Thoughts on new 700 ml build

[timgunner]

Hi fellas 
I'm new to this forum and also new to smokeless muzzleloaders. I've owned a few hawken style old school muzzleloaders but never an inline muzzleloader. So the whole muzzleloader realm is new to me. I am not new to rifles however, i have personally built 10 custom long range center-fire riles in the last year so i am familiar with rifle smithing. I decided to build a custom smokeless ml when i came across a Remington 700 ml receiver for sale for cheap on the accurateshooter.com site, which i frequent. The receiver came with a stock and recoil lug only, did not come with a bolt, barrel, breach plug, ram rod etc... I found a stripped bolt body at Numrich.com and soldered on a generic Mauser style bolt handle.  I have an extra short action remington firing pin, spring, cocking piece and bolt shroud to use (i realize it is totally different than the ML version). My original intention was to machine a lyman ideal shell holder to thread it to the end of the bolt to function similarly to the hunter bolt nose kit. However instead of carrying a 209 it would hold a 45 acp case primed with a large rifle primer.  With that setup i was going to follow the Richards Custom rifles pattern or that of the new remington 700 ultimate muzzleloader and use a custom breach plug or the one Richard recommends. On the other had it would be much easier to buy a savage MLII breach plug and hunter bolt conversion kit and just finish out the rifle that way.  What i want to know are the pros and cons of the 209 verses the large rifle primer.  Do you guys who run custom smokeless muzzloaders find a difference in either primer/ system? Also, I'm still debating caliber .416 or .45 and id like recommendations of bullet selection for these calibers. I do not want to use sabots. I like the look of the Parker bullets but I'd like to find a cheaper option. Perhaps barns txs or other center-fire rifle bullets? i have about 1000 more questions but ill try to keep this to just a few

thanks

Tim 

[dannoboone]

So, do you have Richard Franklin's DVD's for building a
smokeless muzzle loader? I found them to be very
interesting and informative. However, there seems to
be a problem with gas cutting with the BP/CF case
system he used. Similar systems also have that same
problem. Some have overcome it with various techniques
but they will have to pitch in and comment on that
variable.

Unless you are a real tinkerer, the best way would be
to get the Hunter Bolt Nose kit along with a Savage
type breech plug. I would like to see a bolt nose for
the 700ml made for PR Bullet's CF primer carriers, but
there probably isn't the demand to pursue it.

Depending on powder choices, either LR mag primers
or 209M's will ignite charges. I've toyed with SRP mags
in .25acp cases using duplex charges (primer powder
under main charge) and they all went "bang" every time.
Too bad the thin-walled cases wouldn't hold up to the
pressure. They fit great in the 10mlII bolt head.

If shooting long range with a ML is your goal, the
.416 is probably your best bet, but are ya ever going
to need a muzzle brake!

Personally, I have a .451 on a Sav 10MLII, and a .458
on a Rem700ML. The .451 is especially for Parker bullets,
but to get on paper, less expensive bullets can be used.
Same with the .458.

Again, welcome to the board!

[timgunner]

I do have Richard Franklin's DVDs and book on building a smokeless ML. I stumbled across his site and that is what got me interested in Smokeless ML and what led me here.

I am planning on using the rifle for long range hunting and showing off to my long range shooting friends on what can be done with a ML. Here in sd telescopic sights are not allowed during ML season so I am thinking about setting the rifle up with M24 apature sights to get the best accuracy out of it. Or I might just use it during regular rifle season.

I have been leaning more toward the 416 caliber because it seems like it would yield a better BC than .451 or .458.
Most of the barrels I've seen are 14 twist. Would that be slow enough? I assume if rounds are leaving the barrel near 2800fps it will be close to duplicatimg the performance of .416 rem mag and could as a result use the same twist?

[razorbackjim1]

Feb 8, 2015 23:30:53 GMT -5 timgunner said:

Hi fellas 
I'm new to this forum and also new to smokeless muzzleloaders. I've owned a few hawken style old school muzzleloaders but never an inline muzzleloader. So the whole muzzleloader realm is new to me. I am not new to rifles however, i have personally built 10 custom long range center-fire riles in the last year so i am familiar with rifle smithing. I decided to build a custom smokeless ml when i came across a Remington 700 ml receiver for sale for cheap on the accurateshooter.com site, which i frequent. The receiver came with a stock and recoil lug only, did not come with a bolt, barrel, breach plug, ram rod etc... I found a stripped bolt body at Numrich.com and soldered on a generic Mauser style bolt handle.  I have an extra short action remington firing pin, spring, cocking piece and bolt shroud to use (i realize it is totally different than the ML version). My original intention was to machine a lyman ideal shell holder to thread it to the end of the bolt to function similarly to the hunter bolt nose kit. However instead of carrying a 209 it would hold a 45 acp case primed with a large rifle primer.  With that setup i was going to follow the Richards Custom rifles pattern or that of the new remington 700 ultimate muzzleloader and use a custom breach plug or the one Richard recommends. On the other had it would be much easier to buy a savage MLII breach plug and hunter bolt conversion kit and just finish out the rifle that way.  What i want to know are the pros and cons of the 209 verses the large rifle primer.  Do you guys who run custom smokeless muzzloaders find a difference in either primer/ system? Also, I'm still debating caliber .416 or .45 and id like recommendations of bullet selection for these calibers. I do not want to use sabots. I like the look of the Parker bullets but I'd like to find a cheaper option. Perhaps barns txs or other center-fire rifle bullets? i have about 1000 more questions but ill try to keep this to just a few

thanks

Tim