Possibly my best cast bullet group ever!

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
You did write down the load, right? I hope so, I tend to forget and am horrible at record keeping like that.

Brad, Yes ….Actually I save all my targets I shoot so I can refer back to them ( even if they aren't particularly good) This gives me a good reference to watch how things change with time,
including my shooting skills.
Jim
 

Brother_Love

Well-Known Member
Jim,
I have read where some people have added a rear action screw. Did you do this or just go with the single screw in the action?

Did you do the re-throat yourself?

Enjoying this thread,
Malcolm
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
I was going to add a rear screw just behind the trigger housing. But as Ben has said to us a number of times Savage rifles are made to have the rear of the action free floated.
So I went with his experience and I'm happy I did! Yes only one action screw hold the barreled action in the stock. But since the stock was glass bedded 2" forward of the recoil lug back to the trigger housing it is a very tight fit. Also I'm not planing on shooting heavy loads with it .

After talking with Ian he had me convinced that I could do the re throat myself & that too I'm glad I did. It was't that scary after all!
It cuts quick so you got to work slow. I actually spent more time making pound casts to see the progress.
 

Brother_Love

Well-Known Member
Jim,
Thank you for your response. Yes, I would trust Ben's advice as well. What kind of reamer do I need, one like the ones MidwayUSA sells?

Thanks again, Malcolm
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
JW, can you give a brief description of the throating? Where did you get the
reamer? What is the geometry of the reamer? A few notes on the whole process
would be interesting. I see the glass bed action and 2" of bbl, remove front band
and bolt.

A general - "How I did it", possibly as it's own thread, would be very intersting
reading.

Thank.

Bill
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
The Reamer I was fortunate enough to get the loan of from one of the folks on the Cast Bullet forum.

It is a finishing throat reamer with removable front pilots sized to ride the bore to maintain concentricity
The barreled action is held vertical in a vice and the oiled reamer is inserted down the chamber and slowly turned by hand with a t handle
I basically used gravity to feed it down However Starting it cutting the harsh sharp factory rifling was a bit scary..... go slow an pull back slightly until those sharp ends
start to taper.....once they do it cuts like butter I made 1/2 turn cuts and removed the reamer to bush the metal chips and re oil the reamer each 1/2 turn cut.
I marked the handle to keep track of the depth When I got to the point I was close in depth I cleaned everything and made a pound cast.
 

waco

Springfield, Oregon
Awesome work Jim and great shooting! A fine looking rifle as well. I love my 340 but yours is a real beauty. Congrats!
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Ok All the throat work was done with the reamer however as suggested I break the hard 90 deg transition from the chamber to the throat to make it more cone like ( for cast bullet shooting)
by the use of a sharpened pencil dipped in a little fine clover leaf compound and turned by hand. ( but I used a pencil sharpened piece of hickory dowel instead)
Not a lot but just enough to give it a softer transition ( The rear of the throat on the last pound cast miked .3115") it is now .312"
 

Canuck Bob

Active Member
Nice rifle but a real bragging group with cast!

Thanks JW, those old SAAMI chambers have a transition like a curb! I've read often that the best improvement for such rifles is a smooth low angle throat and leade. Your results confirm it for me.

Does that rifle have a spring loaded ejector or a stationary one?
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
OK,
Shooting the same load this morning here is a set of 30 shots in 5 shot groups.....
Just to prove that when "a gun can shoot" it is all up to the shooter and even then I feel it is 90% LUCK and 10 % SKILL
One hole groups for me are far and few between. These were shot from left to right on down the targets.
The measurements are center to center on the farthest point in the group
Jim
10-18-17-340-50yd.jpg
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
that gun has more 1 hole groups in it.
your fighting the trigger, and the shoulder contact.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
that gun has more 1 hole groups in it.
your fighting the trigger, and the shoulder contact.

Fiver You are absolutely correct! Yes, Yes I'm!
Dan ( quicksylver ) has thought me a lot about shooting with receiver sights ( aperture front and rear) An I have done very well with this rifle like that.
Actually some of those groups have rivaled the scope sighted groups!
The scope has made me aware more of my setting it into the shoulder and my trigger pull ( which is heavy with the 340). With the receiver sights I didn't notice them
as much as I do with the scope so now I'm anticipating and trying to compensate on the fly which is a very bad thing!
Actually when I shot that 1 hole group each shot was a total surprise but they all felt good! When the groups are like today's I know on firing that most likely that shot will be out.
My aim point…..The small center of the circle ( in the square) is only .375" in diameter but it is amazing how much movement a scope cross hairs can do in such a small circle!
Jim