Bought a boogered up mauser 98 this weekend, guy cut up the original stock and reblued the barrel and action. its a nazi marked 1936 action. after thinking i wanted a 500 jeffery ive decided on a 550 express, unless anyones got a better suggestion. i just cant bring myself to butcher up my cz in 458 lott. pacnor lists a 1 in 16 and a 1 in 20 twist for their barrels. i would like to end up with a 22 - 24 inch barrel. what would be the best rifling shooting 600 to 700 grainers. i was thinking 1 in 20.

http://weaponsmith.com/550-exp.html

The reamer is sitting right here, but it can be at pacnor for a nominal fee.. cheap cheap...

you MUST have a recoil lug on the barrel, PLEASE...

mine is 23", 18 twist (bauska) and i called necg to see the largest front sight that they offered .. that was the final diameter.. the sling swivel is a ruger #1 tropical off a 458, and then opened up on my lathe...

necg doesnt specify diameter on thier website. i was looking at the #7 contour they offer it strait tapers to .875". maybe a custom contour would be better. i was thinking about machining follower and 2 spacers to fit in the existing mag. to create a single stack. should be good for 2 round down and one in the pipe. id be happy with a single shot.

Just wanted to say that on a mauser a 550 Express is KICK ASS...(sorry for the unintended recoil pun)

I got to shoot El Jeffe's 550 Express 700@ 2150 and thought it was way cool.

Jeffe...can you post the vid of me shooting it?

It is a great amount of whomp for the tollerable recoil.

by the way midway has 416 wby brass on sale for $45/20. ill pick up a few boxes to form. do you have to ream them? i wouldnt think so.

Boomy
Having troule getting the vids off the cam... i'll tell you later why...

Victor,
anneal the cases, fireform them, and trim. and custombrassandbullets.com has headstamped
http://www.custombrassandbullets.com/qc088.html

www.customcastbullets.com has gas checked cast bullets

and it's a BALL
jeffe

I haven't shot it a lot yet but the 1-16" tube on my Express appears to handle 750grain, 1.3"long cast bullets fine.

I'd have more chronographed loads to post but while testing a few more loads last weekend, a goldurn grease cookie hit the chrono screen just hard enough to crack the LCD. So far, I've got the 750 up to 1950 without much difficulty.

Jeffe, tell us some more about your single stack mag? Is it a Weatherby part?

I see how cartridges flow from stagger feed mags but don't understand the single column setups. Does it require flexible feed rails?

Thanks,

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by victor1050:
after thinking i wanted a 500 jeffery ive decided on a 550 express,

Excellent choice. But if you plan to use the rifle for hunting, I would speed up that twist so that the bullet will remain stable even after hitting heavy bone.

I was fortunate enough to shoot Jeffeosos 550 and would second the opinion that it Kicks Ass!!! Max horse power but won't tear you in half.

TMc

my mag is constructed from a parker hale 1100M with a scratch built floorplate and then a string steel box ...

it is actaully easy to make .. just look at a single stack pistol mag, and copy it for the bigger cases

thanks for the compliments, guys .. its tons of fun to shoot

alright so 23 inch barrel 1 in 16 twist. definitely a barrel lug. i geuss i better talk to pacnor huh.

Yep -- Call Penny, tell her you want it as large as possible. ask them about installing a recoil lug, chambering, crown, and botlface.

you want it to weigh 11# more or less

you can pm or email me on the reamer
jeffe

thank you guys for the help and suggestions. i aquired a barrel from another ar member and will be starting my project soon. ill post back when ive made some progress

Victor,
keep us in mind .. and I can probably help

thanks jeffe i way need some when it comes time for the magazine.

i thought i would update my post with some progress heres the rifle a started with





so far i have rebarreled and headspaced the action. ive worked the feedramps and installed the barrel lug. i have the stock( boyds walnut) iletted and ready for bedding. the wrist pin is installed. just need to fill the stock and forearm with some weight. heres what she looks like so far,





heres another pic of the 550 next to 458 winmag and 303 british



hopefully in the next few weeks i can add wieght, bed the stock, install some necg sights, pacmeyer pad i have for it, test fire, and then matte gun-cote and oil the stock.

Looks like it is coming along... Good on you!!
jeffe

thanks jeffe, marine tex should be good for bedding you think. i have to make the magazine still. 2 down 1 in the pipe will suit me fine

If you want one, I have a Parker-Hale imported by Herters, stamped "Made In England". It has a 3.35" loading port and the box cutout is 3.53"+/- with a standard bolt face. Cheap.

Rich
DRSS
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