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Boerrancher
02-27-2013, 07:29 PM
Here is a rifle dad built back in the mid 1970's It has a hand cut cherry stock and a Federal Ord receiver. As you can see from the photos it is a custom M1 Garand. I will let you look at the photo of of the loaded enbloc and see if you can figure out what cartridge it is. It is wildcat and not commercially available.

62606

62607

62608

62609

62610

The scope is just a straight 10X Tasco Scope. I have had this rifle for several years and have never pulled the trigger on it until today. I ended up having to reduce the load by 10% that I use in my bold guns, because the port pressure was a bit high. Even with the load reduced by 10% I am still zipping along at 3700 fps. Now that I have a load that will work the action and not yank the rims off of the case I can zero the rifle and work up an accuracy load. Should be fun.

Best wishes,

Joe

Bullshop
02-27-2013, 07:35 PM
3700 fps !?! you mean 2700 ?
oops just saw the wildcat thingy. maybe you did mean 3700.
I guess 6.5/06

Boerrancher
02-27-2013, 07:41 PM
3700 fps !?! you mean 2700 ?

No I mean 3700 fps. This round will break the 4k fps mark out of most 26 inch barreled rifles that it is chambered in with any of the bullets made for it.

Best wishes,

Joe

I should add if the bullet holds together and doesn't come apart in mid flight.

x101airborne
02-27-2013, 07:47 PM
What in the corn-bread is that???
Your dad must have been the man when it comes to custom rifle building.
I will watch with much interest. VERY interested.

Plate plinker
02-27-2013, 07:51 PM
25-06?

bruce drake
02-27-2013, 08:51 PM
Plate plinker beat me to my guess.

Artful
02-27-2013, 09:10 PM
I'll guess 6mm '06 - That is an interesting project for sure, your dad did some real interesting work.

Idaho Mule
02-27-2013, 09:53 PM
I'm going with Bullshop's guess of 6.5-06 as well. 3700 is pretty hot tho. JW

Ben
02-27-2013, 09:57 PM
6 mm - 06

DLCTEX
02-27-2013, 10:18 PM
I was thinking 6mm/06 also. Some of the lighter bullets may make 4000 with it?

Bullshop
02-27-2013, 10:35 PM
I have a 6mm/06 on a 1903-A3 with a 28" barrel and with 100gn bullets the best I can get is 3300 fps.
You said this gun is a wildcat cartridge that will do 3700 fps with all the bullets made for it.
If that is the case then it must be a custom caliber with a custom swage die and there is only one bullet made for it.
Even if it was a 22/06 it couldnt do 3700 fps with all bullets made for it because there are 90gn Bergers in 22 cal and I dont think a garand platform would survive for long at the sustained pressure it would take to get them to 3700 fps.
I have built several 22s for the heavy bullets like a 224 Clark and 22/243 Middlestead and I would have to push them awfully hard to get 3700 with 90gn bullets.
Man your driving me nuts with this! Come on out with it, what is it?

P.K.
02-27-2013, 10:54 PM
.270-06? 7mm-06? I'm leaning to .277 though.

429421Cowboy
02-27-2013, 11:58 PM
Beautiful rifle!
I too am quite confused though, looks to be a 6mm/06 type deal but the 4000fps and bullets made for it statments have me baffled!

429421Cowboy
02-28-2013, 12:05 AM
SWAG... .228/.270 R&M? Fits the velocity and special bullet slots as well as parent case...

Boerrancher
02-28-2013, 12:34 AM
It is a 6mm 06. Dad built his first one in back in the late 50's to antelope hunt with. He got tired of them running a couple ridges over, stopping and looking back at him. He wanted a rifle that when they stopped running and looked back he could reach out and touch them. Then he got the idea that it would make a great rifle for hunting moose. A college buddy of mine has the first one 6mm 06 dad ever built. Dad gave up on it and said it was worn out when it went from sub MOA to MOA groups. That man got rid of more good rifles than I will probably ever own.

Best wishes,

Joe

leadman
02-28-2013, 12:42 AM
An adjustable gas plug might help with the port pressure. Quite a different looking Garand for sure! I saw a few pictures of similar sporterization of the Garand in old magazines. Not very common, and very uncommon in 6mm-06.

Boerrancher
02-28-2013, 07:59 AM
An adjustable gas plug might help with the port pressure.

I just needed to be reminded that it is not a heavy built bolt gun, and I can't fill a case full of IMR4831 or AA8700, vibrate it down and fill it again, and then stomp a 100 grain or better bullet on top. I should have been a bit more reasonable and used the max loads for the 240 WBY mag as my start data and I would have been fine.

Best wishes,

Joe

gnoahhh
02-28-2013, 11:39 AM
So, what effect does high velocity/ high pressure loads with slow burning powder have on the gas operating system of that Garand? Common knowledge has it that slow burning powders give an extended pressure impulse that is very detrimental to the parts of the gas system, which is why the gov't used faster burning powders rather than slow burners for '06 ammo and we civilians are always cautioned to do the same. Are those super high velocity rounds operating within safe pressure parameters to begin with, and do you know that for a fact? Hate to see you come to grief with an heirloom.

Bad Water Bill
02-28-2013, 01:48 PM
Joe keep posting those pictures and I just might have to drive down there to view your NEW museum.:bigsmyl2:

JeffinNZ
02-28-2013, 05:48 PM
Good Lord! That's spectacular!!!

Boerrancher
02-28-2013, 11:38 PM
So, what effect does high velocity/ high pressure loads with slow burning powder have on the gas operating system of that Garand? Common knowledge has it that slow burning powders give an extended pressure impulse that is very detrimental to the parts of the gas system, which is why the gov't used faster burning powders rather than slow burners for '06 ammo and we civilians are always cautioned to do the same. Are those super high velocity rounds operating within safe pressure parameters to begin with, and do you know that for a fact? Hate to see you come to grief with an heirloom.

To answer all of your questions at once, dad changed the extractor on all of the M1s that he worked on so that if the port pressure become to high it would quickly show some damage to the extractor groove on the head of the case. Start with a light load, and increase it a bit at a time until the extractor marks the groove on the case head and the next charge back from that is the do not exceed. At least they M1 is not as sensitive to port pressure as the Remington 742 and 7400 rifles are. I have seen loads that worked really well in M1 Garands completely wreck those rifles, because the gas port was closer to the chamber.

Best wishes,

Joe