500 Jeffery

[Whiterabbit]

Here is my CZ 550 Magnum:

gorgeous. What's the max mag length on that guy?

[frank505]

I shoot 130 grains of WC 860 with a 600 grain gas check in my 505 Gibbs. Very close to a case full of cheap powder. Nice load, accurate and kills very well.

[338RemUltraMag]

I cant remember mag length but here is a pic of one in the box:

[Whiterabbit]

awesome. Looks like 3.9".

[MBTcustom]

Licking pencil, flipping notepad....

[Duckiller]

Why? I thought all mastadons ,rhinos and other really nasty game had left Arkansas. I know there are big things that eat and stomp on you in Canada's Northwest territories. That is why Bruce has his large caliber guns. For most of North America I just need something to stop lions, tigers and bears.

[Whiterabbit]

for the same reason you NEED a 10 round magazine.

[338RemUltraMag]

for the same reason you NEED a 10 round magazine.

Perfect answer

[Blue2]

Another caliber to think about. I am already to build a 50/338 Lapua Magnum. Or a 50/416 Rigby if you prefer to call it that. I got started in this direction after seeing the 50 cal built on the 460 Weatherby cartridge. Looked into it and this is a feasible build. I am not the first guy to do it. Lots of brass and the rifles that run the 338 Lapua are readily available. I have a 650 grain gas check mold using Hornady gas checks and a Lothar Walther barrel. The reamer is now on hand and I just have to decide on the action. I am thinking a light varmint contour and probably go with a Remington long action on a H.S. Precision stock. If I like it and want a sporter profile I would use the CZ550 Magnum action rifle.

[Whiterabbit]

I'm curious if 460 Weatherby is cheaper brass than 338 lapua or 416 rigby? Reason being is there is also the 495 A-square which the internet (I know, I know the internet is ALWAYS right) tells me makes a really good cast bullet cartridge. But I'm not sure I see the advantage compared to using the 338 case assuming the case capacity is similar.

I'm actually in the market for a 550. It's hard to find one with good (outstanding) wood for a good price.

[Gray Fox]

There may be some real need for these big bores coming down the pike if that geneticist fellow manages to clone the mastodon or wooly mammoth that he wants to resurrect. Just imagine what the guy who can afford to buy a $50,000 rifle would be willing to pay to hunt one of them. Way above my pay grade of course, but maybe he'd let me go along to take pictures. GF

[lmcollins]

Tim, check on www.realguns.com. Joe shoots a 550 CZ mag in both the 416 Rigby, and the 500 Jeffery in the same model rifle, the CZ 550.

There is a picture of the 416 Rigby out of the stock. Get a load of that lug! There is also a picture of the cartridges with a 30-06. Note the loaded OAL's.

Roy Dunlaps book shows a picture of the 1917 opened up for a magnum. The trick is to take as much as possible out of the REAR of the action. Somewhere I red that after WWI when the true magnum Mauser actions were not available the Brits made the big magnums out of 1917/13. Butch Lambert showed a picture of his 416 made on a 1917 action on the 24hourcampfire.

I have also red of taking two 98's and cutting them apart to make a very long 98 by welding them together. I would think it easier to fill the thumb slot while things were apart. Supposedy mag boxes must be heavy in the front to prevent damage from recoil and heavy cartridges/bullet combos.

We all wait to be amazed by your ingenuity.

Take note all Remington long actiongs have a 3.6 inch mag box. The 700 action and bolt are round, and therfore easy to machine. Wouldn't it be easy to make a 700 LA about and honest 1.6 inches plus inches longer? I'd work from the back side of the action and bolt, near to the bridge.

[Balkandom]

Hey folks,

As the person for whom the rifle is being built, I would like to weigh in. I am not on here often; I lurk more than I talk, but I enjoy my lurking and in the process I have met a few amazing people, Goodsteel being one of them.

A little background on me-I am new to cast bullets, but have been around guns for most of my life. My family is relatively affluent, and I was brought up being exposed to firearms that ranged from very nice to exquisite; everything from shotguns, to target rifles, to big-bore African guns. The masochistic side of me likes the big bores, and the thought of the Jeffrey is very exciting to me, especially when made affordable to shoot with cast bullets! I'm down to 2 big bores, a 375 Weatherby and a 458 Lott, but I have been exposed to much larger in my time.

When I saw Tim's Genesis rifle it made up my mind...Tim has the talent to create what is in my minds' eye, and I won't have to spend the $8-12k it would cost me to get it done elsewhere. He and I have talked extensively on this build, and when finished, it is going to be a work of art. It won't be built on a shoestring budget, and no corners will be cut. I am a complete snob when it comes to European-style rifles (Ask Goodsteel, he has seen some of my collection), especially the safari type, and I have every confidence that he can and will deliver what I want.

