This is 40-cal Appeal: Elvira and Bess. Both shoot .395-caliber projectiles.

Elvira is the Ruger No.1 with 26-7/8" barrel chambered for 400/395 Nitro Express "Unadulterated."

Bess is the 40-cal flintlock custom made by Rusty McGee, who also put Elvira together. Bess has a 41-1/2" swamped barrel and a maple stock after the pattern of J. P. Beck, of the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania School of "Kentucky Rifles." Bess has taken six squirrels in one morning and won a shooting match in the afternoon of the same day.

Elvira weighs exactly 7.5 pounds as shown.
She utilizes a McGowen stainless No.4 sporter contour of 1:12" twist.

The quarter rib, barrel band sling stud, and banded front sight came off the donor rifle, 9.3x74R, whose barrel was a puny 22" length, but very close in contour to the one Elvira wears.
One inch of barrel sticks out beyond the front sight band, giving Elvira a bit of Westley Richards twang.

Pushing .396/410-grain gas-checked LBT LFN cast lead at 2150 fps will be easy, and will give Elvira more power than any of the old 40-caliber Sharps, etc., cartridges, and better sectional density and energy than the 450/400 NE 3" "Classic Killer" load, and use less powder to do so, at 50K psi only.

Pushing .396/240-grain gas-checked NEI FN cast lead at 2050 fps will closely replicate 400 NFBP 3" loads (just 10 grains heavier bullet).

The real modernization of the 400NE that never was will come with 310 to 340-grain monometal brass and copper bullets (softs and solids) at over 2400 fps, from a 12" twist barrel.

Elvira is shorter in overall length than a bolt action with 23" barrel.

Back to the Future and Greeeeeen with Envy all at once!! Nice work boss.....looks like you have the brass forming down to a science now.

I'm off to the faux bar in the sky cave to fetch a snort of PTE PEE in celebration!

We must know this front stuffer artisan better as he may be useful in future ventures.

Gityup...
Hi-O Silver....Away
My hearts on fire...for Elvira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VJ6RUmlbLE

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VERY , VERY IMPRESSIVE

Ripper,

If all that is true about the 400 gr. bullet going 2150 fps at 50,000 psi, and less powder, you done good.

I'm not sure that would not violate the laws of physics, but I guess we'll see.

Thanks, y'all.
Will: Trust me. It will do it.
Macifej,
Rusty McGee will be the guy to do a .666 Teufel for me: .666-09 (Six-sixty-six-naught-nine).
I need a real kicker for some "street cred."

Borrowed from ammoguide.com.
The "cartridge comparison feature" is excellent.

RIP,
Congratulations! I'm jealous, proud, in love, and envious all at the same time. I guess I'd better get my Ruger #1 ready to ship off for its rebirth into the 400/395 NE. Don't know whether it will be ready for the Big Bore Shoot, but at least the .395 Max will be.
Again, congratulations.
Max

Max,
Try not to weigh your Miss Lilly down with a lot of gold inlay ... something about gilding the lilly ... Elvira might get jealous.

Semper 395,

I am in love with Bess. She is beautiful!! Very nicely done.

Very Nice!

I love it when a plan comes together.

Rip, LOVE the flinter.

Keith

RIP

I had always thought of Elvira as a double

Elvira is definitely on the A-Team, even if she is merely the shop mule for load development for a double, with a pair of .395's, yep reminds me of that nice pair of 39.5-inchers on the namesake Elvira. Thanks Jim.

Bess is surely the real beauty here though, I agree, thanks. You would have had to pry Charlton Heston's cold dead fingers off her if he had ever got his hands on her.

Hey Riper...

Any reverse loaded "Sharlow" high BC long boat tail long range flat nose solid testing yet?

I am curious to see how flat a trajectory you can get.

They will come in handy for plainsgame with the 400 NE

I take my hat off to you RIP, this is a MAJOR accomplishment!!

thanks for sharing...


Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

Nope, no gold on Miss Lily Langtry! I think the engraving on the receiver by Frank Hendricks and the satin nickeling is enough.
Personally, I've never owned a BP rifle, but your Bess has my tongue hanging out.

Now to get a a double rifle manufacturer to make one on their 9,3x74 platform.

the 400 Nitro is the perfect solution to old worn out poorly regulated 9,3x74 Double Rifles.

Anyone rich and brave enough to rebore a worn out 9,3x74????????????????

Max,
Not gilding the Lilly? Enough engraving and nickel already?
How long will Lilly's barrel be? My 28" was crowned down to 26-7/8". Rest assured the chamber will be good with either Hornady or Norma brass.

Rich,
Thanks.

Boomer,
The reverse SHarlows will be doing 2800 fps in the .398 Lapua Mag. just for laughs. Elvira has too little case capacity for that poke.
I will be looking for a rebore double ...

Rusty McGee is incubating my .395 Ruger Max parts now, a stainless 300WinMag Hawkeye with the same barrel as Elvira's, but trimmed to 24" with an NECG banded front sight and sling base. NECG rear peep, that simple.

quote:

I will be looking for a rebore double ...

Go RIP!

Ahh my Lily. I know that, officially her name was LILLY Langtry, but to us unsophisticated westerners, she was Lily.
Her barrel will be at least 26" with the gunsmith asked to keep as much as possible beyond that. I expect it to be a quarter to a half inch beyond 26" but what's a silly millimeter longer?

Rip that barrel length looks good on your Ruger...awaiting your range report esp. with the cast boolits...

Max,
Henceforth, "Lily" it is.

Low Wall,
Thanks. I got my first batch of "Rippalloy" 410-grain .396 LBT LFN lubed and sized and gas-checked to the best of my beginner's ability. Hope to load them Friday night and shoot them Saturday. Hoping for 2150 fps from the 26-7/8" tube.

RIP,
That .400 NE load with cast bullets will be one heck of a deer load, and also do for elk! Hmmm, now where were those bison hunts?

Rip... My best advice would to be sure that there is no jacketed fouling...then prep the bore with the boolit lube you are using on a patch by running it back and forth, then a clean patch for the excess....
Don't be discouraged if things don't work out at first...Sometimes shooting cast can be a little tricky, esp. over 1900fps or so but that's what makes it fun!
Good luck..

Amazing looking!

quote:

Originally posted by Low Wall:
Rip... My best advice would to be sure that there is no jacketed fouling...then prep the bore with the boolit lube you are using on a patch by running it back and forth, then a clean patch for the excess....
Don't be discouraged if things don't work out at first...Sometimes shooting cast can be a little tricky, esp. over 1900fps or so but that's what makes it fun!
Good luck..

Sounds like the plan. LBT Blue Lube.