7MM Blake Magnum
Member
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2014
- Messages
- 7
Hello everyone, My family and I have been into guns since the 60's. My grandfather bought out the Phoenix gunsmith named Bill Sucalie. My dad and grandfather started their own gunsmithing and barrel making shop here in phoenix after they had bought all of Sucalies equipment. They primarily concentrated on barrel making only. They started with a Diamond dual spindle gundrill, a Pratt & Whitney Barrel reamer and the heart of the operation, the Diamond sine bar Cut rifling machine. They had primarily done Winchester re-bores, and also made the common calibers from those days in bolt action rifles, as well as a few of their own wildcats.
Here is a video of when we first got the rifling machine restored and cutting a barrel:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvnKSfDUCWY]Sine Bar Rifling Machine not Button RIfling Rifler - YouTube[/ame]
The first one my grandfather actually designed and built while the Barrel making equipment was still at Sucalies shop in 1965, but my grandfather had already purchased the equipment. It is a 378 Weatherby shortened about .150" and necked down to 7mm. I regularly still shoot this cartridge for elk and deer hunting. The gun he made it off of was a Remington Enfield model 1917 (P17) from WW1 Surplus guns. Because they were cheap and strong. As many of you know this gun was chambered in the 30-06 but the action was originally developed for the 280 Canadian Ross. The magazine is made long enough and the action is as well to take a over all length of the cartridge to be 3.850" long.
The only downfall to this case is the softer brass of the Norma brass. Other than that it is an excellent setup. 180 Grain Bergers I shoot at 3250 FPS for a nice smooth load, and have shot up to 3400 FPS but the cases stick fairly heavily. I shoot 168 grain Bergers at 3350 smoothly as well. Before Berger and such came to the market, we were shooting 150 grain Nosler at close to 3500 feet a second for a load. The main problem with Sierra match kings and Bergers is bullet explosion with the 31" long barrel. We have talked to Berger about this and they say because of the long barrel, and the increased time of friction, that they have seen this issue in the past as well, and recommended we shoot a target bullet and it would expand enough for hunting, with the thicker jacket. In the mean time to not have the bullet explosion at 20 yard problem, we have been shooting Barnes solid copper bullets, from the 150 to the 168 LRX bullets, at least this way we don't have to worry about the bullet not getting there.
Here is the gun I built on the same 1917 action, with a 4142 Chromoly barrel, 31" long, Mark 4 Scope, etc.
Here is the cartridge in comparison to others. From left to right
280 Remington, 7mm Mag, 7mm STW, and our 7mm Blake Mag
The second wildcat they devoloped was the 7mm Mauser / 8mm Mauser cartriged necked down to 22 caliber. This was developed for my dad to take deer hunting. My grandfather wanted a gun that could reach out there and not kick to bad for at the time my 10 year old dad to shoot. This cartridge shoots a 55 grain Nosler at 4100 FPS.
Here is the 22 Blake compared to the parent case of the 7mm Mauser:
The third was the 30-40 Krag blown out straighter. This was made for the model 1895 Winchester that my grandfathers brother hunted with. The 30-40 krag in the Springfield action could not benefit from this wildcat as the single lug action could not take the increased pressure. But the model 95 Winchester was a much stronger action and could benefit.
Here is the original 30-40 Krag next to the 30-40 Blake Improved:
Thanks for having me here, and I have been a lurker for a long time, and figured I would finally introduce myself.
Here is a video of when we first got the rifling machine restored and cutting a barrel:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvnKSfDUCWY]Sine Bar Rifling Machine not Button RIfling Rifler - YouTube[/ame]
The first one my grandfather actually designed and built while the Barrel making equipment was still at Sucalies shop in 1965, but my grandfather had already purchased the equipment. It is a 378 Weatherby shortened about .150" and necked down to 7mm. I regularly still shoot this cartridge for elk and deer hunting. The gun he made it off of was a Remington Enfield model 1917 (P17) from WW1 Surplus guns. Because they were cheap and strong. As many of you know this gun was chambered in the 30-06 but the action was originally developed for the 280 Canadian Ross. The magazine is made long enough and the action is as well to take a over all length of the cartridge to be 3.850" long.
The only downfall to this case is the softer brass of the Norma brass. Other than that it is an excellent setup. 180 Grain Bergers I shoot at 3250 FPS for a nice smooth load, and have shot up to 3400 FPS but the cases stick fairly heavily. I shoot 168 grain Bergers at 3350 smoothly as well. Before Berger and such came to the market, we were shooting 150 grain Nosler at close to 3500 feet a second for a load. The main problem with Sierra match kings and Bergers is bullet explosion with the 31" long barrel. We have talked to Berger about this and they say because of the long barrel, and the increased time of friction, that they have seen this issue in the past as well, and recommended we shoot a target bullet and it would expand enough for hunting, with the thicker jacket. In the mean time to not have the bullet explosion at 20 yard problem, we have been shooting Barnes solid copper bullets, from the 150 to the 168 LRX bullets, at least this way we don't have to worry about the bullet not getting there.
Here is the gun I built on the same 1917 action, with a 4142 Chromoly barrel, 31" long, Mark 4 Scope, etc.
Here is the cartridge in comparison to others. From left to right
280 Remington, 7mm Mag, 7mm STW, and our 7mm Blake Mag
The second wildcat they devoloped was the 7mm Mauser / 8mm Mauser cartriged necked down to 22 caliber. This was developed for my dad to take deer hunting. My grandfather wanted a gun that could reach out there and not kick to bad for at the time my 10 year old dad to shoot. This cartridge shoots a 55 grain Nosler at 4100 FPS.
Here is the 22 Blake compared to the parent case of the 7mm Mauser:
The third was the 30-40 Krag blown out straighter. This was made for the model 1895 Winchester that my grandfathers brother hunted with. The 30-40 krag in the Springfield action could not benefit from this wildcat as the single lug action could not take the increased pressure. But the model 95 Winchester was a much stronger action and could benefit.
Here is the original 30-40 Krag next to the 30-40 Blake Improved:
Thanks for having me here, and I have been a lurker for a long time, and figured I would finally introduce myself.
