MiHec 311440 THOR

[sisterjim]

Attachment 85461Attachment 85462

I loaded some of these hunting boolits for my Marlin 336. 19 and 20 grains of 2207 and 25,26,27 grs. of 2206H. We don't get too technical down here in the Apple Isle but the best load was 27gr of 2206H. This was also the hottest load I tried. My guess is about 1800fps. Boolits were sized to .312 in lyman 45 with some beeswax and lithium grease goo for lube. The gas checks are Hornady and annealed. They seat but thumb gets sore after a couple hundred sizings. May give the bases a burr-off with case trimming tool to enable an easy push fit. My Marlin has a barrel from an Eddystone M1917 so ballard cut. No leading noted after 30 shots. The action on occasions was hard to close. The bore riding section of the boolit may have been compressed when sizing. I will try a .313 to see if it will need less of a pull to size and not deform nose. Alloy is 4:1 wwPb with 2%tin air cooled. I figure these will be good killers out to 150 yards. Will post more when I have tried on game.

[45 2.1]

With that alloy and air cooled, I usually wait a couple of weeks to size them. Larger will help on that even if they're too big.... then you can push them thru a Lee sizer and not upset the nose. If your sizing earlier than a week, then you are probably right about expanding a nose occasionally.... it's not too hard to do when they're softer. Good report.... When I sized the nose on the drawing, I hoped they would fit the Marlins....seems they do.

[Lefty SRH]

I'd like to see some pics of the boolit please. What are the other details about this .30 cal THOR.

[sisterjim]

If your sizing earlier than a week, then you are probably right about expanding a nose occasionally....

The guy who shot the group is 78 and I don't think I'll see him again until he is 80. He wanted a shot and that's just what he got. I'll sit on the rest and size them in a couple of weeks. Thank you for the time invested in this project. I particularly appreciate it as I know I wouldn't have the time myself.
PS my gun is a one-off and so the chamber might not be same as other Marlins. It was made in 1961 I reckon the original microgroove barrel got shot out and this M1917 replacement was lopped where the 30-06 ended and reamed out for 30-30. I then hacked off the other end. to make it about 21". Gun cost me $150 and one hacksaw blade. JIM

[sisterjim]

As promised, some shots in the field with HP boolits. These animals were culled from a property which has a crop protection certificate issued by DPIPWE. The wallabies cause significant losses for beef and dairy farmers. The healed wound to the ear may have been due to a poor rimfire or shotshell attempt. Thoracic shots leave all the edible meat intact. Whist this looks like overgunning death is instant. These cartridges work out at $6 for 20 and cause minimal barrel wear.

[NYBushBro]

I like the 'torch' (aka flashlight) mount on the magazine tube... where do you get them?

How many yards/meters does the beam project... and how far was the shot?

[sisterjim]

I reckon about 75 yards, the light is an Led Lenser P7. They sell the mounts but they are made in China and so you can get three without the name on them for the same price. This light/gun combo is not perfect. Need an Led Lenser X7R with double bulb to get beyond the 75 yards. I'm not a rep for this company but I can vouch for their customer service. I returned a H14 lamp that I had used in the field. It was spattered in grime and the rubber battery cover was torn. They replaced the cover and cleaned up the lamp. It was returned to me at their cost with no charge. I am about to purchase the X7R.