Custom Die makers

[georgeld]

You guys with experience with these folks.

What does Bulberry limit to?
I don't know.l Never dealt with any except RCBS on the .358RUM
About two months and $168. This is my only die buy other than
standards and this was the same as any of the other big RUM's
so just a bigger bore. Towesley claims to have invented the .35 cal RUM.
I liked the specs and had a .35 Douglas blank.

When I bought the .17VR from foxhunter he included a Bulberry die.

Before that with Paul Rogers input I ground a D reamer that worked
well enough. I turned and made a set of dies for it that would have been
good enough IF I'd just polished them out as they should have been.

Once RCBS listed the dies, I bought a set of those.

[SEM]

from your description of the chamber and case length measurements it may have been a chambering for a paper patched bullet, I have played with paper patched bullets in several German single and double rifles the chamber necks were all opened up some just before the throat, Some more than others, Most bores were .002 to .004 over also. So .005 may not be to much of a stretch

404 B-J Express is the closest in nomenclature but shows bore of .411 made from 375 H&H is the closest I found to your descriptions there are a number of .416 bore cartridges that are closer to the dimensions you have but they do not come close in nomenclature most made from 375 H&H some from 458 Win Mag what is used to make a .416 Taylor

Do you have a fired case, I would like to see it if you do

[Double D]

I acquired this rifle in the early 90's from an estate sale in El Paso.



I got with Chick Donnelly shortly after acquiring it to research the gun.

Donnelly was the maker of Viktor barrels and the son in law of P.O. Ackley. Donnelly was in the process of editing the manuscript of Volume 3 of Ackley's Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders when he (Donnelly) passed. I met Parker Ackley in the mid 80's in Donnelly's shop in Murphy Oregon. Yes I was in awe.

Donnelly was also a graduate of Trinidad College having attended as a veteran at the end of WWII. Donnelly told me that FNB was Fred N Barnes the originator of Barnes bullets.



Donnelly told me that both Ackley and Barnes would have the students at the school build rifles that they, Ackley and Barnes would market. This would give the students some pocket money.

Donnell said Barnes did this before he aligned with Jones. Donnelly said

Barnes had two lines of cartridges. The Express series and the Supreme series. The express for standard 30-06 length actions using shortened .375 H&H or .300 H&H brass. The supreme use full length .375 H&H brass.

Donnelly told me to slug the bore and verify the caliber. He pointed ou the .404 Jefferies actually used a .423 bullet. That is how I found out it was .416 bore.



There was some brass with the gun and it was blown out .300 Win Mag.

I had intend to fire form some.375 H&H in the gun but only got as far as squeezing the shoulder down to fit the chamber.

All the research about this rifle long over and very fascinating. now I need to get the dies to go with this gun

I sent Whidden an email a couple of days ago, haven't heard back yet.

[Bill K]

That is a very nice outfit, and would be well worth following up on and getting it shooting.
Patients and John Whidden will get back too you, he is very good, but really busy also.
Looking forward to your further information and the shooting of this firearm.

[Double D]

I Already load and shoot this cartridge. All I am trying do is get a dedicated set of loading dies for the gun.

[Double D]

I mentioned this up thread and happened notice it in a drawer yesterday, so I thought I would post a picture for you who don't know what it is.

The DeHass/Epps universal loading die. Consist of Insert dies body, cap, spacer inserts and forming inserts. These are all home made. The body and cap made from a piece scrap. The insert made from chunks of cut off or take of old gun barrels..



Left to right. .375 H&H that has been run through the insert for forming .416 neck. Die body. (top to bottom) Cap for holding inserts in die body, .416 neck inserts, 2 spacers. Formed and trimmed .416 case in shell holder, Cap with seating stem from 416 Remington Magnum loading dies. Loaded cartridge.

