So, is a "Rook Rifle" still viable?...
Nov 25, 2021 18:35:39 GMT -5
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alukban, scotth, and 1 more like this
Post by Encore64 on Nov 25, 2021 18:35:39 GMT -5
I've been experimenting with lots of small rifle cartridges and cast bullets lately. This is hardly new territory since most of these type rounds were considered obsolete long before I was born.
But, hard times fell on shooters recently and my mind wandered. I've never gotten low on reloading supplies, but still it's been an eye opener.
The 297/250 Rook was popular, as was the .255 Jeffery Rook. The 25-20 WCF with faster burning powder can mimic these two perfectly. There was no reason to look farther.
But, most of these cartridges were in the 30/32 Caliber range. That's where my focus is now. I've spent a lot of time lately with the 32-20, 30 Carbine, 321 GNR, 327 Fed and 30 Reece. All are similar to what I'm looking for.
The 30 Carbine performed well, but is a pain to load/unload from my chosen TC G2 Platform. The straight, rimless cartridge tends to pull the fingernails off during extraction. No thanks...
The 321 GNR is excellent. A 357 Magnum necked to 30 Caliber with a short neck. Great with jacketed and coated bullets. But, the neck is too short for traditional lubed bullets. The grease ring below the neck does nothing good for the powder charge.
The 32-20 is well proven. It does many things well. It's also available with .308" and .311" bores. The only downfall was brass life was short with high pressure loads.
The 327 Federal was also excellent. Brass life was excellent as was performance. With Unique and other fast powders, pressure maximum was reached before I got to the velocity I wanted with heavier bullets. Plus, it requires .311"+ bullets. With 2400 Powder, it is a stellar performer. I just can't imagine a better candidate. Except one...
The 30 Reece seems the best choice for my project. It is made from easy to find 357 Magnum Brass. But, can also be made from necking down 38 Special although they are .010" short.
This one is built on the .308" bore, so bullet selection is huge. Cases held up fine even with very hot loads.
Case neck is plenty long for traditional lube cast bullets. Jacketed and Coated are obviously not a problem.
The short, fat case with a slight bottleneck performed great with Unique. Faster burning powder, and 21% less at that, reduced noise and provided the same velocity.
So, this one does it all. Is it worth the time and money to pursue a full blown modern Rook Rifle?
But, hard times fell on shooters recently and my mind wandered. I've never gotten low on reloading supplies, but still it's been an eye opener.
The 297/250 Rook was popular, as was the .255 Jeffery Rook. The 25-20 WCF with faster burning powder can mimic these two perfectly. There was no reason to look farther.
But, most of these cartridges were in the 30/32 Caliber range. That's where my focus is now. I've spent a lot of time lately with the 32-20, 30 Carbine, 321 GNR, 327 Fed and 30 Reece. All are similar to what I'm looking for.
The 30 Carbine performed well, but is a pain to load/unload from my chosen TC G2 Platform. The straight, rimless cartridge tends to pull the fingernails off during extraction. No thanks...
The 321 GNR is excellent. A 357 Magnum necked to 30 Caliber with a short neck. Great with jacketed and coated bullets. But, the neck is too short for traditional lubed bullets. The grease ring below the neck does nothing good for the powder charge.
The 32-20 is well proven. It does many things well. It's also available with .308" and .311" bores. The only downfall was brass life was short with high pressure loads.
The 327 Federal was also excellent. Brass life was excellent as was performance. With Unique and other fast powders, pressure maximum was reached before I got to the velocity I wanted with heavier bullets. Plus, it requires .311"+ bullets. With 2400 Powder, it is a stellar performer. I just can't imagine a better candidate. Except one...
The 30 Reece seems the best choice for my project. It is made from easy to find 357 Magnum Brass. But, can also be made from necking down 38 Special although they are .010" short.
This one is built on the .308" bore, so bullet selection is huge. Cases held up fine even with very hot loads.
Case neck is plenty long for traditional lube cast bullets. Jacketed and Coated are obviously not a problem.
The short, fat case with a slight bottleneck performed great with Unique. Faster burning powder, and 21% less at that, reduced noise and provided the same velocity.
So, this one does it all. Is it worth the time and money to pursue a full blown modern Rook Rifle?
