The Big-Bore Chronicles

New products from Freedom Arms, Winchester and Engel

I’m attending the SHOT Show in Orlando, Florida this week and from the appearance of things some companies are doing well while others seem to be facing uncertain times. Overall, my impression is that attendance is way down but then the show is always less well attended when it’s held outside of the normal Las Vegas venue. Here are some quick updates but I’ll have more info later today and tomorrow.

224-327 Freedom Arms

There are several items I’ve come across that are of interest. One of those is the 224-327 from Freedom Arms. The 224-32 FA case is very simple to make. Basically just lube the 327 Federal case and run it into the properly adjusted sizing/forming die, then trim the case to 1.115/1.120 overall length. This cartridge headspaces off the shoulder, not the rim. This is easily checked by inserting a formed and trimmed case into a chamber, rotate it around so the case head shows at the top of the loading gate cutout in the receiver, then use a .005 shim as a go/no-go gage and a .010 shim as a no-go gage between the case head and firewall.

Bullets
At this time only load data for the 40 gr. bullets have been provided as this weight seems to give the best performance. Both the Sierra Blitz King and Hornady V-Max have performed well in this cartridge.

Powder
So far the two best powders for the 224-32 FA have been IMR4227 and AA1680. The IMR4227 isn’t as temperature sensitive. The AA1680 has a slower burn rate which will give more trouble free results as well as better accuracy. This cartridge has a small case capacity so be precise on weighing out the powder. A few tenths of a grain variance in a case that only holds 10 to 12 grains is a lot of variance.

Primer
The 224-32 FA is setup to use a small pistol primer. This primer has shown to provide reliable and consistent ignition of the powder. Both WSP and CCI 500 primers were tested with both giving similar results. As always, care must be taken to seat the primer below the case head to prevent recoil from firing a cartridge that is not aligned with the barrel.

Fireform Loads
40 gr. Blitz King or V-Max Starting Load Fps Max. Load Fps
IMR 4227 9.5 1830 10 1940
AA 1680 12 1900 12.5 2020

Standard Loads
40 gr. Blitz King or V-Max Starting Load Fps Max. Load Fps
IMR 4227 10 1900 12 2270
AA 1680 12.5 1965 14.5 2295

These data are for a 10″ barrel. With the 7.5″ barrel you can expect to lose about 100 Fps and another 100 Fps for the 5.5″ barrel. The 4.25″ barrel will lose another 120 FPS or 320 Fps difference from the 10″ gun.

Freedom Arms 25th Anniversary Model 83

After much effort designing the artwork the FA 25th Anniversary gun is done and it is truly a work of art. There are only to be 25 of these guns and while the price of $9300 is steep, a serious collector won’t want to miss the opportunity to own this beauty.

You’ll notice the grips on this gun have the appearance of genuine ivory but they are actually ivory micarta and they are very very nice. If you can’t quite go the price of an Anniversary gun you can get these grips installed on your Freedom Arms.

Winchester Ammunition
Winchester produces some of the best hunting ammunition for big-bore revolvers and this year they have introduced a double jacketed hollow point in 45 and 50 calibers. You can get them in the .454 Casull, 460 Smith & Wesson Magnum, and the 500 S&W. They are uniquely designed with a thin inner jacket chemically bonded to a lead core and an outer thick jacket mechanically bonded to the inner jacket. Expansion is impressive in the samples I was able to view and the 45’s will expand just shy of 1 inch of diameter. The advertised velocity for the .454 Casull is 1800 Fps. Winchester will continue to produce their other line of premium hunting ammunition using the Ballistic Silvertip and the Partition HG projectiles. Of course many of you know I used Winchester’s reduced recoil loads in 454 this year with excellent success.

1 - Bullet within a bullet
Revolutionary “bullet within a bullet” delivers an unprecedented 12 segment design with two times the expansion for maximizing stopping power.

2 - Hollow Point
Massive hollow point cavity provides lethal stopping performance at a variety of ranges and impact velocities.

