Black Diamond 408
Well-Known Member
After conversing with Ernie over the past several years he finally talked me into a specialty pistol
project. He kept after me to build some custom actions dedicated for the pistol shooters. I told him when i got some free time i would put a design on paper and put a prototype together.
We talked about the different calibers and cartridges being used, i wanted something accurate
and also capable of long range hunting. I decided on 30 cal, i liked the wide range of bullets
available. This new cartridge was designed for the heavy high BC bullets. We talked about
using a 338 Lapua case and necking it to 30cal, along with other possibles. One day i was messing around in the shop and got a wild idea, i shortened a 408 Cheytac case and necked
it to 30cal. It ended up looking better than i thought, i did several mock ups and settled on a
case capacity of 85gns of Retumbo powder. This case has a short powder column for a uniform
ignition, should help with the accuracy. It is similar to a WSM style case, only much larger.
I call it "30 BTAC" short for 30 baby tactical. Its a lot of work making the brass, but i wanted
something different. Brass length is 1.550" long
The action is a dual port style made from 4340 chrome-moly steel. Fluted bolt, sako extractor
and plunger ejector. It was made to fit the new case, ejection port is cut for the short shell.
I put a dual port on for ease of loading on a bench, this will also double as a competition bench pistol.
The action will accept any Rem 700 style triggers, this particular pistol has a very special option
an Electronic trigger system. It can be set from 1/4 ounce to 6 pounds. The electronics are held in a pocket i milled into the area where a magazine well would normally be, a small cover gains access to the battery.
The stock was designed by Joel Russo, it is a bench rest style with a 3" wide forend. It can be used for bench work or hunting. The under coat was a clear epoxy to seal and harden the wood.
The top coats are Duracoat epoxy paint to match the US Army digital camouflage. I have a military log book i used for the pattern, it came out very close. I converted the log book to hold the shooting info and my Exbal ballistic computer.
Here are some of the build specs
Viersco Long Range Pistol action, dual port
Electronic fire control system
Russo Laminated stock, Bench rest style
Lilja 30cal barrel, 8 twist, 20 inches long .900 at the muzzle
Viersco "Shark Bite" muzzle brake
Overall length 34"
Weight with out scope, 10.5#
For competition shooting it will have a stainless steel plate that attaches to the bottom
of the forend to bring the weight to 16#
Optics will be a 8-32x Night force scope. 40MOA base will be used for most shooting. In the future i will build an adjustable base for extreme distance shooting, 0-150moa.
This has been a fun departure from the standard rifle projects, i look forward to testing as soon as i get the brass and dies built. I'm sure i will have more to post when all that gets done.
Dave
project. He kept after me to build some custom actions dedicated for the pistol shooters. I told him when i got some free time i would put a design on paper and put a prototype together.
We talked about the different calibers and cartridges being used, i wanted something accurate
and also capable of long range hunting. I decided on 30 cal, i liked the wide range of bullets
available. This new cartridge was designed for the heavy high BC bullets. We talked about
using a 338 Lapua case and necking it to 30cal, along with other possibles. One day i was messing around in the shop and got a wild idea, i shortened a 408 Cheytac case and necked
it to 30cal. It ended up looking better than i thought, i did several mock ups and settled on a
case capacity of 85gns of Retumbo powder. This case has a short powder column for a uniform
ignition, should help with the accuracy. It is similar to a WSM style case, only much larger.
I call it "30 BTAC" short for 30 baby tactical. Its a lot of work making the brass, but i wanted
something different. Brass length is 1.550" long
The action is a dual port style made from 4340 chrome-moly steel. Fluted bolt, sako extractor
and plunger ejector. It was made to fit the new case, ejection port is cut for the short shell.
I put a dual port on for ease of loading on a bench, this will also double as a competition bench pistol.
The action will accept any Rem 700 style triggers, this particular pistol has a very special option
an Electronic trigger system. It can be set from 1/4 ounce to 6 pounds. The electronics are held in a pocket i milled into the area where a magazine well would normally be, a small cover gains access to the battery.
The stock was designed by Joel Russo, it is a bench rest style with a 3" wide forend. It can be used for bench work or hunting. The under coat was a clear epoxy to seal and harden the wood.
The top coats are Duracoat epoxy paint to match the US Army digital camouflage. I have a military log book i used for the pattern, it came out very close. I converted the log book to hold the shooting info and my Exbal ballistic computer.
Here are some of the build specs
Viersco Long Range Pistol action, dual port
Electronic fire control system
Russo Laminated stock, Bench rest style
Lilja 30cal barrel, 8 twist, 20 inches long .900 at the muzzle
Viersco "Shark Bite" muzzle brake
Overall length 34"
Weight with out scope, 10.5#
For competition shooting it will have a stainless steel plate that attaches to the bottom
of the forend to bring the weight to 16#
Optics will be a 8-32x Night force scope. 40MOA base will be used for most shooting. In the future i will build an adjustable base for extreme distance shooting, 0-150moa.
This has been a fun departure from the standard rifle projects, i look forward to testing as soon as i get the brass and dies built. I'm sure i will have more to post when all that gets done.
Dave
