Hepburn project

Had this Hepburn for years now, and finally getting going on it. My friend Gordy called this morning to tell me he had fit the Green Mountain .40 caliber #4 weight barrel to it. It's now a 34" #4 weight full octagon. I also had Gordy cut it for an old Lyman windage globe front sight, and add target bases at 7.25" spacing on the barrel, so I can put a scope on occasionally, or to work up loads more accurately. But it will have iron sights 99% of the time, until my eyes get too bad for them.
The Green Mountain barrel came nicely finished on the exterior, and better than any I've ever purchased previously! It wont take 30 minutes with some sandpaper and oil to get it ready for me to rust blue it! It could probably just get blued even, as it's very smooth!

https://i.imgur.com/Ph2V4wBl.jpg

Gordy left it apart for me so I can polish it, and then I'll put the barrel back on and reassemble it. Need to cast some bullets soon also, so I have more selection to choose from when working up loads!

This is a double set trigger action, and has really great triggers!

https://i.imgur.com/czwfcz5l.jpg

Cant wait to see if finished.

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Originally Posted by koger

Cant wait to see if finished.

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Me too! I'm going to get the barrel final polished, and start bluing it today. Since I'm not touching the receiver or wood, I'm going to try and not make the finish on the barrel look too new or too dark. I'll have to just sneak up on it and stop before it's too nice.

As I figured the barrel didn't take much work with emery paper and a block. But it did take a bit more than planned as when I began sanding some of the machining marks appeared to show more as I polished. So took about an hour or so to finally get rid of the marks.
I scrubbed the barrel well with hot soapy water in the slop sink, and gave it two coats of rust blue today. Will probably get two more on tomorrow, and then maybe boil it if it look dark enough? I don't want to go too dark, as it will look weird with the patina on the receiver and stocks. So I'll stop short of the deep dark rust blue I try for usually.

Got it back together tonight! Bluing is a little darker than I was going for, but I guess that's better than too light, or grayish colored?


https://i.imgur.com/FoDviR0l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3aNtT8yl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wF8bHWSl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/VXYgIKkl.jpg

Need to get out to the shop tomorrow and cast up some of my favorite .40 cal. bullets, so I can load up more .40-65's. All I have are some lightweight bullets around 200 gr., and 315 gr. I want to cast some 410 gr. Snovers for loads also.

Looks great to me Val.

Marlinman93:

Very nicely done, especially in that Hepburn action.

I have a heavy octagon GM .40 cal barrel that I'm putting on a Hi-Wall action. I'll be chambering it in 40-90 SBN.
Hopefully I'll have it all done before summer shooting starts.

RRR

That 34" barrel looks great!

Thanks. I considered a .40 caliber with more capacity, but that would mean more dies, and expensive, tough to find brass. Since I have a couple other single shots in .40-65, and came into a huge supply of inexpensive brass, I figured another .40-65 might be a better choice.

Looks good!

That is a handsome looking Hepburn ! Now the fun begins.

Great job, nice looking. Range report please.

Well played, Vall!

Hope to get some range time next week as the weather appears to maybe cooperate if the weather guessers are right!

marlinman93
What is the twist of the barrel?
beltfed/arnie

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Originally Posted by beltfed

marlinman93
What is the twist of the barrel?
beltfed/arnie

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It's a 1:16" twist Arnie. Should stabilize a bullet up to around 460 grs. I think. I have a Lyman Snover I use in the same twist with a Douglas barrel on my Ballard, and a Rolling Block.
Have a Accurate mold that also drops a 435 gr. and will try that also.

Gorgeous

Is it really done if it does not have a wooden case to live in? I clicked the purple, don't know what happened.

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Originally Posted by Gtek

Is it really done if it does not have a wooden case to live in? I clicked the purple, don't know what happened.

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Pretty sure I've got another case I built for another single shot that it will work in. Just a question of whether the 34" barrel isn't going to make it too long?

