Post by sockethead on Aug 29, 2022 20:05:43 GMT -5
I have to thank everyone here for all the great information. I've had a few questions answered personally and also gleaned a ton of info from reading all the posts. Having recently acquired my own lathe I decided this year I'd build a nice muzzleloader. Here in Utah we can't use smokeless for hunting, but I wanted a gun that will be capable in case the laws change someday. I chose the Iota EKO stock for its light weight, reasonable price, and availability. Probably would have preferred the AG Alpine Hunter but I wasn't sure I could get one in time for my hunt this year. The Iota is not bad. Fit and finish could be better. This is a hunting rifle though, and I'm confident that my own finish work on this gun will be right on par with the quality of the stock, LOL. The action is a Mack Bros Evo II stainless short action. Ordered it from Buckeye Tactical along with a Triggertech Primary trigger. For the barrel I went with Arrowhead's MS2 contour in a 45 cal 1-20" twist. I chose this contour because I wanted something not too heavy and yet big enough at the muzzle for a good brake. Luke's contour is .875" at the muzzle. I also ordered Hank's ignition system, PTG bottom metal, and Hawkins action screws. For the brake I used an old Piercision Muscle Brake I had sitting around. It had been abused by a guy calling himself a gunsmith a few years back and I almost threw it away. I decided to re-cut the threads on the brake from 5/8" to 3/4", bore it out to .500", and skim off all the crappy "finish work" left behind by the imbecile at Utah Rifle.
First up was threading the barrel to fit the action and cutting the bolt recess. Then figuring out the breech plug installation. After a little thought I decided to cut my powder chamber 1" beyond the end of the breech plug. This will give me plenty of leeway if I want to shoot smokeless while still adding a good bit of volume for my BH209 loads. This chamber was drilled first to 1/2" and then skimmed out to 9/16". The surface finish left by the drill bit was pretty bad, so I went ahead and reamed it to 14.5mm (.571"). That left a great finish. Next I tapped the breech for the HIS breech plug. Threading the muzzle was next...that went according to plan but timing the muzzle brake was a bit of a pain. My lathe is of Chinese origin, and while it does have a DRO, the resolution is only .0005". After some cursing and a little deep thought, I got a .0001" indicator set up on the bed that allowed me to walk that shoulder right into where I needed it.
I still have a little stock work to do, adjusting the inlet for my bottom metal (Iota's inletting there was not amazing), opening up the barrel channel a hair, and bedding the action. I'll also need to shorten the action screws since Hawkins ships them out slightly long. The brake needs a little hand work with a file to take off the rough edges, and after that I can size some bullets and go shooting! I already have some Pittman Aeromax 300s, wool wads, and a few cans of Blackhorn ready to go.
