missionary5155
10-30-2012, 05:58 AM
Good morning
Have well over 400 rounds down range in this rifle now. Is it worth the fuss ?
First I would say .. Yes ! This caliber will do all the 38 lever guns can and leave a fatter whole for the intended target to deal with. I do like the 38's. Have lots of them sitting about. But the caliber .41 is that next step up and it is a nice big one.
Plus .412 (actual) is as JESS advertises the largest hole he feels can be safely rifled into the 336 barrel. The 336 is one nice, easy to carry about rifle with just a receiver sight on it. The Winchester 94 is not an option.
Powder & Boolits (Photo in next reply) No I have not tried every powder under the sun. Unique, 2400, 5744 and 1680 are so far my main attractions. Mainly worked with 1680 as I already knew from shooting my 414 Supermag Dan Wesson it would give good accuracy and top velocity with no fuss or any unrulely pressure spikes. So far my best loads are falling in that area where the 1680 load is being compressed by the boolit base about .010 inches. Whatever boolit is used I see the same pattern with this cartrige. Whether a 250 grain PB or 255GC Ranch Dog (nose sized to .402) or a 265 GC. This all seemed to give the best velocity when compressing the 1680 load just that little bit. Start compressing another grain and velocity slowly began to open up at the same rate it got tighter. Have fired up to 36 grains with the RD. I would used this load out to 50 yards but accuracy is not as nice (cloverleafs) but well within "minute of whitetail". That big flat nose will give great energy transfer.
Sights I am using a receiver rear sight and a front brass bead. This will be my hunting arrangment so will stay with it. Sure a scope would really show what each load can do. But no scope will be mounted for my hunting needs. This is not a 200 yard rifle. I have no visions of ever firing it past 100 yards.
Rifle Right now that 255 RD GC boolit with 34 grains is the most accurate. Also when seated out to 2.065 (one of the lube grooves) it slides through the action (no internal alterations) like the 30-30 design was meant to use this round. Have loaded the magazine with 5 rounds numerous times and effortlessly cycled the batch through the system. It is a happy rifle combination. No other bullet has yet to do the same. BUT the longer the OAL can be maintained the better everything works. The 265 GC boolit will almost do the same when seated out to the first grease groove but is not 100 %. Call it 95% which is easy to live with when the only target yet has been paper. Only work I have done to the basic rifle was to freefloat the barrel. The handgaurd was warped hard against the barrel making assembly near impossible.
Velocity As soon as the winds slow to reasonable I will get this cronographed. Yesterday was 15 MPH with 20+ gusts. Today worse. All last week was the same. I guess the 255 RD about 1650 FPS+ at 34 grains 1680. May be surprised. Recoil is similar to the .375 Win with a 265 GC and a case stuffed with 1680 in my Marlin.
Cases. Starline. I am only neck sizing. Some cases have completed 7 firings. No failures. This is a batch of 60. I have cut that back to 40 again as I am getting settled on 34 grains with the 255 RD boolit. Will work some more with the 265 gc trying a longer seating as that may improve cycling. The Starline cases mate to the 336 30-30 bolthead nicely. Has never been any problem with gliding under the extractor or ejection. No loose primers. Next time Starline runs a batch I will have 500 more coming my way.
I am considering building another 336 in caliber 414 Supermag. Already have the rifle, chamber reamer and maybe the funds. Would be interesting to fire two side by side with the same loads. But reality says I am running out of time. Maybe next time around when I am up north here.
Conclussion I would do it again. Especially now knowing how easy it all turned out. Also ended up with a 14" 414 Supermag Contender I have done very little with. Really has the energy edge over the caliber 41 mag with the same boolit. May get some work done with that through November.
Another conclusion... If I did not like the caliber .414 Supermag and already shoot it I would chamber a new rifle for the JESS .41/444. This is the standard 444 Marlin necked down to caliber .41. You will gain alot of powder capacity over the .414 SM and have the ultimate caliber .41 levergun "Thumper" bar none.
