/4"
125g = 1940 ave vel - 1-5/8"

I used the 100yd folding leaf rear sight because yesterday the standing leaf printed low near the bottom edge of the target and I wanted to get the groups up higher for measuring. I'll dial-in the sights as needed once I settle on a load.

Let me start by saying this; I'm the first to admit that I'm not man enough to shoot a lot of these high velocity loads. I'll be saving them for when I'm in imminent danger of being eaten or stomped to death. They really kick the crap out of you.

As I recorded the data for each string, I made note of the increasing recoil level. However, after firing the first 2 brutal shots of the 125g load, the next 2 shots were drastically lower in recoil. I was a bit confued as to why that would be until I noted the low chronograph readings in the 1500fps range. I had accidentally grabbed two of my regulating cartridges from yesterday that were loaded with only 95.5g of powder.

I then fired the last 2 of the 125g load into the same target so it had a 6 shot group instead of only 4. The first 3 targets were great, but the last target tells it all. I think you'll agree.

I'm not sure if any time too soon I'm going to push that last load up by 3 grains just to squeeze out 2000fps. I think 1940fps with 8,360 ft/lbs of energy should do fine for any dinosaur that might be encountered here in Wisconsin. If I do shoot a 2000fps load, (8,880 ft/lbs) I'll post the data here.

All things considered, I'm so very pleased with how this rifle build turned out. I don't think I could have expected more.

A big "Thank You" to Aaron Little. Aaron told me that this was his first 700NE - I'm sure he'll be building more.



update

When I received the rifle back from Aaron on Tuesday April 7th, my daughter took some photos of my shooting. This was when I tested the 1500fps regulation loads that are posted on the previous page with the 3 targets. It was cold, damp, freezing drizzle, and miserable, but I couldn't resist shooing the rifle now that it was finally finished.

For those interested, I'll go through my shooting procedure. A short video at the end shows a 4 shot sequence being fired and the data being recorded. The ugly old man in the red hat is me. Keep in mind I'm shooting the "low velocity" regulation loads.

The set-up is rather simple. I place a stool on top of the shooting bench with spacers and a boat cushion to achieve the correct height for shooting from a standing position. I shoot the rifle supported with my left hand under the gun, resting the back of my hand on the cushion to keep steady. The chronograph is placed 15 feet in front of the muzzle, in-line with the targets at 50 yards.

Binoculars on the bench at the right are used to see the chronograph readings because my old eyes can't focus clearly at 15 feet anymore. The spotting scope on the left is on another stool and used to see the bullet holes on the target. The shot position and sequence with velocity readings are recorded on the note card. I also manually double check the chronograph readings by sequencing through the shots, and I also record the standard deviation. Then I walk down range to measure the groups. I do this procedure between shot strings and wait about 10 minutes for the rifle to cool before shooting the next shot string.

My daughter couldn't resist a "selfy" with her old man. Don't I look happy?



After shooting, I'm back in the warm club house, I look a bit haggered from the cold and the 16 shot pounding, but I'm happy as can be with my new toy.




Here is the link to the video. Feel free to comment.

CLICK > > > > > > > > > > > 700NE Shooting Video

update

Well, I made it out to the range again today and my daughter video taped me firing "Full House Loads" in the 700NE. I can assure you it will be quite a while before I do that again. I'm not a glutton for punishment. But I did up the load to 128g AA5744 in hopes of obtaining 2000fps.

I couldn't find any place that sold shooting goves, so I puchased a "pair" of Golf Gloves for today's test. (they aren't really sold in "pairs", you have to buy a "right" and "left" separately - golphers?) The gloves really helped in hanging onto the rifle. They are made of very thin leather and really "grip" the stock. Only on shot number 3 did the gun slip control slightly. Only problem with the gloves is that they are "White" - so someday I'll have to dye them black or brown so they don't look so girly.

On this day's shooting I didn't interrupt my shooting cadence with record keeping. My daughter watched through the spotting scope and recorded the shot sequence, and I downloaded the chronograph velocities after I was done shooting.

WOW ..! You can see my face in the video - I'm not doing much smiling during the punishment phase, but when I walked down to retrieve the target, I grinned from ear to ear.

Here is the video link > > > > > > > Shooting the 700NE with Full Loads < < < < < < < Here is the video link

Today's target.


.
.
.


"FINI"

How come the how to handload section in the beginning of my manual didn't cover this?

Great story all around. What a "rifle looney" won't do to make things work....

Wish I had those machining skills.

Amazing write up and thanks for sharing. The resourcefulness you showed in just making the brass was wonderful. I commend you sir!

Awesome write up. Thanks for sharing.

And I thought I hated "regular" brass prep...

Wow, that's one heckuva truck gun! Just make sure you HAVE to shoot that truck!

And to think I've been complaining about turning necks for a 22ppc with a 243 neck. Great gun great write up.

Thanks for the write-up and the video. I am glad to know that there are still those who posess the skills and craftmanship to build such rifles.

