Normal
Not really a big game hunter, More of a gun bearer for family. I have family in Alaska and go there as often as I can and attend the hunts without a shoulder arm. I usually carry a 12 ga shotgun with slugs when in the field as bear protection. I belong to a sportsmans association with members from several states, we do 5 primitive camp/shoots a year for members only. There is always room for more bragging rights among the younger folks as to what they shoot. Some of us older guys like to lay out the big stuff and wait for one of the younger ones to come by and ask to shoot it. I most always lay out the factory ammo for them to shoot so I can get nice once fired brass to load down for my own enjoyment. The 375H&H is an Encore rifle barrel and was absolutely brutal to shoot. When I first mounted a scope on it, it was a nice Pentax Gameseeker Pro and the internals shattered on the 9th shot with factory ammo. I put a brake on it and now its about like shooting an '06 with 180 grain bullets. I like long range shooting, so I built a 300 win mag on a Stevens 200 action. I used a Shilen heavy barrel, a Rifle Basix trigger, a Millett long range scope and I glassed the bottom inside of the Tupperware stock to stiffen it. Oh, and I added a JP Tank style brake for it. This is one you can shoot from the bench all day, recoil is about like shooting a 243. On casting the large bullets, the secret is to get the mold hot enough and then the bottom pour pot works just fine. I will often start out with a propane torch to heat the larger molds, and when I get casting, I periodically have to slow down to let them cool off. I have never done any fire lapping, a good friend did that with several of his rifles, and seemed to think it hekped. I use the old fashioned method of using a lead slug cast around a cleaning jag, and I use diamond lapping paste of about 4 different grits. This paste is something used in the tool and die world to get precise fits in punch sets and dies. I have used fine grit valve grinding compound, but it is really way too coarse for that type lapping. Find a lapidary supply on line and order some of the various grit used in rock tumbling and polishing and mix it with heavy grease for use on your puck if doing it manually. Go very slowly, its easy to remove but you can't readily put it back on.As to your restrictions, it almost seems as though the act of rolling the script on the barrel swaged it inward slightly. One thing I've learned over the years is that ignorance is bliss.. Many things I successfully do were done because I didn't know at the time that it couldn't be done. Lots of reloading and shooting lore has been passed down from experts on high for years and when someone actually challenges the methodology it is found to be false info. Don't be afraid to experiment, just do it wisely.. Jim
Not really a big game hunter, More of a gun bearer for family. I have family in Alaska and go there as often as I can and attend the hunts without a shoulder arm. I usually carry a 12 ga shotgun with slugs when in the field as bear protection. I belong to a sportsmans association with members from several states, we do 5 primitive camp/shoots a year for members only. There is always room for more bragging rights among the younger folks as to what they shoot. Some of us older guys like to lay out the big stuff and wait for one of the younger ones to come by and ask to shoot it. I most always lay out the factory ammo for them to shoot so I can get nice once fired brass to load down for my own enjoyment. The 375H&H is an Encore rifle barrel and was absolutely brutal to shoot. When I first mounted a scope on it, it was a nice Pentax Gameseeker Pro and the internals shattered on the 9th shot with factory ammo. I put a brake on it and now its about like shooting an '06 with 180 grain bullets. I like long range shooting, so I built a 300 win mag on a Stevens 200 action. I used a Shilen heavy barrel, a Rifle Basix trigger, a Millett long range scope and I glassed the bottom inside of the Tupperware stock to stiffen it. Oh, and I added a JP Tank style brake for it. This is one you can shoot from the bench all day, recoil is about like shooting a 243. On casting the large bullets, the secret is to get the mold hot enough and then the bottom pour pot works just fine. I will often start out with a propane torch to heat the larger molds, and when I get casting, I periodically have to slow down to let them cool off. I have never done any fire lapping, a good friend did that with several of his rifles, and seemed to think it hekped. I use the old fashioned method of using a lead slug cast around a cleaning jag, and I use diamond lapping paste of about 4 different grits. This paste is something used in the tool and die world to get precise fits in punch sets and dies. I have used fine grit valve grinding compound, but it is really way too coarse for that type lapping. Find a lapidary supply on line and order some of the various grit used in rock tumbling and polishing and mix it with heavy grease for use on your puck if doing it manually. Go very slowly, its easy to remove but you can't readily put it back on.
As to your restrictions, it almost seems as though the act of rolling the script on the barrel swaged it inward slightly. One thing I've learned over the years is that ignorance is bliss.. Many things I successfully do were done because I didn't know at the time that it couldn't be done. Lots of reloading and shooting lore has been passed down from experts on high for years and when someone actually challenges the methodology it is found to be false info. Don't be afraid to experiment, just do it wisely.. Jim