It's not going to be done tomorrow or next month, but I can assure you all that when finished, it will be a work of art not often seen on Cast Boolits, or anywhere else.

Stay tuned!

Mike

[MBTcustom]

Thanks for the kind words Mike.
Actually, this thread was originally started so I could find information on another build I was doing. Unfortunately, the client did not agree with my policy of test firing each rifle at least 5 times, and I had to pull the plug on that build, and refund his money.
I hope I can build a rifle for you that is up to your standards.
I believe you have a good grasp of my policy's and my commitment to perfection.
You will have a very special rifle when it's all done.

[timrichardedward]

New member here, but saw your build and wanted to ask some questions.

1. How do you know the action is safe to use for this cartridge? Seems to me this would have some real pressure issues.

2. What is the basis for shooting the rifle 5 times......? Is 5 a magic number? Why not 10 or even maybe 13?

3. Does this cartridge need a custom stock built or could one use the original?

Very interesting build....I might want one some day!

[pkie44]

What kind of finish on the barrel? I want one with that blueish chrome finish.

[Von Gruff]

New member here, but saw your build and wanted to ask some questions.

1. How do you know the action is safe to use for this cartridge? Seems to me this would have some real pressure issues.

2. What is the basis for shooting the rifle 5 times......? Is 5 a magic number? Why not 10 or even maybe 13?

3. Does this cartridge need a custom stock built or could one use the original?

Very interesting build....I might want one some day!

If you are serious about getting a rifle of this calibre built then make sure whoever you approach to do the job understands big bore rifles. Someone who has only worked on 30 and under calibers may not have the knowledge to safely complete this type of project.
Someone who says quote "( never heard of a double recoil lug???)" and then says quote "I'm going to bolster this gun as much as possible by welding on a second recoil lug in the back of the action, and possibly adding a 3/8" Remington 700 style recoil lug up front, with screws going through the outside of the stock and into the lug to try to hold everything together." may not be the smith to approach.
I would ask for credentials from previous customers before undertaking this project.

[MBTcustom]

If you are serious about getting a rifle of this calibre built then make sure whoever you approach to do the job understands big bore rifles. Someone who has only worked on 30 and under calibers may not have the knowledge to safely complete this type of project.
Someone who says quote "( never heard of a double recoil lug???)" and then says quote "I'm going to bolster this gun as much as possible by welding on a second recoil lug in the back of the action, and possibly adding a 3/8" Remington 700 style recoil lug up front, with screws going through the outside of the stock and into the lug to try to hold everything together." may not be the smith to approach.
I would ask for credentials from previous customers before undertaking this project.

I said that. Those were my words over on another forum. Unfortunately, when the gunsmith gods came and blessed certain men with the knowledge of how to build big bore rifles, they skipped me. I have to learn the old fashioned way, and part of learning is making mistakes.
Mike and I are going to see how this goes. We've got extra trigger guards on order (so I can figure out how to modify them) and a barrel is on order (chrome moly so it can be properly blued) along with express sights, and wood is being prospected for.

[MBTcustom]

New member here, but saw your build and wanted to ask some questions.

1. How do you know the action is safe to use for this cartridge? Seems to me this would have some real pressure issues.

2. What is the basis for shooting the rifle 5 times......? Is 5 a magic number? Why not 10 or even maybe 13?

3. Does this cartridge need a custom stock built or could one use the original?

Very interesting build....I might want one some day!

I did manage to get in touch with Dwayn Wiebe and at this point, several other smiths that have built these rifles. They told me how to check them for hardness.

Five shots is a typical group. Nobody respects a 3 shot group, because you might have just gotten lucky. If you can keep five inside an inch at 100yards then that's a respectable group. Also, when you are doing this for a business, each box of ammo contains 20 shots. This allows me to test fire 4 rifles with each box of ammo.
I'll add to this by saying that usually for one reason or another, I end up shooting about ten, but 5 is minimum.

I would not recommend using the original stock, and neither do any of the smiths I have been talking to (except one).
There may be much more experienced smiths that could build one of these rifles with the original stock, but it gives me the heeby jeebys.

I've never built one of these bigbore DG rifles before. This is the first one, and it's quite a bit different than anything I have ever done before. Once it's all done, I'll be able to speak much more intelligently about what it's all about.
Like one of our signature lines says: "It's all an educated guess until you pull the trigger".

[Whiterabbit]

I don't think you ever mentioned what the donor rifle was. It was asked, I don't think it was answered.

Saw the prospective wood in the other thread. I like it.