3 - Proprietary bonding process
welds lead and inner bullet jacket together—improving retained weight and penetration for quick kills.

4 - Heavy outer jacket
mechanically bonded to the inner bullet, protecting it during penetration through thick hide and heavy bone, and ensuring maximum retained weight and penetration.

5 - Revolutionary design
delivers unprecedented knockdown and penetration—retaining nearly 100% of the original weight.

Engel Rugged Coolers
Engel coolers are literally grizzly bear tough, I’ve seen the video, and will keep ice for several days. The coolers have some great features including a pitched floor to allow complete draining without tipping the cooler, non-skid feet, an air-tight freezer gasket and 2″ of high quality insulation. In the video, which I’m trying to get, a 1000 kodiak bear stands on the cooler and it stays shut; most coolers would simply crush under the weight. Of course the bear tried standing on the cooler because he couldn’t get it open. If often hunt in warm weather conditions you’ll want to check out coolers from Engel.
www.engel-usa.com

Many times reduced velocity loads simply don’t shoot that well based on my past experiences. They are pleasant to shoot but often lack the power and accuracy to be of much use beyond practicing the basics of marksmanship. Such is not the case with Winchester’s reduced recoil loads for the 454 Casull.

The rounds are loaded with the 250 grain Hornady XTP bullet and from my 4 3/4 inch Freedom Arms 454 Casull, they exit the muzzle around 1250 fps which is roughly the equivalent to a 44 Magnum or heavy 45 Colt load. From a rested position I am able to keep 4 shots in 2 1/2 inches at 50 yards with open sights and using a scoped 10″ gun they group in about 1 inch.

I used these rounds exclusively this deer season and they performed wonderfully accounting for 6 kills. When placed broadside through the lungs on an average sized whitetail there was 3-4 inches of damaged tissue and the bullet exited the off side. The only bullet that didn’t exit was fired from approximately 65 yards and impacted the spine after traversing roughly 1/2 of the deer. Another spine shot in which the deer was directly below my stand penetrated the spine fully and exited through the bottom of the chest. Of course both spine-shot deer were anchored immediately.

Only one bullet was recovered from a spine-hit deer and as you can see it expanded pretty well. On one side, which I assume hit the spine first based on the angle, the jacket was peeled back almost to the base. On the other side the bullet expanded back to the cannelure groove doing a significant amount of internal injury.

If you’re looking for a great shooting 454 Casull load without the sometimes punishing recoil of full-house loads, you owe it to yourself to try the Winchester 454 Casull in the silver box loaded with the 250 grain Hornady XTP. You can expect a street-price of around $35.00 per box of 20.

While visiting at the Dallas Safari Club annual convention I met up with Doug Turnbull of Turnbull Restoration. Doug is the premier refinishing expert and once you’ve seen his color case hardened frames, whether they are on a vintage Colt or lever gun, you will want one. I missed a great opportunity a couple years ago to pick up a Hamilton Bowen 41 Magnum Blackhawk with a Turnbull finish and I still regret not buying that gun.

In addition to making guns more beautiful and in some cases, bringing them back from the dead, Doug has come up with a couple of cartridges of his own. While speaking with Doug and admiring his work, he handed me a couple of dummy rounds for the 470 Turnbull designed to function specifically in the Marlin Model 1895 action. Of course I’m thinking T/C Encore.

The 470 Turnbull from the rifle will do about 1850 fps. with a 400 grain bullet but I’m betting you could get similar performance from a 15″ barreled Encore. One of the advantages to the 470 Turnbull over some other cartridges is that it is a rimmed cartridge which means you can unload very quickly in the Encore simply by tipping up the barrel.

Shown above are 400 grain bullets from Barnes and the 470 Turnbull cartridges.

If you’re interested in exploring an Encore in the 470 Turnbull you’ll simply need an Encore barrel in .475 caliber and Doug will rechamber it for about $100.

