Building a single shot 577 NE

[WBG]

file:///Users/briangallup/Desktop/Building%20a%20single%20shot%20577%20NE%20-%20OneDrive.webloc


Opps. I tried to post pictures - didn't work. I will have to learn how to to do it. Brian

[swheeler]

Building a single shot 577 NESounds interesting, wish you had some photos of the build.

[WBG]

swheeler, I can't seem to figure out how to post my pictures. Workin' on it. Brian

[pietro]

file:///Users/briangallup/Desktop/Building%20a%20single%20shot%20577%20NE%20-%20OneDrive.webloc


Opps. I tried to post pictures - didn't work.

I will have to learn how to to do it.
Brian




Check your PM's here, Brian - for a picture posting tutorial.


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[Von Gruff]

Another waiting to see the build pics. Sounds interesting.

[WBG]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/webkit-fake-url://307AF50D-DC27-4356-8130-282B2FE27C87/fyc83ak95.jpg

[WBG]

I give up! Sorry. Brian

[ndnchf]

Size you photos to under 200K, then use the manage attachments button to add your image. It's really pretty simple once you figure out the process.

[WBG]

ndnchf, Thanks for the advice. Dumb question: Where do I find the manage attachment button? Brian

[NavyVet1959]

If you have a Google email account, you also have access to Google Drive. You can store your photos there and link directly to them instead. I've started doing that for all of the photos that I share so that they will stay around hopefully as long as *I* stay around. :) Many of the photo sharing sites don't keep your photos around if they are not accessed at least once every few months. This also allows me to update a photo with a better version and since the link stays constant, the image is changed on every site where I used that link.

[WBG]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/webkit-fake-url://B96C47FE-6DFB-4915-BE52-40F5860539E1/mbxoj3a4p.jpg


This all I get! grrrrrrr. Brian

[ndnchf]

Look down below, below the quick reply box, to the right is a "Go Advanced" button. Click that. Now that you are on the advanced reply page, look down below under "additional Options", you'll see "manage attachments". Follow that to upload photos. I'm not sure what the size limit is, but I've found if I keep them under 200K they work fine. I usually resize to 900x900. Here's an example. Hope this helps.

[WBG]

Thanks to everyone trying to help me. I think that I am too dumb to git- er'-done. I will get a nerd/friend to come over and follow your instructions. Thanks for being so patient! Brian

[pietro]

.

Nerd not needed - just grab any handy (young) teenager. :D

(many use one of their grandchildren as an IT tech)


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[WBG]

Good idea!

[WBG]

Hope this works

[ndnchf]

Now you got it - piece o' cake right?

[WBG]

Wow. It was simple, like you said - once I did it right.
I don't have photos of the barrel stubbing but there is lots on Cast Boolit and the web.

Rifle is made on a Handi rifle SB2 frame.

Buttstock:
I didn't have a way of accurately drilling the hole through the butt for the long retainer screw so I sawed the curly Walnut blank in two, lengthwise, routered out a groove on both pieces and epoxied them back together. This gave me a nice strong stable stock blank. I roughed out the shape as much as possible on the router table. Then shaped the rest of it with a Makita Baby belt sander before the final hand sanding/shaping.The stock/comb is high to make the rifle recoil straight back. It worked. See how high the scope is. The stock is also cast off about 1/4 inch as a result of the recess for the cartridge holder. The recoil pad is a Limb Saver Nitro large. I am a "stock crawler" and sometimes my nose hit my thumb, so the pistol grip shape prevents that.
I epoxied a brass spacer to the front of the pistol grip after I milled the end of the frame flat for a mating surface.

Forend:
I routered out an oversized space for the barrel channel and reinforced it with epoxy/fiberglass, then bedded it in the usual way. I also used a long steel mounting block secured to the barrel with two screws and Devcon HP250, to attach the forend to. The large forend is nice to hold and is long enough to rest in the shooting sticks. Ebony caps on both ends. I used the standard H&R plastic forend spacer that seats against the frame.
When I first assembed it I saw that I needed to shim the spacer a bit as the barrel was a bit loose when opened. I tried some thing different that worked like a charm. I applied Gorilla Glue which expands while it cures, between the forend and the plastic spacer. This tightened everything up nicely.

The curly walnut has three coats of pure tung oil. The third coat was wet sanded in with 600 grit. Then three applications of Tru Oil, each sanded down with 0000 steel wool.

