A Hauck built on a Rodney Storie investment cast kit; a very fast build. The wood, which needs to be finished this winter, came as a close pattern from Dennis Olsen, Plains MT. I chambered it for .308 Winchester. It shoots very well, but I problems getting the rimless extractor to work right. A rimmed case is more appropriate for a falling block. So. I need a rimmed 308. I will likely try the rimmed 444 marlin brass. I would rather use 7x57R brass as it has a nicer rim, but it might be harder to find. I would also consider rechambering for the 7.2 mm Russian. case
The shoulder on the 7x57r or 303 would need moving back a long way.
Various options
1) try and get it working with 308 - plenty of single shots use rimless ammo. Are you rnnning higher pressures? Suspect a stronger spring under the extractor might work.
2) Rechamber it to a rimmed cartridge - 30-40 krag would be the obvious 308 calibre rimmed, or 307 Win.
3) rechamber to 30R Blaser. A rimmed cartridge for single shots - about half way between 30-06 and 300 win mag. Its a fatter cartridge than 308 so should have plenty of room to chamber it and sort out extractor.
4) or develop a wildcat making your own brass etc.
Posts: 987 | Location: Scotland | Registered: 28 February 2011
Thanks for having my back. I will use the boring bar to add the 307 rim to the 308 chamber. That should work. I might use 444 Marlin brass as the diameter of the rim is slightly bigger than the 307. The as it is moved the extractor pivots and, in doing so, moves to a lower contact position on the rim of the case; a little extra rim cannot hurt. Likely not an issue worth talking about!
gwahir, I counter-bored my 308 encore to shoot a .307 case. Works just like it was factory. Loading info for the .307 is a little sparse. Some sources say .307 cases have a smaller case capacity than the .308 so you can't or are not supposed to use .308 data. Other sources say thats not true they are the same so you can use the same data for both. Conventional wisdom would say start low and work up. I think the action its built on would be the common denominator.
Posts: 513 | Location: NE Washington | Registered: 27 September 2012
The .307 has a shorter COL than the .308, but in your situation that's not a problem. QuickLoad's database says the .307 has 2 gr less case capacity, so you should try for slightly less speed even if you reload to .308 COL.
How long had you the castings? I don't think Storie has offered them in over a decade. He had a really nice selection. He does still sell butt plates and the like.
Posts: 980 | Location: U.S.A. | Registered: 01 June 2003
Gentlemen. thanks for your input. I used 50 444 brass. One trip through a 358 die and then a 308 die. Trim to length, and it works! I will start low. Asdf, Rodney used my original Hauck last year to develop molds. I had some input after trying the castings and am happy with the result. There is enough extra metal in the right places to allow exact tolerances. A very fast build. Rodney is retired now, so has time to do important things like keeping our obsessive compulsive tendencies working by providing castings! Working on rimmed case extractor today.
Interesting. Is he producing all those actions again or is he starting over, making new molds? I’d read he considered selling his old collection of molds, but I never saw anyone offering castings off those again.
He used to offer castings for the Ballard, Hepburn, Borchardt, Stevens, Cole, Wesson, Farrows, Farqs, and others. It was quite the collection and made me wish I had suitable machinist skills.
Posts: 980 | Location: U.S.A. | Registered: 01 June 2003
Gwahir, I form .300 H&H flanged from .375 H&H brass and MUST inside neck ream. You are reducing brass a good bit more so suggest you have a close look to see if you have a brass donut at the neck of your .308 brass... Pressure danger is possible.
Regards, Tim
Posts: 1323 | Location: Washington, DC | Registered: 17 March 2003