For more information on the 470 Turnbull visit Turnbull Restoration

Do your iron sights let you down early and late in the day? Replacing the front sight on your Super Blackhawk Hunter, Redhawk, Super Redhawk or GP100 with a Marbles fiber optic front sight will make all the difference (available in orange and green).

Click to Buy

Have you ever wished you could remember just how much to adjust your hold on a target that is at an up or downhill angle? Well there is a shooting do-dad that will help your long-range shooting. It’s called a cosine indicator.

Precision-machined, aircraft-grade aluminum instrument eliminates guesswork when adjusting your scope to fire at elevated, or very low targets. The orange needle moves with your firearm and displays a number that indicates the percent your gun is off level. Multiply the indicated percent by the target distance to easily calculate the adjusted distance for gravity. Dovetailed bottom fits onto the aluminum mount (shown above) which fits Picatinny and Weaver-style rails. Or, mount an extra Weaver-style ring on your scope tube and clamp the Indicator in the ring’s dovetail.

Handgun Hunter Magazine has established a Handgun Hunter Of The Year^TM award and will be presenting it for the first time on Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at the Dallas Safari Club’s annual convention and expo in Dallas, Texas. Kicking off the “DRUMBEATS” program for 2008, a distinctive bronze statue will be presented to the recipient of the award during the exhibitor’s banquet on the first evening of the convention. The individual selected shall be an avid handgun hunter, an active participant in preserving wildlife and habitat through wildlife management activities, a supporter of hunting and shooting sports, and a contributor to the sport of handgun hunting. This award is meant to be achievable by any individual regardless of means. The award judging period shall be for the 18 months prior to the close date. This year the deadline for applications is Dec. 1, 2008. The award period shall cover the time from May 1, 2007 until December 1, 2008.

For more information visit the award page:

Handgun Hunter Of The Year Award

FIOCCHI’S XTP ROUNDS CREATED FOR EXTREME PERFORMANCE!

Fiocchi’s latest entry in its new Extrema Pistol X.T.P. line is the .357 Magnum XTPHP 158-Grain round (Item No. 357XTP). The experts at Fiocchi Ammunition have created the new, high-performance Extrema Pistol X.T.P. line with the intention of producing the best possible defense and hunting handgun ammunition.

Fiocchi chose the X.T.P. bullet for this cartridge due to its exceptional performance characteristics of controlled expansion and down-range performance. This round’s bullet design, coupled with Fiocchi’s renowned nickelplated brass cases, has been specifically engineered to provide trouble-free, completely reliable feeding and smooth chamber extraction. Fiocchi has balanced this round’s fine components with reliably performing powders to obtain the perfect ballistic equilibrium.

Fiocchi XTP bullets are well known for their ability to expand across a wide range of velocities and are built to withstand incredible speed, yet still deliver controlled expansion and weight retention. Special construction of this bullet’s nose facilitates and controls expansion upon impact. The bullet’s cannelure is engineered to ensure the jacket and core remain locked solidly together during expansion. The result is Fiocchi’s top of the line XTP bullet with its ability to consistently deliver the deep, terminal penetration needed for one-shot kills.

Fiocchi’s .357 Mag. XTP round charges out of the muzzle at 1,250 fps and generates 548 ft./lbs. of energy. At fifty yards, its bullet has lost little velocity at 1,146 fps nor energy (461 ft./lbs.). At 100 yards, the round still produces an impressive 1,068 fps velocity and an impressive 400 ft./lbs. of energy.

I recently range-tested Fiocchi .44 Magnum loads in a 200 gr. (item 44B) and 240 gr. load (44XTP). The 240 grain bullets would be my choice for hunting deer and hogs while the 200 grain bullets are better suited to smaller game like coyote. Shot from a Ruger Super Blackhawk over my Oehler 35 proof chronograph, the 200 gr. loads zipped along at an average of 1465 fps and the 240’s showed an average velocity of 1252 fps. The heavier 240 grain loads produced 835 ft./lbs. of energy and like the new .357 Magnum rounds, they are also in the Extrema XTP line of ammunition. The XTP bullet is a proven performer and Fiocchi’s XTP loads should serve hunters well this fall. Note: The .44 brass is not nickel plated.

