Hi all, I got to fireform 3 30 ProCal 40 degree cases today. It starts life as a 6.5 grendel and is expanded and improved. The idea is to try and match a 30BR without all the case prep. It needs a neck skim but that's all the prep other than expanding. The 30BR needs to be opened up, shortened and the the necks turned down to 10thou.
The 125gr Speers should get up into the 2700 to 2900 range so they should be good on non deer sized critters. The rifle I’m testing it out of is a single shot predator, it’s a hunter style stock so it can go both ways.
So if I understand right, the evolution started with 7.62x39 as a parent case to the PPC, which evolved into the Grendel, and now this cute little round. Is that how it goes ? Would be a nice little cartridge by the looks of it. Wonder how it would go pushing 130gn Woodleigh bullets, that would put it into the knock down deer critter with careful shot placement range.
Very interesting Scott, like to know more about it.
So a skim of the necks almost cleaned them up, gave me 12 thou necks. I only had a 331 bushing so after spring back and 1thou tension the loaded neck was 0.3315 which isn't ideal on a 332 neck chamber. I will get a smaller bushing and see what happens with 2 to 3 thou tension.
This is a expanded Grendel case neck turned, it should you the improvement.
Camel wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2020 2:52 pm
So if I understand right, the evolution started with 7.62x39 as a parent case to the PPC, which evolved into the Grendel, and now this cute little round. Is that how it goes ?
Other than missing a small primer being added you nailed it. So it could also be a 7.62x39 Improved I guess.
This shows the process
6.5 Grendel
Expanded to 30cal
neck turned
fired
loaded
125gr TNT
Quickload is suggesting 2850fps worth a 125gr TNT. That is using 38gr as the water capacity which is what the 30 Grendel comes out at, there will be a very small increase in the improved case.
It would be a cool calibre to chamber in a Howa Mini Action.
Thanks for the explain Scott, looks and sounds good. What reamer or series of reamers was used ? Did he get one specially ground for this chamber ? I have a spare 30cal barrel in the shed, and I could use my Zastava 7,62x39 action. Would it be possible to just ream out the original Russian chamber to this version, and then fireform factory ammo, or has the length been changed ?
Camel wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2020 10:41 pm
Thanks for the explain Scott, looks and sounds good. What reamer or series of reamers was used ? Did he get one specially ground for this chamber ? I have a spare 30cal barrel in the shed, and I could use my Zastava 7,62x39 action. Would it be possible to just ream out the original Russian chamber to this version, and then fireform factory ammo, or has the length been changed ?
Better talk to Luke, that's above my pay grade. It started out as a 6mm PC40 and he pushed a neck and throat reamer into it to open it up. The neck he used was 0.332 but with a 0.334 or 0.335 neck you wouldn't have to skim the necks unless there was a donut from expanding.
The .220 Russian cartridge was developed in the late 1950s for deer hunting in Russia as well as 100 meter running deer competitions. It is a 7.62×39mm cartridge necked down to hold a 5.6 mm bullet. It was later adopted by Finland, and by around 1965 was being produced by SAKO and Lapua.
Camel wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2020 10:41 pm
Thanks for the explain Scott, looks and sounds good. What reamer or series of reamers was used ? Did he get one specially ground for this chamber ? I have a spare 30cal barrel in the shed, and I could use my Zastava 7,62x39 action. Would it be possible to just ream out the original Russian chamber to this version, and then fireform factory ammo, or has the length been changed ?
Better talk to Luke, that's above my pay grade. It started out as a 6mm PC40 and he pushed a neck and throat reamer into it to open it up. The neck he used was 0.332 but with a 0.334 or 0.335 neck you wouldn't have to skim the necks unless there was a donut from expanding.
Ok thanks for the info, I guess its another way of getting to the 7.62x39 imp that Johno was going on about a couple of years ago, can't remember what he called it, but he reckoned it gave the parent a 150 to 200 fps increase.