Mike375,
Thanks for the reply. Using a Model 70 would be great. I just happen to know where there is a left hand take off stock for a model 70 african that can be had very reasonably. That would mean some barrel channel work but would be a cost effective way into an interesting big bore. Mart

Mart- you can buy a SIG magnum Mauser in 500 Jeff, but it won't be inexpensive (about $13K):

if you are a lefty, your only choice is a model 70... and it'll be a 2 mag, 1 in the pipe... does weatherby make a lefty? if wb does, it's get a 416 webby, rebarrel with a lugged barrel, sights, stock (this is the problem) and away you go.

i built off an enfield p17... which is loads of work, even when you do it yourself

you could start with a CZ 550, costs about 600 bucks, send to danny at wells, and in 6 months, with about 1500 more (barrel, sights, etc) you could have a 510 wells, that you don't have to wait for a once in a live time buy to get brass

jeffe

Thats a lot of great info guys. I didn't expect such a fast and large response. It sounds like I have more research to do and need to plan on plenty of overtime. 13K for a bolt rifle is pretty steep. Maybe I should look at Searcy and a double. I still love the bolt rifle though, and since I started using left handed ones 12 years ago, I would never go back to fighting a right handed bolt rifle again. In fact I am working on a LH 375 H&H and LH 7x57 at this time. Both are being built on Montana actions. I would like to round out my collection with one truly big, big bore left handed rifle.

Since you are a south paw the M70 is your best option. To get the rifle to feed you will need to widen both the front and the rear of the magazine box, as well as, make it deeper if you want more than a 2 round capacity. Put in simple english, you need to fabricate a new magazine box and perform a little milling on the receiver. You should be able to get bottom metal to work with a little ingenious metalwork on the bottom of the magazine box.

Once the box is done, you will have the joy of working over the feed ramp, it will need to be made wider and extend down deeper into the magazine well (that is probably about as clear as mud). DO NOT open up of the rear portion of the magazine lips. You will need to open up the front magazine lips though. At this stage you are ready to start feeding the dummy rounds. You will cut back the rear magazine lip (making it shorter) until you get the timing right between the case, extractor, bolt face, magazine box taper, and feed ramp.

That should get you started. The rest is rather simple, just screwing in a barrel and bedding a stock to barreled action. Just like a 22-250, except that you have that second recoil lug on the barrel (placed 5" to 6" forward of the receiver). I like to secure my barrel lug to the stock with a screw as well.

Oh yeah, I have done this once maybe twice, and I DID skip over alot. It is time consuming. You should be ok if you just take you time, and only remove a little at a time. Remember the great wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, "Hast makes Waste". It is the truth.

If you ask Alf, nicely, I am sure he can give you a very good idea what the magazine box dimensions should be. That in itself is half the battle.

Scott

To do or not to do-Did ole Wm have a Jeffrey, hence his lament.With any three smiths having a total of 6 different reamer sizes, and brass dealers having 4 different sizes,

and solving short and fat feeding problems, it makes a chore out of being nostalgic.As well as the difference

in dies from different places.Go Mike(who suggested 500 A-Sq, which uses 460 brass) one better, and get a

550 Magnum, with simple straight case, easy to get brass,

case design that gets dozens of reloads from brass,

and 9000 plus ft lbs of power if you want.Thread about it is back to the top on this forum, please check it out.Ed

Mike, I understand the nostalgia of the 500 Jeffery. That's fine if you are prepared to deal with all of the problems.

I know you are ignoring me, but to answer your question. It is "easier" to make the 500 A Square work becuase one does not have to:

1.) Make new magazine box, since a 416 Rigby box will "work".

2.) Open up / change depth of bolt face.

By the way, good luck getting this kinda ballistics out of the ol' 500 A Square without issues.

Quote:

---

500 A-Square: 600gr. bullet @ 2470fps

---

Scott

.500 A-Square: 600gr. bullet @ 2470fps - 8127fpe. Pretty powerful round.

Is it easier to build rifles so chambered due to the case dimensions, or the case/rifle geometry?

George

500 grains,

In my view if we take the two extremes between rifles, that is, a simple rebarrel of a CZ or a 460 Wby on one side of the graph and a full custom English style Express rifle on the other side of the graph...then the 500 Jeffery gains in attraction as the rifle moves closer to the full custom rifle side of the graph.

Of course in terms of power the 500 A2 is generally going to win due to brass considerations.

I bought a lot of tickets in the recent 500 Jeffery take down rifle raffle but had that rifle been in 500 A2 I would not have bought any tickets.

Mike

2470 f/s from a 600 grain bullet from a 460 Wby case expanded to .510 with no other changes is the same pressure as getting 2550 f/s from a 500 grain bullet in the 460 Wby. Certainly a top end load with single base powders. In my experience with two 460s peak accuracy was with 115 grains of IMR 4350 with 500 grain bullets. Taken to a bit over 2600 f/s th slightest hint of an ejector mark occurs.

So 2470 with 600 grainers in 460/510 is top end but no more so than 3140 with 130 grainers in a 270, 2800 with 180s in a 30/06 etc.

However, I think the (but are not sure) the 500 A2 is actually a 460/510 Improved.

Mike

Mike,
a rebarreled and restocked 510 wells, will set one back ~2500 bucks...

a "fine english custom" in 500 jeffery, will set one back approximately 5x times.

Since I am my own smith, I can make what I want, most others cant..

it's 510 wells, from someone who's been there with the jeffery.

in MY opinion, the 500 a2, 510 wells, and 496 a2 shuold be loaded with a 600 at 2150 or a 535 at 2400... 500 jeffery stuff... and matchign the 500 nitro

jeffe

The easy, classy and relatively inexpensive way to go big for a lefty is a Ruger #1 in 500 NE.

Barring that, the 500 A2 is the practicle way to get a powerful 50, and as with Jeff, if I were to go about the 50 again, I'd go the A2 route, makes life much easier.

Rob,
here here... as i've said a million times, i would not do another 500 jeffery, if i canould avoid it... just too much work..

on the other hand, it's sand pounding easy to take a 416 rigby and make it a 510 wells... Danny will do it from 850+ bluing, on one's aciton

PM sent, too
jeffe

I love it ,the Resident Site Shithead ScottS (RSSSS-my new name for him!!!!) giving advice on building a 500 Jeffery. Ha Ha Ha! He probably has never even seen one except in the pictures ALF posts! The Hermaphrodite certainly has an imagination! In any case, this would probably be one of the last cartridges I'd reccomend anyone to build. To say that the trick is in feeding is a gross understatement. Your way better off with a 500 A2 in a left hand M70. The reasons are: 1. you can easily get brass ( the Bertram stuff is total crap), The 500 a2 is more powerfull and your chances of finding a gunsmith( ScottS is ia troll not a gunsmith even though he likes to make believe) is slim to none unless you have years to wait.
I actually have a 500 AHR in the works on a M98 action with a Schuler single stack mag box system. It looks like it will feed and eject nicely, but its just a prototype at this time.-Rob

You could build one on a left hand Sako action.

Probably the most expedient and cost effective way to a really powerful left hand bolt rifle would be to start with a Montana magnum, barrel in something like 500 A-Square.