My first thought was 18 lbs. ????

Then, after I saw the torpedos you were loading in the video clip, I said,...weight about right!!

Excellent!

Incredible. Thank you for putting this up. What a rifle!

Hello to all for the replies.

I love to share the details of my projects with my fellow gun enthusiasts, so that they can see that anything is possible if you have a mind to do it.

I've fired this one over 400 times since it was built. (practice makes perfect ?) Its ready to go hunting in November for our elusive Wisconsin Whitetail.

I am pretty sure that you are the only one in history who can say that they are downsizing to a 700NE for deer from a howitzer!



LINK for the story

Keep the interesting posts coming!

John

Man, you have the passion! Thanks for sharing you're builds, better than article I've read in a gun magazine in over 20 years.

And I thought forming 350 Rigby brass from 375 H&H brass was a pain.

Wow, what an incredible project! Everything from making the brass to a beautiful old donor shotgun to the first class gunsmithing.

Please excuse my ignorance, but I thought no caliber above 0.5 was allowed by civilians?

What an awesome rifle. You are a brave man, that amount of recoil is just too much for me. I would be afraid of detaching my retinas shooting something like that!

Just awesome! Wow!

Jesus Christ. How big are the deer in Wisconsin?

Buckstix - fascinating project!

Thanks for sharing the detailed description & photos. Not something I'd be interested in doing myself, but dang! You've got quite a project there, ended up with a very interesting and good looking rifle.

Am pretty sure that you now have "enough gun."

Guy

Hello All,

Here's another problem I solved for the 700NE Double - BULLETS.

Although Woodleigh 700NE bullets shot very good, they are really expensive. The cost $385 for 100 - THAT'S NEARLY $4 EACH.

To save money, I had ordered a custom bullet mold from Accurate Molds in Utah. They build a top quality mold for a very reasonable price. I designed a 1000g bullet with 2 grease grooves and a crimping groove. The cast bullets were perfect, and weighed exactly 1000g with wheel-weight alloy.



Here it is compared to a Woodleigh 1000g Soft Point.



Although I've had excellent results using these molds for other calibers, and although this mold casts a "perfect" bullet, these cast bullets didn't shoot worth a crap! I tried everything, hard lead, soft lead, different lubes, oversize bullet, undersize bullet, wad under the bullet, I even tried powder paint coating the bullets - nothing worked. (and I have no explaination as to why) I shot patterns, not groups. Random holes were over 12" apart, and not repeatable.

Since no one makes 700 cal gas-checks, I couldn't try that. But, I did do something that I had tried before to solve a similar dilemma.

First, I modified the Accurate mold by removing the grease grooves.



Next, I went to the hardware store and bought a bunch of 1/2" copper pipe caps. The kind you solder at the end of copper pipe when plumbing. They measured about .705 dia and were 5/8" long. I cut the copper cups to uniform length to match the modified mold, then sized them to .699 dia, and drilled a 1/4" hole in the bottom of the cup.



Finally, I placed the copper cups into the mold, and cast the lead through the hole in the bottom of the cup.

The copper cup simply repaced the grease grooves, making a nice half-jacket bullet.



I'm still optimizing the manufacturing process for consistancy. Preliminary results are promising with initial groups in the 6" range at 50yds. Hopefully the groups will get better as the uniformity from bullet to bullet improves with practice.



And the good news is: These bullets only cost me about .35 each, insted of $3.85 each for the Woodleigh bullets. However, I will say this, the Woodleigh bullets will be hard to match. My average groups using the Woodleighs, are averaging under 2" at 50yds, with several unter 1-1/2". If I can improvise my half-jacket bullets to shoot even double that ( 4" average ) I'll be happy. Plinking with 35 cent bullets will be very satisfying, even if the groups are bigger.

And, another factor driving this project is; I can't find any Woodleigh bullets for sale anywhere in the U.S. I bought the last ones and I'm told there won't be any more available until about July.

During my on-going testing, I discovered that the copper cups were a little loose on the cast bullets because the lead shrinks more than the copper when it cools. That might explain why I was getting 6" groups instead of 2" groups when I tested them yesterday.

Fortunately for me, my son-in-law is a Master Machinist. We spent a couple of hours in his shop today and he made me a pound die to "bump-up" my half-jacket bullets.

The pound die has a precision .700 hole drilled through it, into which you place the cast half-jacket bullet. Then you insert a .700 diameter nose punch, and give it a couple of raps with a 3 pound hammer. This compresses the bullet and expand the lead into the jacket. That eliminates all the looseness.

The results were GREAT! They shoot almost as good as the Woodleigh bullets.

Here is a picture of the pound-die with the nose punch. The die is kept heavy to keep if from sliding around when pounding.



The punch has the bullet shape ground into its end and fits snug in the .700 dia hole in the die. You insert the cast half-jaket bullet, strike 3 blows with a 3 pound hammer, and out pops a finished, sized, and shaped bullet with a tight copper jacket.

