Rem 700 rifle to muzzleloader conversions

[rockrat]

Stopped in a little shop, just North of Richmond , VA this past week, while I was in VA doing some research. Guy made muzzleloader conversions from rem 700 rifles.

Some beautiful looking guns.

I guess they take the scope turret off to be custom marked with yardage, so as to have a BDC type scope. Too bad we can't have scopes here where I live (My eyes aren't the greatest anymore!!), but the traditionalists hold sway, at least now, after many a year fight, we can use in-lines. Just no smokeless powder or optics

He loads them with smokeless and was telling me they got 2800fps with a 275 gr slug and got over 3000fps with a 250gr (chrono'd that morning). Thats some performance.

Don't know if this should be posted here or elsewhere, hope I didn't offend anyone.

Me, I will just stay with my black powder in my front stuffer.

[johnson1942]

he wouldnt make them if their wasnt a market for them, he must preingrave the bullet, and that part for me would be interesting if you can give more info on it.

[XTR]

There are guys loading naked jacketed bullets (no sabot) for smokeless MLs that use a swager made from a piece of the barrel cut off before it's mounted. (and pretty much every smith cuts half an inch off before he chambers anything) It swages the bullet with the rifling before it's loaded so that the rifling is pre-engraved, then when you load you line it up and push it down, the swager can be adjusted to give you the size you want. They are getting very good accuracy and MVs.

[M-Tecs]

he wouldnt make them if their wasnt a market for them, he must preingrave the bullet, and that part for me would be interesting if you can give more info on it.

http://www.sav10ml.com/
https://s3.amazonaws.com/savagefiles...der_10mlii.pdf page 14 for smokeless loads
http://www.chuckhawks.com/savage_ML_FAQ.htm
http://www.smokelessmz.com/
http://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/forum/
http://dougsmessageboards.proboards....-muzzleloading
http://badbullmuzzleloaders.com/
http://forum.snipershide.com/snipers...r-700-rem.html
http://www.dsscustomguns.com/custom-smokeless-muzzleloaders.aspx
http://www.chuckhawks.com/william_ball.htm
http://www.hankinscustomrifles.com/rifles.html
http://www.richardscustomrifles.com/...zzleloader.htm
http://www.performancegunworks.com/B...leloaders.html
http://www.swinglock.net/home.php
http://www.chuckhawks.com/difference_black_powders.htm

[johnson1942]

20 years ago i built a muzzle loader that was 1/28 twist and .448 diam bore. it started with a starter. i didnt like the 34 inch barrel so i shortened it. i used the cut off barrel from then on to preingrave the bullets. i think the reason it is so accurate is because the grooves are 5 thousands deep instead of 4, grips the bullet better. i shoot a 380 kieth nose bullet with a fiber wad behind it. it is so consistantly accurate i can even use pyrodox in it with out it shifting point of aim. it has shot 6 deer at ranges of 30 yards to 150 yards. 70 grains of powder will flatten the bullet and it will go all the way through the deer. if any one is thinking of preingraveing a cast bullet it is a easy reliable way to shoot a muzzle loader, inline or sidelock. i would make the barrel 5 thousands deep in the lands and grooves and the lands very narrow. use pure lead to cast the bullet and no harder than 30 to 1.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Used to be a Father & Son shop making Hi-Vel inline muzzle loaders in lower Michigan. Ultimate Arms was their trade name I believe. For ignition an empty primer .45 mag. case was put over a tapered breech end of the barrel that was made by Walther. The bolt action was closed and you fired the "4" 777 pellets behind a propriatary design lead bullet. Claims of taking game at or near 1000 yds with this rifle were part of their ads. Was used in Africa also I believe. Cost was near the $1750 - $2000+ range for it depending how many bells and whistles you wanted on it.Robert

[M-Tecs]

That would be the Johnston muzzloader http://ultimatefirearms.com/

[XTR]

There are a number of guys making conversion systems to use large rifle primers for smokeless MLs. Usually uses a cut down brass case as a primer holder and the bolt face holds it on the nipple, and a whole lot of them are using a smaller bore barrel. I am just beginning to think about changing from a 50 cal bore with saboted 45s. Pacnor 40 caliber barrels seem really popular. A few yrs ago I saw pictures of a 7mm smokeless ML that someone had built that shot jacketed bullets and got MVs on par with cartridge rifles.

Right now I'm restocking my Savage into a pretty piece of walnut. Maybe next yr I'll look into rebarreling.

[johnson1942]

also consider thisXTR. look at the recent post of idaho ron/s paper patch post in a modern inline. if you shoot a 500 grain paperpatched bullet in your in line with a 100 grains of powder behind it, it would be more powerful than a 50/90 sharps. 300 yard shots would not be unheard off. it will drop anything in north america and alaska. the impact is awesome when it hits game with a bullet like that. they go down. you could shoot long distance target with your inline for fun also. paperpatched will handle that also.

[XTR]

I've loaded my Win-Mir Highwall 45-70 up to 2100FPS with 350s before. I'm not into that much recoil. The only places I ever plan to shoot 500 grain bullets (or heavier) is at targets out of my '74 Sharps using Black powder, or out of some ridiculously powerful gun if I ever hit the lottery and can afford an African Big 5 hunt.

I have a Knight rolling block (why did they ever stop making this rifle, I love it) that I shoot with 777 and 250 Sabots. It's taken deer from 80 to 150 yards and never misses (well, other than the time that right after I broke the shot my partner said, "um, I think I gave you the wrong range".

Now that I've actually started loading with real BP in my Sharps I may shoot the ML from here on with the real thing.

If I rebarrel the Savage it will probably be into a 40.

[Squeeze]

Its been done from several rifles, the Rem 700, Savage model 10, are prob the most popular, Ive seen mouser and ruger, Im sure almost anything could be converted with all kinds of primer configurations

[johnson1942]

i understand about recoil. for some reason the one inline we own does recoil a lot more than the side locks ive built. i never think about the recoil of the sidelocks with heavy bullets but the inline can snort. i also have been thinking about a .40 cal lately and maybe some day i will build one in 1/16 twist.

[AABEN]

I have 2 Rem 700 ML and a Savage 10 ML and a Ruger 77-50 The 700 and 10 looks a lot like the reg rifle. They are made by them. I like the Savage 10 ML for I can use reg gun powder. The Ruger is one very accurate gun alone with the Savage. It was one of the very first Savage ML made to use smokeless powder.

[XTR]

AABEN, Is yous one of the original Savage MLs that required an FFL to transfer?

(For those who aren't familiar with them, to switch from ML to Center Fire on the originals only required changing barrels if I am not misinformed.)