bpatterson84
02-29-2016, 10:08 PM
Good evening Gentlemen!
Lurker for about a year, I have loved this forum. Your advise has guided me into successfully casting for my wheelgun loads and in turn dramatically increased the amount I have been able to shoot, flying through the 1000pc packs of primers has felt good, and my shooting skill has reflected this. Now, I turn my eyes to something more ambitious.....wildcat rifle experimentation.
Why 5.7x28? Why not! as opposed to .44mag, folks leave the brass all over the range, free for my taking. I have done my research. I am aware of the lacquer coating, but cleaning this off is of no concern as I have little to no interest in the FN produced rifle and pistol, ditto with the AR-15 conversions. This project will be built around a single shot or bolt action rifle. I enjoy shooting .22lr subsonic suppressed perhaps more than any other rifle. I love squirrel, coon and 'yote hunting with said rifles. I see the potential here to double the energies capable in a subsonic 22lr at a competitive price(not counting time.....do yall count your time??? Hahaha).
Unfortunately, the limitations here are twofold. Lets get the obvious out of the way, lack of available firearms. My research here has uncovered the Savage Model 25 varmiter, which was chambered in 5.7x28 in I believe 2011, but no longer, although I have heard rumblings that it can be special ordered still. They are not available on the used market due to lack of production numbers, hens teeth if you will. The other option would be a Thompson singleshot, either rifle or pistol, I dont care, probably a custom barrel. In fact, either would have to be an unusual barrel as I would like heavy-for-caliber boolit. Fortunately 1/7 rate .22cal barrel blanks are quite available, a blank, reamer gauges and currency headed to a gunsmith and would probably be the best option here. Wanna get weird? Perhaps a magnum caliber rimfire receiver with a custom bolt(centerfire modification) and barrel would be an interesting option. Caliber dimensions are quite small, there would be length issues, but I've seen mags cut, extended and re-soldered before, and were functional in their given projects. There is usually some staggering of the cartridges in magazines, especially in the marlin 22mags if I remember correctly, so the cartridge diameter may work out, I will need to take a fired case to the gun store in the near future and test to see. Ruger m77 would possibly be a good starting point. How cool would a CZ452 heavily worked over be in 5.7x28? Enough dreamin.....
Second big problem is the actual boolit. I've seen rumblings about group buys, past group buys etc, but the only molds I'm seeing are 55ish grains. I want 70-80gr weight. Limiting speed means increasing weight for good energy, and I intend to keep it around 1000fps. Lots of 22hornet folks run subsonic, but I'd like to avoid that chambering however, 5.7 seems more offensive to ones sensibilities. Anyone have ideas on a heavy boolit? And recall that I'm not interested in the finicky FN products, so OAL issues and chambering fat ogives have less concern here.
So a singleshot will probably be the initial testbed due to fewer external factors on load development, looks like tiny charges of bullseye, red dot or other pistol powders will be played with, havent checked case capacity or run the pressures in a calculator yet, but will do. After confirmation of being stabilized a .22 rimfire suppressor will be used as most are rated for this particular cartridge(especially subsonic) and are able to be user serviceable.
So what do yall think, got any heavy boolit ideas or an I stuck getting a 55gr mold right now and doing a custom order? Am I crazy for this idea? I think it will be interesting. Very interested in the collective opinion and individual experiences with similar projects....
Lurker for about a year, I have loved this forum. Your advise has guided me into successfully casting for my wheelgun loads and in turn dramatically increased the amount I have been able to shoot, flying through the 1000pc packs of primers has felt good, and my shooting skill has reflected this. Now, I turn my eyes to something more ambitious.....wildcat rifle experimentation.
Why 5.7x28? Why not! as opposed to .44mag, folks leave the brass all over the range, free for my taking. I have done my research. I am aware of the lacquer coating, but cleaning this off is of no concern as I have little to no interest in the FN produced rifle and pistol, ditto with the AR-15 conversions. This project will be built around a single shot or bolt action rifle. I enjoy shooting .22lr subsonic suppressed perhaps more than any other rifle. I love squirrel, coon and 'yote hunting with said rifles. I see the potential here to double the energies capable in a subsonic 22lr at a competitive price(not counting time.....do yall count your time??? Hahaha).
Unfortunately, the limitations here are twofold. Lets get the obvious out of the way, lack of available firearms. My research here has uncovered the Savage Model 25 varmiter, which was chambered in 5.7x28 in I believe 2011, but no longer, although I have heard rumblings that it can be special ordered still. They are not available on the used market due to lack of production numbers, hens teeth if you will. The other option would be a Thompson singleshot, either rifle or pistol, I dont care, probably a custom barrel. In fact, either would have to be an unusual barrel as I would like heavy-for-caliber boolit. Fortunately 1/7 rate .22cal barrel blanks are quite available, a blank, reamer gauges and currency headed to a gunsmith and would probably be the best option here. Wanna get weird? Perhaps a magnum caliber rimfire receiver with a custom bolt(centerfire modification) and barrel would be an interesting option. Caliber dimensions are quite small, there would be length issues, but I've seen mags cut, extended and re-soldered before, and were functional in their given projects. There is usually some staggering of the cartridges in magazines, especially in the marlin 22mags if I remember correctly, so the cartridge diameter may work out, I will need to take a fired case to the gun store in the near future and test to see. Ruger m77 would possibly be a good starting point. How cool would a CZ452 heavily worked over be in 5.7x28? Enough dreamin.....
Second big problem is the actual boolit. I've seen rumblings about group buys, past group buys etc, but the only molds I'm seeing are 55ish grains. I want 70-80gr weight. Limiting speed means increasing weight for good energy, and I intend to keep it around 1000fps. Lots of 22hornet folks run subsonic, but I'd like to avoid that chambering however, 5.7 seems more offensive to ones sensibilities. Anyone have ideas on a heavy boolit? And recall that I'm not interested in the finicky FN products, so OAL issues and chambering fat ogives have less concern here.
So a singleshot will probably be the initial testbed due to fewer external factors on load development, looks like tiny charges of bullseye, red dot or other pistol powders will be played with, havent checked case capacity or run the pressures in a calculator yet, but will do. After confirmation of being stabilized a .22 rimfire suppressor will be used as most are rated for this particular cartridge(especially subsonic) and are able to be user serviceable.
So what do yall think, got any heavy boolit ideas or an I stuck getting a 55gr mold right now and doing a custom order? Am I crazy for this idea? I think it will be interesting. Very interested in the collective opinion and individual experiences with similar projects....