.512" WFNs, LFNs & etc... Heavy 458 for Marlin

[Spyro Andes]

Hi Veral,

I have been thinking about .512" 550gr WFN for a 50-70 Encore Pistol.

I have a 50 Alaskan built on a Marlin 1895 and was looking for a ~600gr stopper for it.  What would you recommend that would feed?

Also, I have a 45-70 Marlin 1895 that I want a 500 gr bullet w/ a BIG meplat.  Is that possible without sacrificing too much capacity to get it to feed?

Thanks and looking forward to your reply,

SA

Thanks for the questions SA.

   I'm going to answer here with your questions and leave the following neat chatter in place.

    A 550 gr WFN would make a real thumper and I can turn one out for you.  The bullet will not need a crimp groove for the single shot action.  Just seat them so they almost touch the rifling when chambered.  
  For the Alaskan, I'd reccomend my LFN so it will feed reliably.  The WFN would tend to hang up coming up through the action.  It will definately need to be crimped to prevent recoil setting them deeper in the cartridge.   When you order this one, send a throat slug so I can set the crimp properly for you.

    In the 45-70 the WFN must be seated quite deep for smooth feeding, but that will not cause  a problem  with powder capacity if you are using smokeless.  It will still hold plenty enough to give the Marlin all the pressure it can stand.  On this on, I reccomend the Lee Factory Crimp die.  and no crimp groove when I cut the mold.  Seat the bullet so they feed and chamber smoothly, then Factory Crimp LIGHTLY, so bullets can't be driven deeper with recoil.  Please understand clearly that I DO NOT RECCOMEND the Lee Factory Crimp Dies for straightwall pistol cartridges.  They will ruin your ammo if the bullets are sized larger than standard bullet diameter as many handguns require. ONLY for rifle ctgs.

      Veral

[Graybeard]

Dang Spyro where you been hiding? I haven't seen a post from you in a month of Sundays. Thought you'd dropped off the face of the earth.

[Spyro Andes]

Dang Spyro where you been hiding? I haven't seen a post from you in a month of Sundays. Thought you'd dropped off the face of the earth.

Hey Bill,

It has definitely been a long time.  Hope I am still welcome around here :wink:

I don't know what it was but, for the last couple of years, it kinda changed for me...

I stopped posting on firearm/hunting/fishing bulletin boards.

I stopped all firearm projects even some that were already started.

I stopped reading the magazines.

Other than a couple of really nice O/Us, I didn't buy any firearms.

I didn't recreationally shoot at all.  My trips to the range consisted of shooting 10 rounds to check a gun's zero.  Maybe one or two trips to shoot sporting clays.

I know it sounds pretty depressing but I have hunted and fly fished more in these last couple of years than I can remember.

I have been hunting big game all over the southwest and done more hunting in california that I can remember.  From waterfowl on weds before work to shooting predators a night a week to killing some meat hogs or meat deer.

I spent alot of time in Mexico last year hunting doves, quail, amazing wild pheasant, waterfowl and coues deer.  I am in the process of setting up a partnership with a mexican outfitter to start a Hunt Club.

I still have my place on Prince of Wales.  I have been hunting bears and stikas like they are going out of style.  I have fly fished for Salmon and Steelhead every year.

I bought a new place in Idaho about 15 minutes from West Yellowstone, Mt. this year.  I spent alot of time this year up there fishing all over SW Montana, the Henry's Fork and in the Park.  

I think that I under went some form of transformation as a hunter because, despite doing all of this hunting and fishing, I pretty much did all of it alone.  I don't know if I was getting back to my roots as a hunter and forgetting about all that B&C stuff.  Maybe hunting just became a much more personal and private thing for me.  Maybe I just got tired of being "the guide" & "travel agent" & "outfitter" & "ballistician" & "gunmaker" & "butcher" & "taxidermist" & "caller" & "dog trainer" for everyone that I went hunting/fishing with.  Maybe it was what I perceived to be a near death experience a couple of year ago.  Maybe it was my knowing that my relationship was progressing towards marriage, nevermind that relationship failed and I am in a better one now, and that I knew that starting a family was going to limit my field time.  Heck it any of those reasons or none of those reasons but it was probably all of the above.

Anyway, I guess that a month ago... I entered a new phase in my journey as a hunter.  During a friend's 40th birthday party, he came up and asked me if I was ever going to go hunting with them again.  He knew that I was still going hunting because everytime he called my house, my girlfriend told him that I was out in the field.  I called one of the ranchers that allows me to hunt his place and asked him for permission for my friends to shoot some pigs.  Got the boys together and shot a bunch of pigs.  Went duck hunting with a few friends last week.

Not to mention that I bought a new calling rifle in 17 rem and trying to get another one in 221 fireball.  Or that I am finishing 1 big bore rifle project in 510 Wells Express (23" including brake w/ express sights on a weatherby action with a laminate stock) and I am getting 3 other projects ready to go... all big bores based of the 300 Winchester Short Mag...

Funny, I got an urge to talk about it on the net again...  :grin:

Thanks for the welcome...  I figured that everyone had probably forgotten about me...

SA

PS.  Congrats on the amazing growth of your site... Truly amazing

[Greybeard]

Thanks for the welcome... I figured that everyone had probably forgotten about me...

Oh no, we've not all forgotten you. And you're always welcome at GBO. Sounds like your time away from us was well spent. But glad you're back. Maybe you can share with us some of the adventures so we can live them vicariously.

PS. Congrats on the amazing growth of your site... Truly amazing

Yup I hated to leave the old cascading forum format behind but seems it had gotten to the point I was the only one left who preferred it. Since moving to this new software at the end of 2002 things have really grown. In just two short years since we've registered almost 11,000 members. And the number of forums has really grown too. In those same two years we've had well over 1/4 million posts made.

Welcome back. Hang around we miss those stories of your adventures and look forward to them again.