For more information on Fiocchi’s .357 Magnum XTPHP load, or Fiocchi’s full line of rifle, pistol, rimfire, shotshell and unique rounds contact:

Fiocchi Ammunition
1662 Nevada Way
Boulder City, Nevada, 89005
702-293-6174 • or visit www.fiocchiusa.com.

In the weeks since the Heller decision affirmed our rights under the 2nd Amendment it seems every gun policy in the country is under the microscope and for as much good as Heller did, there seem to be an untold number of government agencies and bureaucrats who are intent on doing every thing they can to circumvent the 2nd Amendment by trying to lawyer their way around the intent of our Founding Fathers. Of course it’s the same tired argument, that they are trying to make us safer when in fact, they are making the majority of us less safe and they are only making criminals and potential terrorist safer.

According to a USA Today article, the Transportation Security Administration is “reviewing” the laws that allow firearms to be lawfully carried in unsecured areas at airports. Now when has this been a problem? Do these people really think they are making us safer from criminals or terrorist by passing a feel-good law that disarms the citizens?

The article quotes Alan Black, public safety chief at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport as saying, “I don’t really like the idea of people coming here with weapons and carrying them into terminals, but that’s their right as citizens of the state of Texas.”   Black notes that it is a “right” so I guess TSA is going to see what they can do to infringe on our rights because guys like Black don’t like people with guns. As public safety chief, he sure won’t lose his rights, only we do.

Time to start calling the elected officials.

On a more positive note — an aide to media darling, Hussein O., resigned on Monday after it was learned he had ties to a radical Islamic Imam. I guess it wouldn’t have sent a very good message, politically, to actually fire someone with ties to radical Islamic extremists. How about subjecting political aides to the same background investigations that handgun owners have to endure — oh wait, there are no handgun owners in Chicago. I feel safer already.

by Gary Smith

Just to show how twisted the anti-hunting community is, the youngster — Jamison Stone, who killed the 1,000 pound hog in May 2007, is still receiving death threats and there is a group trying to have those involved in the hunt prosecuted for animal cruelty.

Fox News reported this today, that there was an online petition going around with 800 signatures on it calling for prosecution. (Fortunately 800 signatures online doesn’t amount to a fart in a whirlwind.)

Rhonda Roland Shearer, a New York City shrill who investigated the incident, no doubt with her mind already made up on the results, called the 500 S&W a low velocity weapon. Of course, if this gun had been used in a crime the anti-gun crowd would have called it a massively powered handgun that no one needs to own for any purpose… Don’t believe it, yesterday the Brady Campaign called a Remington model 48 an “assault shotgun”. Never mind that they also reported it was commonly used for bird hunting and it didn’t even have the plug removed when the crime was committed (which they didn’t report).

I don’t blame a lot of people for not wanting to read about all of the foolish gun laws being pushed and passed — I can’t decide if it’s just too depressing or too angering. In any case there are a lot of hunters in this country that had better wake up, start voting and start writing letters to your elected officials. Since Heller the hysteria of the anti-gun bunch is reaching a fever pitch.

by Gary Smith (from the NSSF)

On July 4, National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane sent presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) a letter asking whether he still believes his hometown of Chicago can ban law-abiding citizens their Second Amendment right to own firearms, including handguns, in their homes. The NSSF letter followed the landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court affirming that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. To date, NSSF has not received a response from Sen. Obama or his campaign. As Sen. Obama continues to dodge questions related to the Second Amendment, the senator’s hometown of Chicago is continuing to enforce their unconstitutional gun ban and Washington, D.C., is attempting to circumvent the Supreme Court decision — a move which has led to another lawsuit against the Capitol City. I wonder what bHusseinO doesn’t want to admit? Sorry dude — we already have your number…