7mm Gradle Express revisited
I went down to the local gunshop this morning and measured the head dia. of the 7mm WSM and the .348 and, Hawk, you're right on--they are awful close! The WSM is .15" shorter than the .348 but without a dimensioned case drawing of the Gradle express, I don't know how much of a problem that would be.
mljackso,
Why don't you make a chamber cast of your rifle and compare the measurements to the 7mm WSM to see if you could make cases from WSM's. Also, don't overlook Remington's SAUM's--maybe those would work.
I cringe when I think of a new barrel or new chamber for that beautiful old rifle.
mljackso,
Why don't you make a chamber cast of your rifle and compare the measurements to the 7mm WSM to see if you could make cases from WSM's. Also, don't overlook Remington's SAUM's--maybe those would work.
I cringe when I think of a new barrel or new chamber for that beautiful old rifle.
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I figure that necking down from .30 to 7mm and blowing out the odd Gradle radius shoulder, you might get a little case stretch to make at least part of that up. But then I am not an enthusiastic or very experienced wildcatter, just going by what I have read. As I recall the RSAUMS are a little shorter than the WSMs because a WSM would not fit a Remington short action. Maybe RUM brass, but I don't have the diameter at hand. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Ambrose
I cringe when I think of a new barrel or new chamber for that beautiful old rifle.
That is the beauty of my suggestion,...have a new barrel done, and the rifle can always have the original barrel screwed back on when/if you decide to sell it. There will be no evidence of the rebarrel job as long as you request that the gunsmith NOT square the action face. This way, the original barrel can be re-installed with no evidence of the new barrel being installed and no headpsacing needed, which would no doubt make the barrel markings off center on the original barrel. This way you get your collector rifle, AND a rifle that you can shoot with readily available ammo.
You can buy a high grade chrome-moly barrel from the top manufacturers for well under $300[8D] 2 guns in 1[;)]
HAWK, the RUM body is made off of the 404 jeffries case if that helps with dimensions. No belt, .532" casehead.....
And you are again correct in that the RSAUM is shorter than the WSM at the datum line. They have been enjoying quite a bit of interest from the long range BR crowd the past few years. In tests, it proves slightly more efficient than the WSM case design.0 -
quote:That is the beauty of my suggestion,...have a new barrel done, and the rifle can always have the original barrel screwed back on when/if you decide to sell it.
I like this suggestion and will explore.
quote:You can buy a high grade chrome-moly barrel from the top manufacturers for well under $300 2 guns in 1
Where? Have any leads to give me? Should any major gunsmith in Houston be able to do this?0 -
Any decent gunsmith should be able to thread and chamber a barrel for a bolt action rifle. All he will need is the shank dia and length, as well as the thread pitch from the original barrel to thread the new barrel blank. This is easily done on his lathe.
as far as where to get your barrel blank, either have the gunsmith order it for you or simply go to one of the websites for the various manufacturers
Look at:
Shilen
PacNor
hart
mike rock
schneider
kreiger
lilja
douglas
etc etc etc
Brownells often has various manufacturers barrel blanks in stock0 -
No belt, .532" casehead
Too small, the .348 is .553", the WSM is .555".
It may be simple for an experienced gunsmith to contour a barrel, but it isn't cheap. A Pac-Nor barrel blank is $230, plus $300 for them to turn, thread, chamber, and headspace. $35 extra to match an existing contour they do not have on file. That includes truing the action but not magazine work or bluing. Maybe your guy works cheaper.0 -
I get my blanks contoured already from the manufacturer, and threading, chambering, and crowning usually run me maybe $150+/-. I figure $500 for a stainless match grade barrel, installed ($650-$700 with a break)
The boltface of .553" should have more than the necessary .002" extra to fit the WSM, so I would look into a WSM chambered barrel so as to not need any boltface modification work. This way, the gun stays in it's orginal configuration if/when the original barrel is put back on.
also, forgot to ask, what action is the rifle built on?0 -
Thing is, he would want a new barrel to the Gradle contour so as to avoid having to change the foreend inlet, which the lathe man would have to have in his hands to duplicate. It's only $35 plus shipping in the old one, anyhow.
The FIRST thing I would do if considering a rebarrel would be to get a specimen one or another of the WSM family and see if it would come up out of the magazine and start into the Gradle chamber. If Mr Gradle did much magazine and receiver rail work to get the Express to feed, it might be pretty dedicated to his shape and diameter.
I fear the OP has bought a pig in a poke not knowing how much trouble it would be to feed. Things would have been a lot simpler if it had been a 7mm REMINGTON Express as he mentioned in the first go-round.0 -
quote:what action is the rifle built on?
It's a Mauser action...assume 98 model but not sure. Here's the Seller's description a month ago when I bought it: "This is a beautiful custom rifle made by the world famous Roy Gradle of Santa Barbara California. This rifle is a 7mm Express built on a Mauser action. This rifle has a unique Monte Carlo stock and a slender pistol grip, both of which make it a pleasure to hold and bring to the shoulder. The custom stock is exceptional with fine cut checkering and Ebony tipped forstock and pistol grip cap. The wood and bluing are 99%+ with but a few tiny handling marks. The bolt is hand jeweled. The bore is perfect as you would expect. The barrel is clearly marked "Roy Gradle" as is the recoil pad. It is topped with a Stith 4X scope mounted on a Bueler one piece base with Buehler rings. This is an exceptional piece from my personal collection. ..."0 -
Hawk,..I get .610" on the 348win from "cartridges of the world" 9th edition. The body dia at the casehead is .553". I assume with this being a rimmed cartridge as the dimensions dictate, but we all know some books can be in error. If this info is true, he has plenty of room for the WSM boltface dia. I have no data as to the body dia of the WSM case, so I can't offer real data to the owner as far as feeding reliability. If the WSM is the same or smaller, I would think that the feeding would be a non-issue. If the WSM is larger, then we have another whole issue with modifying feed rails and if it will feed the original chambering after modification.[?]
as for the barrel contour, I would order a blank in a smaller or similar dia so as not to have to change the stock inletting. I am just trying to get this guy a shooter without messing with the orignal design. I would think that the dia at the chamber, the length of that dia, and the muzzle dia would be enough to make a decision. The smaller contour can be remedied by a bedding pad under the chamber in a smaller dia barrel blank. This way,..no mods on a custom rifle, but he can still shoot it in a factory chambering and have the original tube as a backup.
I am a huge wildcat fan, but from looking at the data for the Gradle Express, it is one that is outdated and a huge PITA to form since brass will no doubt be a caveat. If you can even find the brass to start with. there were not that many rifles in that chambering (348win), so brass availability will be a large setback in finding components, as will dies to load with.
At this point, I would suggest selling it to a collector if possible, and buying a rifle with a much more useable chambering. Unless you wish to keep the original rifle intact, which would mean not shooting it, loading your own rounds, or rebarreling to somehting much more available.0 -
interesting repies on an interesting rifle. There is a market for rifles by the older 'custom gunsmiths' and it would be a shame to alter what is a fine example just to get a 'shooter'. There has been an ongoing profile of custom gun makers in 'The accurat rifle' magazine but I don't recall seeing Roy Gradel mentioned. Anyway If it were mine I'd leave it as-is and make some ammo for it (less cost than a new barrel), and with the wsm case it probably would be easyer that the original .348. 0
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