A Ricks Fix

13 January 2002, 09:01

Atkinson

A Ricks Fix

Got my 10.75 x 68 back from John Ricks..He rechambered it to a 404 Jefferys, installed a Blackburn box and hacked in some rail work...It shoots great, feeds like poop through a goose and I'm plumb happy...BTW John it feeds those modified flat nose TCCI bullets just fine if I seat them over the front band.

I shot my old 95 grs. of IMR 4831 at 2653 just to check the recoil (one shot) and my tongue came out a foot and fluttered for 20 minutes out of the light rifle...My standard load with this puppy is 85 grs of IMR4831 for 2240 right now...

I am looking for a powder that fills the case and gives me near 2150 FPS for this little jewell and with my OLD Woodleigh bullets (they toughened the 404 and 416 up recently) they ought to react perfectly on Buffalo, thats the load that made the 404 famous.....

Anyway thanks John for the excellent work and now I have a nice light receiver sighted DGR rifle thats still capable of killing anything that walks, talks, breaths. or crawls on this earth. I love it.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

13 January 2002, 09:54

ForrestB

Ray-
Get into the new century and find a way to post a picture for all of us. I just got a new toy and I'll post a pic shortly.

13 January 2002, 10:16

Brian M

Ray,
You had a perfectly good 10.75x68 barrel rechambered!?!?!We ought to string you up!

BTW,the 10.75x68 has always apealed to me as a top notch North American round for all game.

You should check out Accurate Arms's XMP-5744.It will burn evenly at any position in the case and is probibly the most consistently burning powder out there.It should fullfill your wants.

Go to http://www.accuratearms.com They provide loading data,but none of the 404.Call their tech line,they will be able to give you some info.

If you decide you want to use XMP-5744,Creasy's sells it for $15.59 per pound.I'm going to buy some to shoot out of my 45/120 3 1/4 inch and maybe a few other things.

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I'm out to wrong rights,depress the opressed,and generaly make an ass of myself!

14 January 2002, 09:55

Nitroman

Ray,
Try filling the case with H-4831. I did this with my .500 A-Square and it gave 2150 fps on the nose.

I would be exceedingly cautious with XMP-5744, it is my understnding this is to be used with lead bullets only. I called Accurate's reloading hotline and the engineer told me this.

14 January 2002, 12:46

Brian M

Roger Rothschild,

A powder for only cast bullets?That's a new one on me.

On their own website,they list many loads for regular old jacketed bullets by makers such as Nosler,Speer,and Hornady for use with XMP-5744.

Somebody needs to sit down and have a LONG talk with their engineer.A powder that can only safely shoot cast bullets?That's so obsurd that is it funny.

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I'm out to wrong rights,depress the opressed,and generaly make an ass of myself!

14 January 2002, 13:39

Atkinson

Brian M,

Normally I would have been strung up, and normally I would have not chosen this route, but in this case, the lack of available brass (only Bertram and it was like lead) and a little matter of head space changed the picture...

I did't want to take a turn on the half oct/half round barrel (because of the engraving and claw mount) to fix the headspace, so I had little choice but to go for the 404 Jefferys and the gun had no 10.75x68 stamp except under the wood on the bottom flat of the oct barrel, so it worked out fine and I now have a fine rifle.....

BTW the 404 is the only round that would clean the 10.75x68 chamber without a barrel turn...

I will try the H4831 load as that sounds perfect for this little bitch...thats her new name...I named her that when I fired a 404 400 gr. load at 2653 FPS. and my tongue flew out and flopped up and down for 20 minutes...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

14 January 2002, 17:45

Brian M

Ray,
Ok,your story holds up.We'll let you slide on this one.

I certainly bet that sucker kicks from that little light gun.I shoot a 458 Winny from an 8 3/4 pound gun,and with 500s at 2150 FPS,it pushes me around pretty good.Before I had a scope on it,it weight just barely 8 pounds.With those 500s going flat out,it was an experience all it's own.After around 5 shots it would feal like someone was driving an ice pick through my forehead.Anyone who says the 458 is just a big long push has never shot one out of an 8 pound rifle!

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I'm out to wrong rights,depress the opressed,and generaly make an ass of myself!

15 January 2002, 04:59

John S

Brian-
You should try a 458 Lott with full house loads in a rifle of that weight.
BTW, i thought you said recoil was to be savored and enjoyed?

15 January 2002, 06:02

Atkinson

Or maybe the 505 Gibbs I built at 7.5 lbs. sold it after firing the second shot...

It regulated dead on at the range after I bore sighted it, drilled the center of the target almost. The second shot hit the ground half way to the target, I stuck her in the sack, went home and called Gunlist...

I flinched with a 22 L.R. for a week after that, and I'm not joking, I really did!! I ain't no Ross Seyfried!

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

15 January 2002, 06:23

Brian M

John S,

Yes,I belive I said that,but I never applied it to myself.

Ray,
I have read about your ultra-light 505 Gibbs many a time.Didn't the doctor who bought it say that he was recoil proof,and then the dang thing detached his retina after the second shot?I don't know the exact ballistics,but from a little fiddling on the recoil calculator,that gun would be coming back with 110-117 pounds of recoil and at 31 FPS!Not even an unbraked 460 Weatherby comes back that fast!

I had at one time a Browning Safari Grade 458 which was made on their 300 Magnum contour.That sucker weighted only 6 pounds.There was a very light crack at the tang,so I took it out in the backyard to shoot it to see if it would open up.I put in a 510 grain Winchester factory load,spread my legs,stuck the butt under my armpit,pointed the muzzel at the ground and touched one off.

I am 6'2 and at that time weighted about 235 pounds.That 6 pound 458 literaly picked me up so much as to put me on my tip toes!The crack opened right up and I returned the rifle.Needless to say that was the only round I ever shot out of that gun,thank God!

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I'm out to wrong rights,depress the opressed,and generaly make an ass of myself!

15 January 2002, 08:53

Recono

quote:
Originally posted by Atkinson:
BTW the 404 is the only round that would clean the 10.75x68 chamber without a barrel turn...

A likely story.

15 January 2002, 16:24

Atkinson

yes Brian thats the same monster, and if you read Gunlist faithfully it shows up every year of so for sale by some "I can take any kind of recoil" perveyor of pain, that has been reformed.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

15 January 2002, 16:57

Brian M

Ray,
I have seen the same custom 505 Gibbs ran every year or so in GunList,with a different seller name every time.Didn't know it was your old beast,I'll be sure not to buy it now!Man,that gun is making more rounds than a White House intern.

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I'm out to wrong rights,depress the opressed,and generaly make an ass of myself!

16 January 2002, 14:08

Nitroman

Man, that gun is making more rounds than a White House intern.

Brian, that was definitely a low blow...

[This message has been edited by Roger Rothschild (edited 01-16-2002).]