[ 08-06-2002, 15:53: Message edited by: Pedestal ]

Nice pic - what calibre ????

I have several sporting martini's 17AH, 17/222 Rimmed, 218 Mashburn, 22K Hornet and 222 Rimmed.

Nice, very nice - you're a bit further along on your project than I am with my lightweight .218 Bee.

Nice Martini!
I have a .357 MAX myself.
It is an NEF that has been shortened to 16 1/2" barrel, 31" OAL, has a J&S Hawken trigger guard replacing the plastic abomination, and a carrying sling. The stock has been stained and oil-finished, and the forend has been slimmed down, shortened and contoured like older firearms.
I have three cart. loops on the buttstock with the cart. inletted to 1/2 their depth so they don't stick out so far as a butt cuff with loops.
I dovetailed the breech of the barrel for a homemade drift adj. only peep sight and have an AO white patridge front. (Both front & rear sights are 'hell for stout').
This is a pick-up, horseback rifle and chore rifle for me, as that is how I travel since I have legs that don't work so well and I cannot abide atv's and travel where they cannot go.

A close friend loads 25 gr. Rel 7 and 200 gr. Hornady RN for sub MOA 3 shot groups @ 100 yds in his MAX NEF.
I load thru a Harrel measure with drop tube, 25.5 to 26 gr. Rel.7 and 200 gr. Sierra and Hornady RN's. (Rem. .35 cal. RN Core-Lokt may be worth trying...)
This load hits harder than 30-30 and leaves a much wider, deeper wound channel.
I am "guesstimating" 1,900 fps.

.35 Rem and .33 Win are around 2,000 to 2,200 with longer barrels and same weight bullet.
Both had an enviable "rep" among deer, bear, and elk hunters of the era after the turn of the century till WW2.

The trajectory is less arched than a .44 mag. rifle with 240 gr. bullet, and I believe I have an effective "point blank" clear to 150 yds., which is my personal limit for deer hunting with iron sights. (Most of my deer have been shot considerably under 100 yds., only 3 over 200, and none at all between 100 and 200 yds.)

Around here there are mtn. lion, blackbear, deer and feral dogs.
I am going to try to get the fastest, accurate, same POI 158 gr. or less, HP, possible for feral dogs and cougar. (30-30 has been very dissapointing here, as have .308 with the excellent for deer 165 Rem. Core-Lokt.)
MAX has also shot every .38spl./.357 load I have put thru it very well.
I will load a single .360 roundball over 3 to 4 or maybe 5 in the long case, gr. of RedDot for grouse, rabbits and squirrels. (These roundball loads have worked very well for me in everything but micro-groove barrels, in .32-20 and .357/.38spl.)

If you have a .38 spl./.357 pistol, try your loads in your MAX rifle. You may be pleasantly surprised how well they will shoot out of it!

I think this is a super subsistance/hunting/woods roaming cal. whether you travel by foot, horse, snowmobile, or canoe.

(Share your loads with us?)

Regards,
Dave 32-20

Midsouth still has some of those OEM 180 grain "one shot" pistol bullets for sale.
Least they still had some last I checked and 10 bucks and change is a bargain!
LouisB
Just an opinon of course

Pedeastal,
I bought a bunch of those 180 gr. that look like they would slip thru the air faster and better.
As usual, I got to hear that game show 'penalty buzzer' ("Blaaaat!!" "TOO bad, Dave! Not only do you not get the trip to Cancun, but you lose the monogrammed set of matched luggage!")
The 180 did not work as well as the blunter, heavier RN's, and the weight and blunt nose
does not adversely affect the traj. within realistic ranges.
You barrel may shoot them great...but give the big blunt ones a try, too.
(Make sure you compare the 180's and the different 200's in newspaper. Wet or dry, it gives you a basis of comparison.) (I think dry, or nearly so is more like bone and hard muscle tissue than soaking wet would tend to duplicate.)

RedDot worked the best for me. I have used it for roundball loads since I traded for some when I was in Jr. High.
I've tried others, but haven't found anything to equal it yet.

Glad to hear about your cataract surgery turning out so well! (That is a scary thought, after spending more time than I want to think about training to keep someone from sticking a knife in my eye, I am going to have to have the same thing done sooner or later.)

Regards,
Dave .32-20

Dave3220, You have the "one rifle does all thing" covered!! Those light round ball loads sound neat, how do the shoot?? I am gonna try them in a 10" TC barrel.

Might have to look at the H&R/NEF in a 357 mag again....