swanshot
07-09-2008, 02:19 AM
It all started back in a more innocent age, about three years ago. I say “more innocent” because I was very naïve, I had no idea what went into a project of this sort, and I must say that it has increased my vocabulary of expletives considerably.
I had decided that I wanted a long range high power accurate pistol. Now any sensible person would have purchased a Thompson contender and been done with it. Not me!
Ohhhhhh no, I’m not a sensible person, I wanted something different.
I was browsing a collectors book and came across a picture of a European free pistol built on a small martini action and thought “yes, yes that’s it, I love it”. And so it came to pass.
We have a resident semi retired expat English gunsmith at the club and he agreed to take it on. Over the course of this project we became close friends. It was either that or come to fisticuffs. I got hold of a couple of cadet actions, a greener and a BSA and a new un-profiled 14 twist 308 rifle barrel. We were all set to go. Having brought a rifle barrel I decided to create a matching carbine with the remaining 18 inches of barrel.
My first thought for a caliber was the 7.62x39 but the Martini extractor is not easily adapted to rimless cases, so we decided to stay with a rimmed round. I can’t remember the exact process, except to say it was fueled by beer, but we somehow arrived at 30/357.
This being a 357mag case necked down to 308.
First we modified the action to a side lever and trust me when I say that this is a whole story in itself. Ground a new chamber reamer from a 12 mm straight reamer. Chambered the barrel, set it up, modified the extractor, made a grip for it, and mounted a sight on the barrel. Then down the range to test fire. Disaster!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh.
The cases would not extract. I tried different powders, different loads, different cases, no go. The only loads that allowed extraction where not worth the bother. Sheeeeesh!.
So we polished the chamber till it was like a mirror, opened the throat out, it was getting better, but still not good, and then we started splitting case necks. We had opened the throat out too much. I faced the grim reality of having spent over $1000 on a gun that didn’t work. It became apparent that the cases just couldn’t tolerate the pressures I needed. I suck my thumb in my mouth, sat in a corner and sulked for six months.
The lovely Mrs. Swanshot, already less than impressed by my pillaging raids on the household budget was ominously quiet about it. Ohhhhh God!! The humiliation.
Six months later, armed with nothing more that a tax return cheque and a bloody minded refusal to accept defeat we revisited the project. This time we decided that the 30 Herrett (a shortened 30/30), was the way to go. Couldn’t get a reamer in Aus and the only reamers in the US were special made to order jobs that cost an arm and leg. Why do I do these things, why, why, why? Being the clever fellows that we are Ken and I decided that we could just grind down a 30/30 reamer. Too easy right? Yeah right. The creation of this reamer is yet another story in itself, but let it be sufficient to say Ken (I’m not gonna take the blame), stuffed up and what we finished up with we named the 7,62x35 R (rimmed).
IT WORKS, IT WORKS!!!! He, he, he, ho, ho, ho, Whooeeee!! I’ve got what I set to get. I’m like a dog with two tails. But-----There’s always a but, the barrel had to be cut down to get rid of the old (oversized) throat, so now it is only 91/2 inches. Now I’m due another tax return cheque and I’m thinking 14 inches of fluted barrel in 13 twist should be just about right.
In the meantime I’ve got his thing shooting 30mm (1.1/4 inch) groups at 100 mts and it is consistent out to 200 i.e. 2.1/2 inch groups, which is no too shabby from a pistol.
This is using an 110gn projectile at 2000 ft/sec.
The top pic is the original concept
2nd is the failed 30/357
And the last is the success.
Some of you may recall that I was lookin for a 7x Burris scope last week; This is what it's for.
I had decided that I wanted a long range high power accurate pistol. Now any sensible person would have purchased a Thompson contender and been done with it. Not me!
Ohhhhhh no, I’m not a sensible person, I wanted something different.
I was browsing a collectors book and came across a picture of a European free pistol built on a small martini action and thought “yes, yes that’s it, I love it”. And so it came to pass.
We have a resident semi retired expat English gunsmith at the club and he agreed to take it on. Over the course of this project we became close friends. It was either that or come to fisticuffs. I got hold of a couple of cadet actions, a greener and a BSA and a new un-profiled 14 twist 308 rifle barrel. We were all set to go. Having brought a rifle barrel I decided to create a matching carbine with the remaining 18 inches of barrel.
My first thought for a caliber was the 7.62x39 but the Martini extractor is not easily adapted to rimless cases, so we decided to stay with a rimmed round. I can’t remember the exact process, except to say it was fueled by beer, but we somehow arrived at 30/357.
This being a 357mag case necked down to 308.
First we modified the action to a side lever and trust me when I say that this is a whole story in itself. Ground a new chamber reamer from a 12 mm straight reamer. Chambered the barrel, set it up, modified the extractor, made a grip for it, and mounted a sight on the barrel. Then down the range to test fire. Disaster!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh.
The cases would not extract. I tried different powders, different loads, different cases, no go. The only loads that allowed extraction where not worth the bother. Sheeeeesh!.
So we polished the chamber till it was like a mirror, opened the throat out, it was getting better, but still not good, and then we started splitting case necks. We had opened the throat out too much. I faced the grim reality of having spent over $1000 on a gun that didn’t work. It became apparent that the cases just couldn’t tolerate the pressures I needed. I suck my thumb in my mouth, sat in a corner and sulked for six months.
The lovely Mrs. Swanshot, already less than impressed by my pillaging raids on the household budget was ominously quiet about it. Ohhhhh God!! The humiliation.
Six months later, armed with nothing more that a tax return cheque and a bloody minded refusal to accept defeat we revisited the project. This time we decided that the 30 Herrett (a shortened 30/30), was the way to go. Couldn’t get a reamer in Aus and the only reamers in the US were special made to order jobs that cost an arm and leg. Why do I do these things, why, why, why? Being the clever fellows that we are Ken and I decided that we could just grind down a 30/30 reamer. Too easy right? Yeah right. The creation of this reamer is yet another story in itself, but let it be sufficient to say Ken (I’m not gonna take the blame), stuffed up and what we finished up with we named the 7,62x35 R (rimmed).
IT WORKS, IT WORKS!!!! He, he, he, ho, ho, ho, Whooeeee!! I’ve got what I set to get. I’m like a dog with two tails. But-----There’s always a but, the barrel had to be cut down to get rid of the old (oversized) throat, so now it is only 91/2 inches. Now I’m due another tax return cheque and I’m thinking 14 inches of fluted barrel in 13 twist should be just about right.
In the meantime I’ve got his thing shooting 30mm (1.1/4 inch) groups at 100 mts and it is consistent out to 200 i.e. 2.1/2 inch groups, which is no too shabby from a pistol.
This is using an 110gn projectile at 2000 ft/sec.
The top pic is the original concept
2nd is the failed 30/357
And the last is the success.
Some of you may recall that I was lookin for a 7x Burris scope last week; This is what it's for.