mtnman31
01-31-2009, 04:52 PM
I recently received my first Swiss Vetterli. It is a very nice 1881 - has not been converted to center fire and has all matching numbers. Externally it is gorgeous but, the bore is a mess. While the rifing is nice and sharp, there is some pitted rust right at the throat. It looks like something must have sat in there and accelerated the rust. I have been scrubbing the bejezzus out of it in an attempt to clean it up. The rest of the bore looks nice except for a few very tiny patches of pitting near the muzzle. I slugged the bore and it's measurements are the reason for this post. My slugs measured .405" bore and .421" groove. I pushed the slug from muzzle to bore becasue the barrel is so long that the rod I was using didn't have enough length to go from the receiver/chamber end. From what I have read, these measurements are much smaller than others'. I have a Lee 430-310 mold that is pretty popular for this rifle, but this just seems like it is going to be too big for this rifle's dimensions. Any suggestions on bullets for this??? Ideally I don't want to have to load singly - it has a tube and I intend to fill that tube with rounds. At this point I am not too keen on a custom mold. I'd hate to invest the money into the mold only to have the rifle not shoot worth a hoot.
I do have some Lee dies on the way, so, I still need to form my brass as well as convert the bolt. It is a shame that such a nice rifle was allowed to get that rust patch in the barrel.
Any help and direction as far as bullet selection is appreciated.
I do have some Lee dies on the way, so, I still need to form my brass as well as convert the bolt. It is a shame that such a nice rifle was allowed to get that rust patch in the barrel.
Any help and direction as far as bullet selection is appreciated.