I had switched from the Bertram brass over to the Hornbeber (SP?) stuff I got from Huntingtons (HDS)and wanted to see if it shot as well. This morning I got some good composite groups with the 570 X and 600 Super Solids at 100 yds. and the irons. The shot to the right was "me". The final 5 are comprised of 2 - 570 gr. X bullets and 3 - 600 gr. Super Solids, all molycoated. I cut my load from 120 to 119 gr. of RL-15 with 4 grains Dacron filler. Next session, I'll put the little 2.5 Leupold back on and see what I can do.

This Hornbeber brass is beautifully manufactured and has gone a long way in eliminating the occasional function hiccup in my rifle. As you can well imagine, I was very happy when it also "measured up" in the accuracy department.

Nick,
I believe if you check with Huntingtons you will find that the 505 HDS is Mast Tech. brass (Bell)..the HDS stands for Huntingtons Dist. std.

They told me the Hornberger brass is still not available, at this time...

Ray,
I have it that headstamped "H-HDS-H" is the Hornbeber brass from a friend, a custom ammunition maker. I thought he said that Fred told him so?? I won't be betting the farm on it, at any rate. If it does turn out to be "Mast", they are doing better these days!

Ray,
Huntington verified my brass as the Horneber. The "H-HDS-H" headstamp is indeed the Horneber stuff. The "HDS" stands for "Huntington Die Specialties" and any brass having the "HDS" only on the headstamp, is from manufacturers other than Horneber. They are out of stock at the moment ( It seems I got the last of their .505 stock) but they anticipate a shipment very soon.

Nick

Thats great news, That Hornbeber stuff is supposed to be the best brass in the world and is claimed to last near a lifetime...

Ray,
This brass came at exactly spec length and with decent inside and outside bevels! Too bad I had to trim it to coincide with the Barnes canelures. FLS of new brass made no dimensional changes and it could be loaded, as issued, with only cursory primer pocket and flashole check. I mic'ed up the brass, paying close attention to rim thickness and it was extremely uniform, far better than the brass I had been using. The functional reliability of my rifle took a quantum leap with this brass.

This begs the question as to how unreliable this 505 Gibbs was before the advent of the new brass.

Will,
Every now and then a cartridge extracted but failed to eject (extractor hook was sitting on the rim). Every now and then, a cartridge would not square up with the boltface as it left the magazine and stuck on the feedramp. I had two good smiths take a shot at correcting this, without success. I then fitted two new extractors myself and did make some headway, but I still wasn't happy. The brass was the problem . The rim thickness variation was simply too great for any single extractor to accomodate, with 100% reliability. I have run the Horneber brass through the rifle repeatedly, with both dummy rounds and empty brass. Zero failures.
If you wish, I'll send you my micrometer readings from the original brass and you can judge for yourself.

The important point is it works now.

I suppose I should take something with my Lott before lusting after anything bigger. With 5 in the magazine, I just can't see why I would need anything bigger in bore or hp, having to trade for smaller magazine capapcity and added weight.

Richard Harlan goes on about his Gibbs (an original) but then he stepped from the 458 to the 505, though there is nothing but praise for the 500 Jeff, 500 NE, and 505. Must be something to that bullet diameter.

Bottom line, which is irrelevant to this post, I can't wait to get the hell out of here.

Will

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Will:
"I suppose I should take something with my Lott before lusting after anything bigger. With 5 in the magazine, I just can't see why I would need anything bigger in bore or hp, having to trade for smaller magazine capapcity and added weight."

You don't need anything bigger and I'm sure you'll be very pleased with the Lott. I'm using the .50's just to experience them. I seriously doubt I'll be doing so a few years from now, as my frontal deltoids are getting softer by the day!

"Bottom line, which is irrelevant to this post, I can't wait to get the hell out of here."

Take heart, Professor. We'll be dining on the banks of the Zambesi in just a few weeks!

They are an expreience alright. I sold mine before I blew a head gasket!
lb404

The 505 Gibbs is a little more than I care to shoot...I can shoot it, even off a bench, but I dreaded every shot and had to concentrate like hell not to flinch and sometimes it worked..

I'll pass think you.

I hear you, Ray but, you know?, it really doesn't seem to be much more than the Lott at this point. I'm gettin' used to it. I fired nearly 40 rounds off the bench the other day and the group above was the last of the session. I think I'll get some very respectable groups with the little 2.5 Leupold, next session. In a few days I'll be UpState blasting those styro-foam panels again.

Nickudu:

You didn't state what velocity these big bullets are leaving at out the barrel.

If the Lott is 500 gr. & 2400 fps and the Gibbs is 570 gr (your bullet weight), the integrated recoil (muzzle energy) is the same for a Gibbs velocity of 2250 fps. Is your bullet velocity much greater than this?

40 rounds from the bench at one sitting, w/ a 505 Gibbs? I think there is a word for that psychiatric diagnosis, but I hate to think about it.

Will

P.S. Know anyone that wants that other Tuff Pak listed in Classifieds?

Will,
Both the 600 grain Super Solids and the 570 X bullets are doing 2,325 fps. My initial "Max" was 120 grains for 2,325 in somewhat cooler weather.
This summer, I made sure I shot on the hottest days and was able to maintain this velocity, while dropping a full grain of RL-15. If I could see like I used to, I think the both loads will shoot into the same inch. The Horneber brass brought the points of impact closer... just lucky, I guess. I'm real happy with this tandem.
The typical 525 grain fare is all short for caliber and the longer, heavier Barnes bullets are more appropriate for the big Gibbs casing, IMHO.
The velocity can be bettered easily, even with RL-15 but I wanted 2,300 fps while burning the least amount of powder, so I might hunt effectively with the rifle without feeling overly hampered on field rests. You know the drill. No muzzle breaks for me ... either I can handle it or I pack it in and settle for less. I'm feelin' real sorry for the buffs I run into next month.

Will,
I forgot ... during load development, I fired 67 rounds one morning ... none were at the final charge weight, however. I also stuck a leather glove under my shirt after 20 or so rounds.

May be the few of us on this forum who have ordered Horneber .585 Nyatti Brass will get much improved perfromance in regards to problems that is created through the use of Bertram .585 Nyatti Brass (previously the only other source).

Ray you said it would last a life time, how many reloads would you expect to get from a Horneber case??

7000 ft-lbs! Yeow. Too much for me.

You should be ashamed of yourself for trying to take all the sport out of buff hunting!

Will

PC,
I assure you most brass for the 505 would last me a lifetime or whatever shelf life is!!

On the serious side I have been told by Rhimer Johannson that this stuff just last and last. Huntington told me the same and I read someplace that it last up to 30 loads or more, I don't know this and I am passing it on as is, I guess time will tell.

Ray I have ordered 100 horneber cases and my mate who is also building a .585 ordered 50. Do you reckon we will have the guts to pull the trigger often enough to wear out those Horneber cases ?