I just received this in trade for my TCR-83 Aristocrat. It has always been my opinion that the only "good" trade is one in which BOTH parties feel like they got the 'long end of the stick". Such is the case here. The fellow I traded to loves the TCR, and I LOVE this thing.
 
That herkin' big 'scope is a Unertl 12x. It's worth at least as much as the rifle. Believe me when I tell you that the gun looks better "in the flesh" than it does in these pictures. So, in the end, I turned a Ruger No. 1 chambered in .300 Weatherby Magnum into this rifle. (That's what I originally traded for the TCR.) I'm callin' that a "good" trade.
 
It's chambered in .25 Krag, which is of course the .30-40 Krag necked down to .257. That too is interesting, as the barrel that I used the most on the TCR was the .257 RAI. So essentially no net change in cartridges. I also got reloading dies and brass. I can't wait to shoot it.
 
I'm not sure the Unertl will stay. It's strictly a bench 'scope, not a hunting 'scope, and I'm just not a bench shooter. I'll hafta give that some thought.
 
Here ya go...
 
The whole left side:

 
The right side butt:

 
The right side mid-section:

 
The right side forearm:

 
And the right side of the action:

 
Paul

A brilliant trade. I have some stuff to trade.....interested? :laugh: Regards, Rick.

Thanks.
 
Actually Rick, the fellow with whom I traded is your neighbor. He's over in Rolla, MO.
 
I might be interested in some of your stuff, but if you're ogling this piece in trade...
 
Paul

I am starting to get down right jealous but I guess if you have to live in the frozen north you got a right to a hobby.:D

Thanks Al. :D
 
I'm trying to slowly "change out" my arsenal from "the guns of youth" to "classy" guns. :)
 
I'm snoopin' around for quality MLs, but they're not easy to find. At least not those that are "available". I've got too many irons in the fire at the moment, but as soon as I get some of this "training/learning" stuff out of the way, I'm gonna start on a SxS ML rifle. (The .58 ML is close to complete. Just a bit of woodwork to do.)
 
Anyway, now that I have the Quigley, the two Martinis, the Collath drilling, the Sodia Cape gun, and the 16ga x .416 Cape gun of my own making, I'm "satisfied" for a while. Now I just need to kill something with each of them. The only arm mentioned above that I have blooded is the Martini-Enfield in .50 Alaskan.
 
I'd sure lke to come down there to Katy and shoot some waterfowl with one of the Cape Guns or the drilling. Or get out after some quail or pheasant. Maybe....
 
Paul

Very cool! You can bring that down here for deer or antelope.

 WOW!!!!
 
Good trade. I'm glad you are both happy.
Could you please post a picture of the cartridge?

We can put that goose hunt together. Quail and pheasant are pretty scarce for me. What I would really like to see is you get on some Sandhill Cranes with one or more of those.

QuoteWhat I would really like to see is you get on some Sandhill Cranes with one or more of those.

Me too! The only thing I like more than eating Sandhill cranes is shootin' 'em.
 
22hornet - I haven't received the package with the brass yet. I expect it today. When I get it, I'll post some pictures.
 
HB - Sounds like a plan. For antelope, I might even leave the Unertl on it.
 
I exchanged loading info with the previous owner, and it looks like it's just a bit tamer than the .257 RAI. He recommends staying below 40 kCUP, saying that when he went above that, brass longevity diminished. He felt it was due to the brass and not the action, but didn't know for sure. He got 2800 to 3000 f/s MVs with the 87-grain TNT (he was only using it for varmints he said). I got 3450+ with the 85-grain Combined Technology Ballistic SilverTip and the RAI. I'll see how it does with the 85-grain Combined Technology Ballistic SilverTip. Maybe a bit more speed at the same pressure. I'm also interested in the 115-grain Partition, and Ol' John's recommended 90-grain BTHP. But I've got just about every .257 bullet from 60 grains to 120.
 
Paul

More fun!
I thought you porked a pig in KDR with the Collath?
A lot of the SA BP boys use the Spaghetti .58 and .72 sxs ml's.
They prefer the .58, I think part of that is the amount of powder it uses, BP is expensive and hard to find in SA, even the locally made sugar based stuff is pretty expensive.

QuoteI thought you porked a pig in KDR with the Collath?

You're absolutely right Don. I forgot about that. I think I used one of your bullets too.
 
Interesting stuff about the South African black powder muzzle-loaders. I wasn't aware of any of that. In fact, all I recall having heard about modern BP use in Africa was by American 'invaders'.
 
Pedersoli makes a SxS .72 ML in Kodiak model that has tempted me, (I'm sure my temptations now surprise no one), but for whatever reason, I like the .58. It's surprizing how small the round balls are for those huge calibers. But... there's just nothing like slinging a big hunk of lead down-range. Better still if it whacks into 'something' big too.
 
Paul

Paul, that's a really nice looking gun. I'll trade with you and you can keep the scope. You'll have to finish mine tho. The problem with the brass may be from not headspacing on the shoulder. If there is space between the shoulder and chamber shoulder, brass stretches a lot. It doesn't take long to separate at the head. The AI version is somewhat better but still needs to be headspaced on the shoulder. ......Those Unertl scopes still bring premium prices. I sold all of mine since I don't varmint hunt any more like I used to.    ........Paul H

Paul, check out the site,"Whitesmoke", a whole bunch of mostly Boers who burn all the powder they can afford and whack a lot of game with them.
They have regular meets and other informal shoots and some are even into cannons, original, repro and miniature and reenactments of their favorite sport, hunting "Khakis" with 7x57s.
A lot of them use flinchlocks, too.

Thanks Don, I will.
 
Paul

I got the dies and brass today. It is indeed an Ackley Improved (40 degree shoulder) case. The cases he provided are .303 British cases. He supplied the forming dies in addition to the reloading dies, and both say .25 Krag Ackley Improved, so that's what they be.
 
That's what I mean when I say that after a certain point in straightening a case's walls, it's just a straight-walled case. The parent case is immaterial other than head and rim diameters. I'll post some pictures later, but they'll be boring, as there is no material difference betwen the .257 RAI and the .25 KAI except the rim.
 
Paul