The bullet has a small semi-wadcutter edge which punches a perfect hole in the target.

So .... now I have a continous supply of .700 dia. bullets.



I let my son-in-law shoot some of the new bullets, and then I let him try shooting the Woodleigh bullet load. As you can see by his target, he did real good.



To start mass production of 700NE bullets, I ordered bulk packed in bags of 100 pcs. They are very, very well made. They appear to be cast and drawn. They are very uniform in shape and length, and are much thinner than the other brands of cups I've tried.




Since the cups are so umiform, I decided to try a different approach. I modified my mold by removing the original sprue plate and adding a sprue hole to the bullet nose, thereby making it a "nose-pour" mold.



By doing this, I was able to place the copper cup directly into the base of the mold, and cast the lead into the cup through the nose. The sprue plate was removed because the cups stick out of the mold slightly. The cups are just large enough in diameter that the mold halves "pinch" together to hold the cup in place during casting. All I have to do is drop the cup into the mold, "tap" it lightly to seat it against the mold's crimping groove, and then squeeze the mold handles together.

I didn't want to waste copper cups by casting to bring the mold up to temperature, so I preheated the mold by placing it quarter way into the molten lead for 60 seconds, and then I started casting.





The bullets dropped freely from the mold with the cone shape sprue still attached.

This method eliminated several time consuming steps; no more having to trim the cups to length, and no more having to drill a hole in the bottom of the cup.

After the bullets cooled, I used a small side-cutter to snip away the sprue.





Finally, each bullet was placed into the pound-die and pounded to final shape. The small irregular nose snips, are ironed away by this last step.

Bullet weight varied somewhat between 1020g and 1040g based on slight variations in the length of the copper cups. I will conduct some shooting tests to determine if a 2% variation in weight affects accuracy. I doubt that it will, but if it does, I'll sort the bullets by weight and use the high & lows for plinkers.

By streamlining this manufacturing process, and eliminating the machining and drilling of the cups, I was able to produce 25 bullets in 25 minutes. That's a savings of $225 per hour over the cost of the Woodleigh bullets. A very worth while project.


If they are acccurate as cast, my production rate rises to over 180 per hour. At that rate, I'll be able to stock-pile 400 bullets in a little over 2 hours.

Further testing has shown that accuracy was improved by annealing the copper cups prior to casting and pounding. Targets like this are very repeatable.

Great project and write-up

Thank you for this post. It is fascinating reading.

There is an exception for sporting rounds, hence the 570 NE, 577 T-rex, 585 Nyati, 600 NE, 600 overkill, 700 NE and there might be a few more wildcats I'm forgetting. Also if there wasn't an exception shotgun slugs would be illegal.

Thank you for the clarification. Learned something today

Great Post and project!

Thanks for sharing.

Mike

What a neat project, thanks for taking the time to take us on your journey!

Makes me laugh at my own handloading efforts, when I think I'm doing something pretty special by annealing cases or using Wilson dies...

Sheesh!

This 700 stuff... It's an amazing process, from building the rifle to developing and feeding it good ammo.

Thanks again for sharing all the great photos & info!

Guy

Thanks for replies,

I really appreciate all the comments.

This is one of those projects that has been a real challenge from the start, but fun, and has come together in the end.

I'm hoping to write a final chapter about a successful deer hunt this November. Not sure if I'll use this 700NE, or the 600NE, or maybe both.

Will you be able to get a good blood trail?

Thanks again for sharing!!! I followed the original posting as well. Wish I was closer cuz I'd invite myself over to watch you go through the whole process (bullet/load development). Be a great experience to see all of that come together.

The ingenuity of what I've seen here on the 'Fire is amazing.

You've definitely got a creative mind and come up with unique solutions to problems that arise. The clever bullet making is nearly as neat at the rifle build.

Again, good stuff!

I'm happy to see you had fun building this rifle.
Now, you need to take it Yote hunting.

You're a handy SOB!




P

Hello All,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm getting around to answering some old posts. This is one of them. I took the 700NE deer hunting last November and missed a nice whitetail buck. I thought he as at 100yds (my maximun range) and it turns out he was at 120 yards so my bullet went just under his chest. However, he came back 3 hours later at 225 yards, and I dusted him with my back-up gun - a Sako Safari 338 Win Mag. I'll try again next year.

Outstanding project and report. I was under the impression that few 700NE were actually used but nice that yours is. Also nice to see such skill put into practice as so many smiths these days only do plastic or black guns. Thanks for the post.

Gentlemen, you have witnessed the characteristics that made America the great nation that we are. The ability to problem solve and implement the solution is second to none here. Fantastic project!!

buckstix,

Well done and well told! I enjoyed both of your videos as well.

Thank you for sharing your journey with us!

Ed

Hello Tejano.

Hello BangPop,

Hello APDDSN0864,

Thanks for the reply.

This was a very fun project that continues year after year. I can't wait until this Fall for the upcoming whitetail deer hunt.