1st Seneca rebore to .40 Test

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Idaholewis

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I got tired of waiting on the new .40 Cal Mold from Accurate, i had to come up with a Way of shooting this new Rebored Seneca Barrel? :D I picked up a Box of Cheap Blazer .40 S&W 180 FMJ loaded Shells and pulled them apart with my Kinetic Bullet puller. I checked them with a Magnet to make sure, They were non magnetic as i figured, They are Copper with a Lead Core, They Measure .6 in length and weigh 180 Grains (same as the mold i have coming) The Diameter kinda threw me off, they were .399 on the Dot (i was thinking they would be .400) I Drop tested one on my Concrete basement floor and it dinged Easily, I was confident they would “Bump up” in my Bore, But i was sure they would be fairly loose? Nope! They just grabbed the Rifling (This bore is .399) I loaded up and headed for the Sandpit (Same Exact place i shot the other day, 60 Yards, 62 to be Exact :D) I foul shot the 1 Bullet that i dinged on my Basement floor off Target, Swabbed the Bore good, Reloaded, and Started my Group. My powder Charge was 60 Weight Grains of Swiss 2F, and i used a .45 Cal Wool Felt Over Powder Wad. The Bullets Slid down the Bore no problem.

Box of shells i pulled the bullets from
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My Frankford Arsenal Kinetic Bullet Puller i used to pull the Bullets
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The Bullets, 180 Grains
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A size comparison next to 1 of Ed’s 350 Grain Lyman Gould Bullets
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Same place i shot the other day, Same pic from the other day
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It was REALLY cold here early this morning, -4 Degrees! I waited til it warmed up to a Sultry 10 Degrees or So :D It was also Breezy today, and stil doing it now, Not a Great day for Shooting! But I couldn’t Resist trying this out. I had forgot Tools to make sight adjustments, I had no choice but to Go with it, My first 2 Shots were high, just above the Target and a Little right, but about a 1/2” Apart, it was looking good :thumb: i pulled my 3rd Shot slightly, it went left and a little Lower. My folks live just up the Rd about 1/4 mile so i loaded up and headed there to use my Dads Wrenches to make a Quick Sight adjustment, I headed back to the Pit and Shot my last 2 Shots, They were a 1/2” Apart, Stil a Little high, and maybe a Smidge right, But she’s Close! I was impressed with results since i was using a Complete Odd Ball Bullet, This Little rifle is gonna shoot! :thumb:
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Man, you like to shoot more than I do in those temps!! Good shooting for the first round! Is this a range gun only or can you hunt with it? I can only use .45 cal. or bigger here in VA. for hunting big game during ML seasons.
 
We can use 40s here for deer. Ive always thought a 40 shooting conicals would be interesting to have. Maybe around 300gr at most but still able to shoot lighter plinkers for fun too.
:lewis:
 
Great results Lew. You're a tough man. I cancelled a shooting session earlier this year because the weather report said it was only going to get up to fifty degrees.
 
Thanks everyone, This Little Seneca Rifle is addicting! I have heard a few say that the Seneca is to Small, and don’t fit well, Lot of us have a difference in opinion on Rifle Fit/Feel, I am a fairly good size guy at 230 pounds, 6-0’ Tall, I love The Fit/Feel of my Renegades and Hawkens, But no better than This Little rifle, it fits me like a Taylored Glove :lewis: What a nimble Handling Little Rifle! And Recoil is Almost Comical, Just a Gentle Bump, Gotta Love it! :lewis: This would be Legal to Deer hunt with here

Mr. Bob Hoyt did a Darn fine Job on this Barrel, not a Mark on it from removing the Breech plug, And his turnaround time on this Barrel was BLAZING Fast, And Very Reasonable priced. It is a Win Win Situation if you have a rough Pitted Bore. I HIGHLY Recommend Hoyt!! I have heard about Him for Several years on Forums, He is spoken very highly of. He was a Pleasure to Talk with on the Phone, Good Guy!
 
told you you'd like the .40, they are just inherently accurate and a blast to shoot.

VERY FUN to shoot! I need the Darn Bullet mold from Accurate! He is usually really quick on turnaround, He must be backed up Busy. I will also be getting a .397 Sizer, that will be a Custom of course, I want to adjust fit to “Bore Ride” for my personal Target use, I like them to just Barely “Kiss” the rifling on the way down. The .401 will be Great for Hunting, Will be a Good tight fit with 1-40 Alloy
 

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