I got 150 bullets cast, and lubed. I didn't have the sizer die I needed to size them to .412" as I wanted, so took my extra .410" sizer and made a polishing dowel to open it up. Cut a chunk of oak dowel, and used my jeweler's saw to cut a thin slot lengthwise in the dowel. Wrapped it with 320 grit, and gave it a coat of Kroil. Then just kept polishing it as I moved back and forth, not ever exiting the die. Took a couple tries before I could push a .412" bullet into it with just finger pressure, but it's there now.
Assembled it back in my Lyman sizer, and lubed up all my bullets I cast last weekend. Will try to get to the range this week, after installing my target bases for my old 10x JW Fecker target scope, so I can test accurately.
Going to start breaking the barrel in shooting some 4198 loads I've had good luck with, and later switch to Swiss 1 1/2 and work up a charge for BP shooting.

Handsome work, sir!!

A classic nicely done.

Thanks!

I’ve just got to find some way to get Oregon and visit Val’s House of Fine Firearms! You’re killing me here! Regardless, congratulations on another fine job.

Your Phaithful ‘Phibian Phriend

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Originally Posted by Green Frog

I’ve just got to find some way to get Oregon and visit Val’s House of Fine Firearms! You’re killing me here! Regardless, congratulations on another fine job.

Your Phaithful ‘Phibian Phriend

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You're always welcome Charlie! Thanks!

Nicely done!!

very nice rifle ! did you start with a complete action? I ask as I have an action but not complete. Parts can be had, but I don't have a machine shop. very nice rifle you have

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Originally Posted by ascast

very nice rifle ! did you start with a complete action? I ask as I have an action but not complete. Parts can be had, but I don't have a machine shop. very nice rifle you have

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It was a complete rifle when I originally bought it years ago. So only thing my friend did was fit the new Green Mountain barrel and rechamber it to .40-65 Win. Then gave it back to me and I did the final polishing, and rust bluing. So really not much of a restoration, only a rebarreling.

If you wanted to finish the action, and barrel it too, I'd consider contacting C Sharps and ask to talk with Pat Taylor who runs the shop. Pat has the parts for their Hepburn rifles, and should be able to complete yours and fit a new barrel to it. Then you could get a semi inletted stock set and fit that and end up with a completed Hepburn for likely less than a new one, or an old one?

Val,
The 400 grain Lyman 410663 "Snover" bullet at around 400-410 grains/about 1.4" long shoots well out of the 16 twist 40-65 out to midrange.
BUT,
You will get your best accuracy out of a 16 twist 40-65 with bullets No Longer Than 1.325". Even out to 1000yds.
AND, light recoil . I am loading 74.5 grains Swiss 1.5 under my 371 grain DDEPP bullet and get sub minute groups if I do my part
beltfed/arnie

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Originally Posted by beltfed

Val,
The 400 grain Lyman 410663 "Snover" bullet at around 400-410 grains/about 1.4" long shoots well out of the 16 twist 40-65 out to midrange.
BUT,
You will get your best accuracy out of a 16 twist 40-65 with bullets No Longer Than 1.325". Even out to 1000yds.
AND, light recoil . I am loading 74.5 grains Swiss 1.5 under my 371 grain DDEPP bullet and get sub minute groups if I do my part
beltfed/arnie

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So far I've tried my Lyman Snover bullet, two different RCBS CSA in 400 and 300 grs., a Saeco 640 370 gr., and another unknown maker's mold that drops around 350 gr. I've loaded both Swiss 1 1/2, and 4198 smokeless loads, with varying charges for the bullet weights.
All the shooting has been at 200 yds. so far, and for whatever reason the groups are all very close in size regardless of which powder, or bullet weight. I'm averaging 4"-6" groups throughout the different powders and bullet weights. The best right now seems to be that Saeco 370 gr., which has always been my favorite for long range in my Rolling Block with a 34" .40-65 GM barrel. Only difference in the two barrels is the Roller is full round vs. the Hepburn being full octagon. BP or 4198 loads have so far been equally accurate, but we'll see once I've got tests thoroughly wrung out and begin shooting out on our 1000 yd. range which does better as distances get pushed further.

Ya fooled me. When I read 'Hepburn' for some reason I was thinking of Katherine.

Jim

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Originally Posted by Jim22

Ya fooled me. When I read 'Hepburn' for some reason I was thinking of Katherine.

Jim

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Nobody would ever want to change her!!

Gorgeous. I'm jealous

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Originally Posted by HARRYMPOPE

Gorgeous. I'm jealous

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Thanks!
As much as I love my Ballards, the Hepburns have always been an attractive design for me.