I have made a number of different inserts. The first set I made was to form 219 Donaldson Wasp brass from 30-30 brass. I used a piece of cut off barrel from a .223 bbl to make the inserts. I ran the chamber reamer enough to form a full shoulder. I made 4 of the these. Then ran in fractional reamer to make steps. The largest is the same diameter as the outside neck of a resized 30-30 case but with the DW Shoulder angle. This was used to push the shoulder back to the correct length. (The real Donaldson/Red Elliot length, not the scribner error length found CCI-Sierra-Hornady manuals and perpetuated by E.A Brown)

Next step down was .30 cal OD, then 7mm and 6mm. The case at this point would be trimmed to length and inside neck reamed. This was followed by full length resizing in in a correct 219 DW sizing. I made several thousand of these over a 4 month period-some thing I will never do again.

I have also used this universal die set to make 50/90 Sharps brass into WR 1-1/2" carbine and WR Musket No. 2 brass.

Ellwood Epps wrote about these dies in a Gun digest article a long time ago. FRank Dehaas wrote about these dies in one of his books- Mr. Single-shots Gunsmithing Idea book I believe.

[Daryl]

Originally Posted by Double D

CH4D offers to make custom dies, but my experience is they don't really. Rather they send you some thing that is a close match---it wasn't.

I found exactly the same thing. Twice I send 3 fired cases and they sent the same set of wrong dies back to me. The shoulder was out .006" in diameter.

[Bill K]

Originally Posted by Double D

I Already load and shoot this cartridge. All I am trying do is get a dedicated set of loading dies for the gun.

Check with John Whidden, you would probably obtain a couple of your fired cases and make you a custom set for your rifle and needs.

[SEM]

Originally Posted by Double D

I mentioned this up thread and happened notice it in a drawer yesterday, so I thought I would post a picture for you who don't know what it is.

The DeHass/Epps universal loading die. Consist of Insert dies body, cap, spacer inserts and forming inserts. These are all home made. The body and cap made from a piece scrap. The insert made from chunks of cut off or take of old gun barrels..



Left to right. .375 H&H that has been run through the insert for forming .416 neck. Die body. (top to bottom) Cap for holding inserts in die body, .416 neck inserts, 2 spacers. Formed and trimmed .416 case in shell holder, Cap with seating stem from 416 Remington Magnum loading dies. Loaded cartridge.

I have made a number of different inserts. The first set I made was to form 219 Donaldson Wasp brass from 30-30 brass. I used a piece of cut off barrel from a .223 bbl to make the inserts. I ran the chamber reamer enough to form a full shoulder. I made 4 of the these. Then ran in fractional reamer to make steps. The largest is the same diameter as the outside neck of a resized 30-30 case but with the DW Shoulder angle. This was used to push the shoulder back to the correct length. (The real Donaldson/Red Elliot length, not the scribner error length found CCI-Sierra-Hornady manuals and perpetuated by E.A Brown)

Next step down was .30 cal OD, then 7mm and 6mm. The case at this point would be trimmed to length and inside neck reamed. This was followed by full length resizing in in a correct 219 DW sizing. I made several thousand of these over a 4 month period-some thing I will never do again.

I have also used this universal die set to make 50/90 Sharps brass into WR 1-1/2" carbine and WR Musket No. 2 brass.

Ellwood Epps wrote about these dies in a Gun digest article a long time ago. FRank Dehaas wrote about these dies in one of his books- Mr. Single-shots Gunsmithing Idea book I believe.

Looks just like my drawer full of bits and pieces, defently past the that was fun part these days

[Double D]

Well, my.

I just got the dies from Whidden Gunworks.

I must say first impression is very positive. If this die set works as well as they look... This a beautiful looking set of tools. Far nicer than what one would expect for making hunting ammo.

We are busy getting ready for family to come in the 4th and it has already been "suggested" I get of the computer and get busy. You see the list, and it all looks necessary, or I would be headed to the shop to make ammo.

Thank you Gents for the referral to Whidden.

Now off to "honey do's"