Mike in ILL.
Have well over 400 rounds down range in this rifle now. Is it worth the fuss ?
First I would say .. Yes ! This caliber will do all the 38 lever guns can and leave a fatter whole for the intended target to deal with. I do like the 38's. Have lots of them sitting about. But the caliber .41 is that next step up and it is a nice big one.
Plus .412 (actual) is as JESS advertises the largest hole he feels can be safely rifled into the 336 barrel. The 336 is one nice, easy to carry about rifle with just a receiver sight on it. The Winchester 94 is not an option.
Powder & Boolits (Photo in next reply) No I have not tried every powder under the sun. Unique, 2400, 5744 and 1680 are so far my main attractions. Mainly worked with 1680 as I already knew from shooting my 414 Supermag Dan Wesson it would give good accuracy and top velocity with no fuss or any unrulely pressure spikes. So far my best loads are falling in that area where the 1680 load is being compressed by the boolit base about .010 inches. Whatever boolit is used I see the same pattern with this cartrige. Whether a 250 grain PB or 255GC Ranch Dog (nose sized to .402) or a 265 GC. This all seemed to give the best velocity when compressing the 1680 load just that little bit. Start compressing another grain and velocity slowly began to open up at the same rate it got tighter. Have fired up to 36 grains with the RD. I would used this load out to 50 yards but accuracy is not as nice (cloverleafs) but well within "minute of whitetail". That big flat nose will give great energy transfer.
Sights I am using a receiver rear sight and a front brass bead. This will be my hunting arrangment so will stay with it. Sure a scope would really show what each load can do. But no scope will be mounted for my hunting needs. This is not a 200 yard rifle. I have no visions of ever firing it past 100 yards.
Rifle Right now that 255 RD GC boolit with 34 grains is the most accurate. Also when seated out to 2.065 (one of the lube grooves) it slides through the action (no internal alterations) like the 30-30 design was meant to use this round. Have loaded the magazine with 5 rounds numerous times and effortlessly cycled the batch through the system. It is a happy rifle combination. No other bullet has yet to do the same. BUT the longer the OAL can be maintained the better everything works. The 265 GC boolit will almost do the same when seated out to the first grease groove but is not 100 %. Call it 95% which is easy to live with when the only target yet has been paper. Only work I have done to the basic rifle was to freefloat the barrel. The handgaurd was warped hard against the barrel making assembly near impossible.
Velocity As soon as the winds slow to reasonable I will get this cronographed. Yesterday was 15 MPH with 20+ gusts. Today worse. All last week was the same. I guess the 255 RD about 1650 FPS+ at 34 grains 1680. May be surprised. Recoil is similar to the .375 Win with a 265 GC and a case stuffed with 1680 in my Marlin.
Cases. Starline. I am only neck sizing. Some cases have completed 7 firings. No failures. This is a batch of 60. I have cut that back to 40 again as I am getting settled on 34 grains with the 255 RD boolit. Will work some more with the 265 gc trying a longer seating as that may improve cycling. The Starline cases mate to the 336 30-30 bolthead nicely. Has never been any problem with gliding under the extractor or ejection. No loose primers. Next time Starline runs a batch I will have 500 more coming my way.
I am considering building another 336 in caliber 414 Supermag. Already have the rifle, chamber reamer and maybe the funds. Would be interesting to fire two side by side with the same loads. But reality says I am running out of time. Maybe next time around when I am up north here.
Conclussion I would do it again. Especially now knowing how easy it all turned out. Also ended up with a 14" 414 Supermag Contender I have done very little with. Really has the energy edge over the caliber 41 mag with the same boolit. May get some work done with that through November.
Another conclusion... If I did not like the caliber .414 Supermag and already shoot it I would chamber a new rifle for the JESS .41/444. This is the standard 444 Marlin necked down to caliber .41. You will gain alot of powder capacity over the .414 SM and have the ultimate caliber .41 levergun "Thumper" bar none.
Mike in ILL.