Like a silly bugger i,ve sat and watched all the youtube vids on the cartridge

I,ve just flogged my .30 carbine as it wasn,t getting used, and fancy rebarrelling one of my .223,s thats getting on the way to being shot out.

I know Mark has built quite a few, and would appreciate all you guys who own one,s input here on various points.

Barrel twist rate and length for a subsonic bullet, and what bullet ?

What redding dies etc are needed to load and convert brass cases too ?

Thanks guys.

Redding do a 3 die set (FL, NK and ST) which comes with the expander mandrels to take .221 fireball brass to whipper brass easily.  

Making them out of .223 is a bit more of a faff as you've gotta chop the neck and shoulder off with something like a scrollsaw or if you have one, a Dillon 1200 trimmer.

As far as bullets go, DaddyPig has shot some one hole groups with the 200gr Lapuas @ 50 yards, I've got a load of 190gr SMKs and they shoot almost as well (the limiting factor is me behind the trigger, they might be 1 hole capable)

9 to 9.5gr of N110 seems to work well although it might not quite be subsonic, guess it depends if that's an issue for you, BilboK on here has used his whisper to take out a horse!

HTH

Without wanting to thread-hijack, where are those with whippers shooting them,  and specifically is anyone shooting them on ranges with old (pre 1997) range certs specifying pistol calibres and insurance via the NRA?

I'm having a little trouble with my club now thinking they are a fullbore rifle cartridge...

Thanks for that Guys.

I,m gonna order a 1 in 8" border today then Mark, and go with the 240 smk,s i think. I want to make sure its subsonic, and am going to go with a real short barrel like yours, and probarbly a one-off moderator that will be well OTT, and probarbly take the barrel length back out to normal, but be ultra quiet.
No reason for that apart from i WANT to...

I take it there are no issues just necking up 221 furbal brass ?

I really dont want anymore case trimming on a grand scale.

hey baldie.. let me know if you have 12" of that blank left, I have a remmy 700 that needs a 300blk barrel....

Here you go Dave...

Mine works.... This load sounds like an airgun...



BAR 15
1:10 twist
17" 'ish barrel
B&T moderator
Fireball 221 brass necked up
Rem 7½ primers
9.2 gns N110 behind Lapua 200gn subsonic
2" C.O.A.L.
Loaded on Dillon 650 - Redding sizer and Forster seating dies

9.5gns gave a slightly smaller group but was in the sub/supersonic speed region....

I'm planning to start with some 180gn FMJ bullets I already have, probably using 2400 powder as I can get that locally...

I mainly use the whisper at the moment with 220gn Hornady Hydrashok bullets and Lil'gun shotgun powder for fox (can't reemember the loading of the top of myhead).

Stops them dead and is whisper quiet as you'd expect. You can hear the bullet hit home with a nice thwack!

Also works fine with 155gn FMJ but I'm looking for a new target load as I've run out of 110 powder and need to work on a load with the powders I have loads of. Just need the time to do it.
Brass is 221Fireball necked up. I've resized 500 and only had one split in resizing and none from firing (although they're only about half way through the second firing cycle at the moment).

Check out these bad boys...

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=128909

Anyone using lead in their whipper ?

I,ve got quite a fatty on , anticipating the new barrel.....

BilboK casts a pretty accurate .308 lead Spitzer, but ultimately it's a filthy idea. For me the alox and carbon residue started forming a black chewing gum like substance on the chamber walls after less than 100 rounds, probably cause I wasn't driving them hard enough to produce any measurable obturation (quite literally, we couldn't measure it)

I imagine you could also have feeding problems with a standard ramp will anything like a round bullet tip.  I had a brief play with the 115gr round nose GM hardcast bullets (still got a couple thousand of them!) but unless I do some serious dremelling of the feed ramps they aren't going to load out of the magazine.   Now my club has banned them under the premise that it's a downloaded rifle calibre rather than a pistol calibre I'll just shoot jacketed stuff at Bisley anyway.

I use the round nosed bullet for hunting, they don't feed as well as the FMJ but after playing with the feed lips they are getting better. However, I don't need the quick reload except with the target rounds which is fine and single feeding whilst after foxes is simple enough.
A little more work and it'll be feeding the round nosed stuff as well.