The whole thing weighs 14.5 lbs! The recoil is memorable. A 30-06 has a recoil energe of 20 ft/lbs. A 375HH
is 37 ft/lbs. With "light loads the 577NE is 90-100ft/lbs. Before I shot it I thought that I was recoil proof. I was wrong.

Scope:
The short rib for the scope mount is epoxied (Devcol HP250 ) and screwed to the barrel. The
Warne steel scope rail is attached with screws and lock tite on the mating surface. (not the screws )
Scope ring are steel Warne. The scope is a weaver 1-5 Dangerous Dangerous Game model with lots of eye relief.

Load:

I started out with a 650 gr cast bullet from an Accurate Mould. (93/3/3 amd .02% arsenic , .08% copper ( I got this mix through lots of help from Cast Boolit members. Much thanks.) 114.3 grains of VV. N550 for 1,700 on my unreliable Chrony.
I soon discovered that I didn't pay enough attention to my chamber cast and this short bullet has about .250 jump to the lands. Accuracy was poor so I have or ordered a 700 grain mould from Hoch to try. I will also test Rel 15.

I will take this rig to South Africa in April for two cape buffalo cows. If you google "God's Window" you will see where I will be hunting. It's up near the Zimbabe/Botswana border.

I received a lot of help on the bullet casting part of this project from members and it made a huge difference. Thanks again, to everybody. Brian

[WBG]

Thanks for your help ndnchf and others! I guess it's official: I am pretty lame on a computer. I hope I shoot better than I computer operator. Brian

[WBG]

Where did everybody go? Is the place empty? Brian

[1johnlb]

With "light loads the 577NE is 90-100ft/lbs.

Makes my shoulder ache just thinking about it.

[ndnchf]

The big bores are fun to play with. They don't have to be shoulder killers. You've got a cool project there.

[Mk42gunner]

Do you plan to use jacketed or cast for your two cows? The alloy you posted seems like it would be pretty tough, but I have never shot anything that big, (either rifle or animal).

Robert

[WBG]

Thanks for your support ndnchj, This is my first project with a reall big bore. I got up to 458 lott on the last one in a cz 550 action.
With this .577 NE I am loading it about 400 fps slower than max loads so it's no "holy terror" to shoot.

[WBG]

Hi Robert, I will use a cast bullet for cape buffalo. ( notice that I optimistically used singular not plural.) I hope that my cast bullet performs like a flat nose solid. i.e.. Northfork and Cutting Edge bullets. The debate rages on about solid or soft for the first shot on cape buffalo. The Professional Hunters school of thought is to use a soft first. But, I suspect that's because most solids used, have been round nose in .375 to .416 callibers and the round nosed solid sometimes go right through and wounds another buffalo. (Buffalo are often in a tight herd, except for bachelor buffs.) The disadvantage of a soft bullet for the first shot is that it could easily deflect on a shoulder bone and not go straight to the heart. I try very hard to hit the heart on a cape buffalo. I'm told that a cape buffalo can raise a lot of hell if you miss the heart. That's the arguement for a non-expanding first bullet. Of course a .577 is already as big or bigger than an expanded .375 or .416 bullet. That's the theory at least.

My experience on cape buffalo is limited to two hunts with a 375HH. bolt action. There was no second shot for an old guy like me. Both bulls spun around and took off through the trees like a scalded cat. They went 30 yds with good heart shots.

I have ordered a 700 grain mould from Hoch Moulds as I discovered that my 650 grain bullet is a bit too short for my chamber - .25 jump to the lands. Brian

[WBG]

1johnlb, I have it loaded down and it is not as bad to shoot as folks would think. 650 gr bullet at 1600-1700fps. and the rifle weighs over 14 lbs. I would say that it feels like 20% more kick than a 458 Lott full load in an 8-9 lb rifle.
I qouted the above recoil figures off of the web just to impress everybody. I don't think that they really show what a heavy, properly stocked, .577NE feels like to shoot.
My project rifle, actually has similar stock configurations (Drop at heel, Drop at comb ) as a long-range target rifle. It's deceivingly straight and the recoil is straight back with very little muzzle rise. Remember that most of those fast handling Nitro Express double rifles were stocked more like an upland shotgun with more drop in the stock. In the bad old days shooters didn't always fire from shooting sticks like we modern sissies do, today. Brian