This prevents double-
feeding, and also
permits the hunter to
work cartridges through
the action.”
2 2 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ MAY 2018
with the 180gn and 2800fps
with the 180gn. I am glad to
know that your mate is happy
with his rifle, but since he is
loading AR2209, I hope he
never gets it near a
chonograph, as knowing the
actual bullet speeds might ruin
his confidence in the gun. The
.30-06 Ackley does best with
slow powders, but I've found
that both Re-22 and AR2213sc
both work better than AR2209.
Loads For Jap Arisaka
7.7x 5 8 mm
Q
I have a Japanese Type 99
Arisaka rifle which has
an excellent bore and I'd like
to handload some ammunition
for it to compete in military
rifle competition. I have 100
once-fired Norma cases but
want to know the best powder
and bullets to use. Also, can
you suggest loads with the
Speer 125gn and 150gn bullets?
- Jack Nelson
A
The 7.7 Jap uses the same
bullets as the .303 British
which have a diameter of .311.
In fact, the 7.7mm is almost
identical ballistically to the
Mark VII .303 loading. Muzzle
velocity of the 7.7's 174gn bullet
is 2400fps as compared with
the .303's 2440fps. A mate of
mine is loading 46gn of
AR2206H behind the 125gn
bullet for about 2800fps and
43gn behind the 150gn bullet
for 2720fps. Work up from 2
grains below just to be on the
safe side.
Wildcat .22-284
Swifter Than The Swift
Q
I want to have my
Winchester Model 70
rebarrelled to something faster
than the .22-250. The .220
Weatherby Rocket or similar
Ackley Improved Swift passed
through my mind – and kept
right on going. Then my
Gunsmith suggested the
.22-284, which is rare enough
to tempt me to try it. What are
your thoughts about this?
- Glen Roberts
A
The .220 Swift moved a
50gn bullet at over
4000fps, but Weatherby's
improved version added about
200fps to that velocity without
adding to pressure, and it
extended barrel life too. Today,
the Rocket is obsolete, but a
faster .22 is found in the
.22-284 which shoots the 50gn
bullet at 4400fps at no greater
pressure than the Swift
produces. Personally, I think
the .22-284 is at its best with
heavy .224 bullets weighing
from 70 to 90 grains in a barrel
with a 1:8" twist. It would make
a pretty fair deer rifle with a
load pushing the stout RWS
74gn Cone-Point at 3700fps or
more. I've never worked with
this wild and wooley wildcat
so don't ask me for load data.
Maybe you could start by using
data for the improved .224-
6mm Improved?Controlled-Round Feed
Q
I have noticed that you
are an avowed disciple of
Mauser-type rifles which
feature controlled-round feed
since most of your personal
rifles are built on F.N and
Mark-X Mauser actions or are
Model 70 Winchesters. Can
you explain why you think the
M98 system is superior to
the push-feed system for
hunting purposes?- Hugh Watson
A
The Mauser 98 action
may be old, but it
provides the most foolproof
feeding and extraction system
of all bolt actions. It is built
around a non-rotating, wide
steel hook extractor with a
long tail which is attached to a
rotating collar mounted in a
groove in the bolt body. Peter
Paul Mauser achieved the
maximum purchase area for
his extractor. As the bolt is
lifted, the extractor, attached
to the collar, remains
stationary, and its pull on the
cartridge rim is straight
rearwards as actuated by the
cocking cams. These balancedcams provide an 8.5 to 1
leverage for extraction and
seating of a fresh round. In the
M98 most of the cocking is
done by the uplift of the bolt
handle which works the
primary cocking and
extraction cam. The remainder
of cocking and seating the
fresh round comes as the bolt
handle is lowered and
secondary camming occurs.
The non-rotating extractor
system also controls the
cartridge as it is fed out of the
magazine by the bolt - forcing
the case rim under the
extractor claw with bolt travel,
so each round is properly
positioned on the bolt face and
the extractor hook grips the
case rim before the bolt is
home. This prevents double-
feeding, and also permits the
hunter to work cartridges
through the action to load or
unload for testing the fit of the
cartridges to the chamber
before going afield. The
non-rotating extractor allows
rounds to be worked through
the action without cocking,
simply by working the bolt
backwards and forwards.There are several other
advantages of the Mauser-type
rifle that makes me choose
them over a push-feed rifle.More On Improved
CartridgesQ
You have written a good
many articles about one
or another of the improved
cartridges. But there's a
couple of things you forgot to
mention. Can you tell me: how
much reduction in velocity
there is when a standard
factory cartridge is fired in
the improved chamber? You
mentioned a reduction in bolt
thrust produced by the
straight-sided improved
cartridge, but how much of a
reduction is there? Sorry, if
you think I'm nit-picking, but
I am a curious guy.- Pat Hardman
A
I think you are posing
two legitimate questions.
There is a velocity penalty
for shooting factory ammo in
an improved chamber, but
the amount of loss depends on
the amount of improvement
you have. It has been claimedASK THE
GUN EDITOR