Idaho Sharpshooter
10-29-2015, 10:33 PM
talk about a cheap approach by a factory to build a DG bolt rifle a century ago, the 425 WR is it!!
The 404 Jefferys had come out a year or two earlier, on a true Mauser Magnum Action.
WR had nothing to compete. They opted to go cheap, and use a standard 98 Mauser action. They trim the 404 back two tenths of an inch to 2.64" and neck it up .012". The 404 J spawned the RUM series.
The 338 RUM. for some reason known only the marketing dept, chose the WR length.
Anyway, WR also chose to rebate the rim to standard .473" size to use the standard bolt. Poor choice.
WR ended up having to fashion a pair of ears at the rear of the receiver to get the cases to feed. Nobody ever copied, and most gunsmiths would not chamber one, so they disappeared after WWII.
I spend some time on the www.accuratereloading.com forum. I have been blessed to hunt Africa three times, so big bores are an addiction. Their classifieds showed a set of dies, form and trim dies, and a chambering reamer for the 425 about four months ago. Asking price: $600. There was zero interest. A gunsmith finally suggested that the price would have to drop about in half to sell them. The seller did that, and as soon as I saw that, I bought them for his $300 price.
Sooooooo, now I am in process on one. Most expensive brass out there, until you get to big double rifle territory.
I kept thinking, and looking; and the light goes on. Since I will be building on a military mauser action, the frame rails will have to be opened up, and other work done. Why not just use 404J or RUM brass and open up the bolt face. It eliminates the feeding issue. I have nearly 500 new BELL 404 Jefferys cases. Fifty 425 WR will be a lifetime supply.
James Kobe is an ACGG Master builder, and has agreed to do the metal work for me.
With that, I need a mold. N-O-B-O-D-Y makes a mold for a .436" diameter boolit.
Except, Accurate Molds does. They specialize in one-offs. He also says 3 weeks turnaround. I sent him a PMO for $121, for a two cavity brass mold to my specs on October 7th, iirc.
The mold came today, and it is perfect.
For those of you with an interest, check out www.accuratemolds.com The design is on page nine, 44-410EU.
Rich
The 404 Jefferys had come out a year or two earlier, on a true Mauser Magnum Action.
WR had nothing to compete. They opted to go cheap, and use a standard 98 Mauser action. They trim the 404 back two tenths of an inch to 2.64" and neck it up .012". The 404 J spawned the RUM series.
The 338 RUM. for some reason known only the marketing dept, chose the WR length.
Anyway, WR also chose to rebate the rim to standard .473" size to use the standard bolt. Poor choice.
WR ended up having to fashion a pair of ears at the rear of the receiver to get the cases to feed. Nobody ever copied, and most gunsmiths would not chamber one, so they disappeared after WWII.
I spend some time on the www.accuratereloading.com forum. I have been blessed to hunt Africa three times, so big bores are an addiction. Their classifieds showed a set of dies, form and trim dies, and a chambering reamer for the 425 about four months ago. Asking price: $600. There was zero interest. A gunsmith finally suggested that the price would have to drop about in half to sell them. The seller did that, and as soon as I saw that, I bought them for his $300 price.
Sooooooo, now I am in process on one. Most expensive brass out there, until you get to big double rifle territory.
I kept thinking, and looking; and the light goes on. Since I will be building on a military mauser action, the frame rails will have to be opened up, and other work done. Why not just use 404J or RUM brass and open up the bolt face. It eliminates the feeding issue. I have nearly 500 new BELL 404 Jefferys cases. Fifty 425 WR will be a lifetime supply.
James Kobe is an ACGG Master builder, and has agreed to do the metal work for me.
With that, I need a mold. N-O-B-O-D-Y makes a mold for a .436" diameter boolit.
Except, Accurate Molds does. They specialize in one-offs. He also says 3 weeks turnaround. I sent him a PMO for $121, for a two cavity brass mold to my specs on October 7th, iirc.
The mold came today, and it is perfect.
For those of you with an interest, check out www.accuratemolds.com The design is on page nine, 44-410EU.
Rich