Gun Nut Butter ('cause I'm processing the idea over and over in my head)
[Karma fronting]
So, I've listed my Marlin 1894FG on Gun Broker. I think it's a reasonable price, considering they go for $1400 when you can find one NIB.
I'm replacing it with a Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter. I already have the frame on order, and will just be buying barrel assemblies (there's some ejector and an optic base included, I'm pretty sure) from Match Grade Machine. Obviously, I'm going to want the .41 Magnum barrel, but I should have enough for a second barrel, and that's what I'm trying to decide upon.
MGM can make all of these, and the decision is which to get first.
The two chamberings I already handload for, .32 H&R and .327 Fed Mag, will at least not have the costs of buying dies and brass. I will need to buy jacketed bullets for either, since I've been led to believe that plated bullets are going to start coming apart, inside the barrel, with loads at or exceeding 1500 fps. I'm not sure about the .32 H&R, but .327 Fed Mag is almost guaranteed to exceed that.
There are three "supermag" chamberings (.357 Maximum, .414 Supermag, .445 Supermag) that I'm interested in. Finding dies and brass will be problematic, though I do occasionally see brass on Gun Broker. I think Lee already makes .357 Max dies, but the other two may require me to commission them to make a custom set of dies (and I might just sock like $500 and get several sets done, selling off the extras).
Then there are two chamberings that I'm interested in that dies and brass will likely be available for (.460 S&W Mag and .500 S&W Mag). These will be the second cheapest startup, but I'll probably want to spend the extra coin and get them ported, so the end cost will probably be higher than even the unsupported supermags.
Additionally, there are three low interest chamberings I may end up doing. .357 Sig is problematic in blow-back guns, and the only blow-back long gun I'm aware of for it will be a Mech-Tech and that'll end up being more expensive anyway (even if it's more fun). .454 Casull and .45 Colt (yeah, both) seem a little redundant when I might have a .460 S&W Mag, but there's a bit of speculation that the extra "jump" between the mouth of the case and the lands of the barrel induces inaccuracies. I can somewhat understand this, and there's always the possibility of just loading the .460 S&W cases with lighter charges that are in the .454 Casull and .45 Colt ranges. This same logic can apply to the .414 Supermag, though, and might lead me to just get a .414 Supermag barrel and either find out the hard way that .41 Magnum ammunition is less accurate than .414 Supermag cases loaded with .41 Magnum load data.
Come to think of it, I can test this last issue right now. I have a .357 Magnum rifle. I could do twinned development of .38 Special ammunition and .357 Mag cases loaded with .38 Special load data and see if the latter is more accurate. That's a good new project to work on.
So, I've listed my Marlin 1894FG on Gun Broker. I think it's a reasonable price, considering they go for $1400 when you can find one NIB.
I'm replacing it with a Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter. I already have the frame on order, and will just be buying barrel assemblies (there's some ejector and an optic base included, I'm pretty sure) from Match Grade Machine. Obviously, I'm going to want the .41 Magnum barrel, but I should have enough for a second barrel, and that's what I'm trying to decide upon.
MGM can make all of these, and the decision is which to get first.
The two chamberings I already handload for, .32 H&R and .327 Fed Mag, will at least not have the costs of buying dies and brass. I will need to buy jacketed bullets for either, since I've been led to believe that plated bullets are going to start coming apart, inside the barrel, with loads at or exceeding 1500 fps. I'm not sure about the .32 H&R, but .327 Fed Mag is almost guaranteed to exceed that.
There are three "supermag" chamberings (.357 Maximum, .414 Supermag, .445 Supermag) that I'm interested in. Finding dies and brass will be problematic, though I do occasionally see brass on Gun Broker. I think Lee already makes .357 Max dies, but the other two may require me to commission them to make a custom set of dies (and I might just sock like $500 and get several sets done, selling off the extras).
Then there are two chamberings that I'm interested in that dies and brass will likely be available for (.460 S&W Mag and .500 S&W Mag). These will be the second cheapest startup, but I'll probably want to spend the extra coin and get them ported, so the end cost will probably be higher than even the unsupported supermags.
Additionally, there are three low interest chamberings I may end up doing. .357 Sig is problematic in blow-back guns, and the only blow-back long gun I'm aware of for it will be a Mech-Tech and that'll end up being more expensive anyway (even if it's more fun). .454 Casull and .45 Colt (yeah, both) seem a little redundant when I might have a .460 S&W Mag, but there's a bit of speculation that the extra "jump" between the mouth of the case and the lands of the barrel induces inaccuracies. I can somewhat understand this, and there's always the possibility of just loading the .460 S&W cases with lighter charges that are in the .454 Casull and .45 Colt ranges. This same logic can apply to the .414 Supermag, though, and might lead me to just get a .414 Supermag barrel and either find out the hard way that .41 Magnum ammunition is less accurate than .414 Supermag cases loaded with .41 Magnum load data.
Come to think of it, I can test this last issue right now. I have a .357 Magnum rifle. I could do twinned development of .38 Special ammunition and .357 Mag cases loaded with .38 Special load data and see if the latter is more accurate. That's a good new project to work on.