I have just worked out the details for a 30-303 British barrel for an Encore. This is a 303 British chamber, but the barrel is 308 diameter. I was concerned about the throat and some of the measurements when using a the 303 reamer. I was told by MGM that they have done this with great success. Since I have nothing better to do with my kid's inheritance, I sent in the order.

It will be fun to see how well (or poorly) my bolt loads work from this!

Good luck with your project and keep us up on the details. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Thanks. I just finished sending $600 to my importer. I have been emailing back and forth between MGM and http://nine35.ca/index.html

It's a three month wait to get it up here. Hopefully, this COVID sheit will subside by the time it's ready to be shipped. All the mail is moving slowly.

Spending their inheritance is a splendid idea!

Good for you Steve. Enjoy.

Thank you, gentlemen.

I have not decided which scope to put on this yet. I was going to get a Leupold 4x33, but it was suggested that I go with more magnification, have a wide forend made, and try shooting it at local matches. I'll have to mull that over.

I really like more Xs these days, at the range anyway. In the field I keep my variables turned down. I have however, picked up not one, but two M8 Leupolds, a 4 and a 6, to go on my old FNs. I'll suffer the vagueness while zeroing them in hopes they'll stay put once dialed in. Gotta be period-correct, doncha know. Otherwise, I've more or less switched to current Burris FF 2s and E1s. Still early, but there's been no funny business with them as yet. Prices are very reasonable for good, if not awesome scopes.

Good luck with your current adventure in international commerce. Maybe this time..........

So far, all is good.

More magnification is fun at the range, but I prefer to use the scope that I will take hunting.

I decided to use a 4x33 Leupold. I just ordered a Game Reaper low mount for the 30-303 barrel.

I remember wanting to order a 30-40, but brass is hard to find. It's easy to find 303 brass.

Just got a nice M8 4x from a GB seller. Might go on my 1948 FN .270, once I'm certain the tinkering I'm subjecting it too hasn't futzed anything up. Last 4x I played with was a Lyman Permacenter that came here for a bit last year. Use the right size target and 4Xs are plenty.

I think that will be perfect for the 270. It's a shame you have to use something so skinny and weak! Mind you, 1948! No point exhausting the old bugger!

I don't do much big game shooting beyond 300 yd. Not since I moved to Central Ontario anyway. The only thing beyond that is varmints and semi-regular 1000 yd shoots at the base. That's why a little Leupold is all I need.

So I will put a 4-16 on that 6.5 Grendel. That would be right up there for a cheeky rifle like the Grendel!

I have a 4.5-14 on my Grendel, which is as much a range toy as anything. I keep thinking I should go with something lighter and more compact like a K6, but that only gets me a few ounces. Decisions decisions!

I think the 1948 is gonna be okay. I installed a Timney with the side safety, but left the wing so I can lock the bolt. Had to whittle a bit on the B&C and open the trigger slot in the guard. Went from about 6lbs to 2.5 on the trigger. My first Timney. Now I know why they're popular.

Nice.

I have one that my dad picked up years ago at a gun show. Very nice scope for its vintage. I mounted it up on an 1970's Ruger 10/22 carbine using period Weaver rings. My son has that rig now over @ his place in Montana uses it to keep the ground squirrels thinned out.

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That's funny, because at the beginning of the Grendel project, I was thinking about that same scope! I wouldn't bother switching to save a few oz. The idea of a fixed scope might be a more compelling reason to change, for a deer rifle.

Since most factory triggers weren't made to adjust, the aftermarket trade really got bigger. I would have thought that companies like Timney would have taken a sizable hit when more rifles came out with better, factory triggers (thanks for that, Savage Arms!), but they are still knocking them out.

I have a question for you, Steve. Since you're putting it in an Encore action, are you going to load the 303 to warmer pressures, or are you going to stick with the lower standard pressures of the round?

Dollars to donuts he's going for accuracy. The .308 bore gives him more bullets to play with.

I might try loading it up a bit, but 303 brass isn't as robust as 308 Win and most of the modern cartridges. SAAMI lists 49,000 PSI as the maximum pressure for the 303 British. I will probably work it up to about 58,000 PSI, checking the stretch as I go. My computer projections tell me that going from 49 to 58 KPSI with a 165 gr. bullet, should get me about 150 fps more. Velocities would go from approx 2690 fps to 2830 fps. You don't really get much extra usable range from the increase, from what I see.

My initial thought was that I expect the brass will take a beating. For the extra bit of velocity gain, personally, I don't think it's worth the bother, but I will have to shoot a bunch of loads before passing judgment. It should run through another accuracy node as well.

Since I'm a heavy and slow guy, I will be curious how much difference the extra PSI will mean to the 220 gr Hornadys I have piled up here. My good loads averaged 2100 to 2200 fps, and were under an 1.5 at 100 yards. I expect they should increase by about 100 fps or a bit more.

Been thinking about my next Contender barrel. One option is a .308/.32/20. Reason probably dictates a .300 BO, which can do the same things, plus a lot more, and as DDan made me realize, has beaucoup options in factory ammo. Haus of Arms has MGM barrels all ready to go too.

Barrels are a lot easier to store than entire rifles, and I've run out of room. Trying to clear some out, but the market for anything but anti-mob stuff is pretty soft.

Pappy, I went through that same quandry, 308 bore, 32-20, the Sneezer, settled on the 300BO. So far working very well. Intent was a big, (I was thinking 200-220grn, mold ended up throwing 231grn) subsonic bullet, suppressed, but options still remain for those that 'inherit' and don 't want to reload....

Bbl from BullberryLegacy.com... 10" twist works just fine BTW......

Pappy, Just for reference:


A 300BO with 231grn, Accurate Mold bullet, DDs Sneezer with 175+/-grn Lyman 311041, and a 25-20(I didn't have a 32-20 laying around, but the cases are basically the same................

Does the forward section on the big bullet ride the lands?

My other quandary is that I have a perfectly good .308 Henry SS that can do it all as well with a little creativity, and I've barely touched it.

Thanks for posting.

It is a bore rider, the lands just barely make a mark on the forward section when chambered.....

Lovely bullets, like little jewells.

I see that I entered this is in the wrong thread. But rather than change it...

My 6.5 Grendel



The MGM 6.5 Grendel barrel arrived. I ordered the least expensive TC action because the stock is being replaced. Here's a question for you TC Encore/PH owners that have a 1 inch bull barrel. What screw kit did you buy?

I want to get a Stocky's Stock set, and want to order everything right the first time. I think MGM sells larger screws/adapter for shotguns and bull barreled rifles.

The 30-303 barrel arrived today. 26 inches of stainless steel. It says 303 British on the barrel, but the tube is .308. I'll get to try it sometime this winter.