This project kept getting side tracked so I sent the first 22 X 6 Rem ala Gibbs barrel and dies to a retired officer friend in Idaho to run with for a while. He shot a deer with the 55 grain speer at 3500fps from his 16 inch barreled Striker last year. The bullet was recovered from the off side hide. The deer dropped so fast he thought he missed it. The first barrel had too steep a shoulder angle for my tastes so I had another reamer made with a 30 degree shoulder.

I was also having a terrible time smoking bullets from 12 and 14 twist barrels so just recently I received my 16 twist 3 groove 28" Benchmark barrel for testing. A new chamber and shortly it is back to Benchmark for Nitriding.
The case on the left is a 6Rem case that has been necked down prior to fire forming. Note on the next 3 cases moving right where the shoulder use to be. The next case is a 270 case and the case all the way to the right is a 280 Rem case that was sized to 338CE. Note the pre-shoulder lines on the improved case.


[img width=600 height=450]http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/kk460/emeraldislandlover/224minicooppicture.jpg[/img]

This past week I changed my powders and went faster. Using 52.5 grains of Rel 17 under the 36gr Barnes varmint Grenade and the 45gr Barnes solid as this weeks starting load I worked up to 55 grains of Rel 17 . After the past two weeks of thinking my new chony had died I purchased yet my third new Chrony to run these bullets over. My wife Lisa recorded all data yesterday. She actually commented on how excited I was when I got the first bullets past 3000fps from a 16" handgun barrel. The bottom right picture is five 36 gr barnes average 4085. Same powder charge using the 45 grain cnc brass solid from barnes I increased the velocity 100fps average. Pictured in the top left target are 3 36gr Barnes bullets with 55grains of Rel 17 @ 4300fps! The barrel is the twin to the original barrel sent to Idaho except it has been throated a bit deeper and also rechambered with the new reamer to a 30 degree shoulder. Yes that black is Nitriding.

All targets were shot at 100 yards. Can you imagine what these bullets will do to a rockchuck? Or that 45gr solid to a coyote? With the 12" longer rifle barrel at a 16 twist I have calculated 5300-5500fps. Only time will tell if it will be possible. Both the pictured gun/barrel and the new 28" rifle barrel with plenty of ammo will be at the Varmint Jamboree this year.




Neal[img width=600 height=450]http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/kk460/emeraldislandlover/224minicooptarget.jpg[/img]

The barrel,brass and die are available for testing to the right person.