a.JR

[macca]

Hi a.JR the rifle I am looking at buying has been linked to you. I was wondering if it belonged or was made by you.It is a 600 rem sleeved and with a Tobler 284 win barrel.Sold in Victoria around 2004 and resold at Canberra in March 2004.
If it was yours do you have any tips regarding loads etc?
It has not been used since 2004 as the then purchaser went onto other disciplines.
thanks,
Macca

[a.JR]

]

[macca]

Thanks very much Jeff.I'll pick it up and use it while I save to have another built.I'll give it a run in F open at the longs and see how it goes.I may give it a go in fly as I haven't shot that yet and it will be something to start with while I learn the ropes.
Thanks again,
Macca

[Tony Z]

Macca don't let the appearance of that rifle fool you and if we knew then what we know now, that rifle would have never left NQ. It's not a 600, it is a very early 700 with no anti bind slot and rail in the right side. If you look very carefully at the tang area you will see that it actually has a crack in it. The original owner had tried to remove a barrel using Steelsons and in the process had bent and cracked the tang near the trigger port and twisted the action. I re-aligned things as best i could paying a lot of attention to the critical lockup area. When i sleeved it many many years back, we always anticipated that it may be a dunger. That was never the case. It was originally chambered in the 7mm SR and was an absolute hummer with any barrel we ever put in it. With 168 SMKs and a guts full of 2209 it was able to shoot flat line weather reports at 1K. If only we had it now. Some of the smallest elevation in an LG i have seen to date.
Quite a few years back i re-chambered it to 284 and JR sold it to a fellow in Vic to shoot goats or something like that, then Jacko Bending took it out to a 500m range and with the load JR had described to him, he was able to put down a sub 2 incher five shotter first up in some real crappy weather. After that we sort of lost track of it. I don't think it has seen target work for years.
The chamber as i did it was a sraightened 284 parent case, the neck is 0.314 ??, the load used if i remember rightly was a BR2 or 210M, 51 to 51.5 grains of 2209 and a 168 SMK just off the lands.
Jeff fondly called it the "black pig", and these days its ability as a 284 is probably a bit dated to what we use now, but in its time it sure pissed a lot of people off. In the original 7 SR, it may be a bit more competitive.
Don't ever pull the action from the sleeve, what you may see may frighten you. Not my most prized bit of action truing and sleeving.

Tony Z.

[macca]

Thanks Tony,I'm not likely to pull her apart as I drive them only. I have very limited gunsmithing ability.
I think it sounds like what I need to start off in the more civilised (sitting rather then lieing) shooting forms.
I may even get around to having a crack at the 1k BR.
Thanks again,
Macca

[Tony Z]

Just as a warning Macca, i would not load 168 SMKs and Lapua cases with 51.5 grains of 2209 as i doubt you will be able to open the bolt on the second or third firing. The current batch of Lapua cases in Aus cannot sustain that load. Some of the new Winchester 284 brass is far more uniform and able to withstand those pressures, but i would go there very cautiously. 51.5 grains of 09 is right on the wood in most 284 chambers. If i can get hold of the batch number for the Win cases that a few are now importing themselves, i will pass it on to you as i believe some of it has filtered through to the dealers here. Trevor Armstrong and Marty Lobert are both using 175 SMKs and around or over 51 grains of 09 in these Win cases. Marty doesn't use or even own body or bump dies and shoots this load till the barrel dies. That is outstanding brass resiliance.

Tony Z.

[macca]

Noted thanks Tony.This rifle comes with 100 Lapuas so I'll back off and work up till I can find some win brass.
Macca