We are getting ready to lock our gate and hunker down at the Rawles Ranch. To minimize our number of trips into town to mail out antique gun orders, I’ve decided to run a special sale for just the next 48 hours. I’ve reduced prices on most of my guninventory. Following this sale I will temporarily cease taking any orders until May 4th. This sale ends at midnight, Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 31st. So get your Elk Creek Company order in soon!
Note that I still have about 80 nice hand-picked pre-1899 cartridge guns in inventory. Nearly all of these are nice shootable antiques, chambered in cartridges that are still factory made by a variety of manufacturers. The antique gun prices range from $200 and up.
So that I won’t have to go pick up mail nor wait for check clearance, I must insist that all orders for this two day sale be paid by credit card. Thanks!
I always include at least one bonus with every order. These bonuses vary, but might include any of the following:
- A gun case, sling, butt pad, or holster.
- A waterproof SurvivalBlog archive 16GB USB stick. (Now out of production.)
- An autographed copy of one of the books that I authored.
- Some ammunition (only for orders shipped via UPS or FedEx.)
- A spare part for the gun that you ordered.
- An accessory for the gun that you ordered.
- A reprint of a reference article on the gun that you ordered.
- An original 1890s publication.
- Gun or scope cleaning supplies.
- The no-longer-produced and now hoarded NECCO wafer candies.
Again I won’t accept any orders after midnight Tuesday, so get your Elk Creek Company order in soon!
Hi Jim,
I picked up a nice lemon squeezer today over at Elk Creek Company.
I got a really fair price on a high quality item.
I look forward to getting it any interesting JASBORR items that you care to throw in.
Thank you for your service!
Name, Redacted 🙂
This is my new favorite. I missed it last time I looked. With my eyes a scope is very helpful and to fill a role this rifle can play, a scope is necessary. Even if you have a good semi auto, you should also have a long range precision rifle, and it is now harder to find quality .308 Winchester, so going with the much less popular, yet arguably superior 7×57, makes sense to me. A hand loaded 160 grain is the best choice, but for under 500 yards, 140 grain bullet is plenty good, and has a flatter trajectory. BTW, the .30-06 case is based upon this case, and it is likely that 7×57 cases can be made from the .30-06 cases. However the neck may need to be reamed.
Ludwig Loewe M1895 7×57 Sporter
Chilean contract 1895 Loewe Sporter 7×57. Equipped with low-swing scope safety, U.S.-made commercial walnut sporter stock, and Weaver-style scope bases. Bolt stop has been jeweled. 21″ barrel. Made circa 1895 or 1896. (BBY-108) Price: $725
https://elkcreekcompany.net/product/chilean-contract-1895-loewe-sporter-7×57/
The M93/M96 safety should work if it is not present on this rifle.
https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/triggers-parts/triggers/buehler-style-low-safety-prod13149.aspx
https://www.chuckhawks.com/7mm.htm
“Current ammunition catalogs from PMC, Remington and Federal show loads for the 7×57 with 140 grain spitzer bullets (SD .248) at a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2,660 fps and muzzle energy (ME) of 2,199 ft. lbs. Winchester loads a 145 grain spitzer to the same MV for a ME of 2279 ft. lbs. Federal and PMC also load 175 grain RN bullets at a MV of 2440 fps and ME of 2315 ft. lbs. These are the standard American low pressure factory loads.”
RE: 7×57
8×57 may also still be on the shelves, if so, see if there is a rifle that shoots 8×57, however JWR has a fine selection of 7×57 and 6.5×55. Mosin Nagants are great because the ammo is everywhere, and a reloader can use common .308 bullets, yet I favor rifles that are ready for a scope. The 7×57 is lower recoiling that the 7.62x54R (Mosin Nagant), 8mm Mauser, and .308 Win. Handloading the 7×57 with the 140gain bullet can produce a superior, in terms of a flatter trajectory, to that of the 168 grain .7.62 Nato match load. A modern Nosler bullet for .308 168 grain has a BC. of around .475 and is launched typically at around 2,650. A 7mm 140 grain bullet has a BC of .485 and can be handloaded with 4 different powders at maximum pressures with good accuracy as tested by Nosler using IMR4064, IMR4895, and IMR4831 at speeds between 2,712 to 2,762fps. IMR4350 can produce 2,820fps. These speeds are from a 22 inch test barrel, a barrel length typical of sporterized 7×55, or 6.5×55 rifles. In fact it is right up there with the faster and hotter, handloaded .308 Winchester 150 grain loads. In my estimation, given the superior BC of the 140 grain bullet over the 150 grain .308 bullet that has a BC of only .435, these handloaded 7×57 140 grain rounds are superior as they would buck the wind better, and be a tad lower in recoil. Compare with the .308 Win data with their 7×57 data: https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/308-winchester/ The longer 28 barrels will produce at least 150 to 200 fps faster loads. My favorite rifle spotted today, has a 21 inch barrel, so I would reduce the advertisde speeds between 25 and 50 fps. https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/7x57mm-mauser/
If you are in need of long distance rifle, this is a good time to learn how to reload and produce MOA ammunition for 500 yards. This is a critical tool as it gives one the fire superiority that replaces fire power that could only be provided many defenders. You’ll want the unfair advantage of a long range rifle.
Mike Adams put out an email today advising that Trump is getting the military ready for a possible conflict. I mentioned this possibility in comment over a month ago. Given how the virus is destabilizing the world financially, it is not much a of stretch to imagine:
Mike Adams said:
“If you thought this was just about a pandemic, think again: President Trump just activated one million military reservists who have battlefield medicine experience. That’s not something you do just to deal with “the flu.”
On top of that, the Pentagon just ordered its high-level military commanders into a 2000-foot deep, nuclear warhead-proof bunker complex in Colorado. It was built to survive a nuclear exchange.
You don’t send your military commanders into a deep mountain bunker just to fight a virus. Something else is afoot, and it looks like the Pentagon is planning to defend America against an expected attack by a foreign power. Guess which one?
See the full story here.”
(Now I have to get back to my second favorite hobby, radios….I would like to make additional slim jim antennas that can be use horizontally, and better aimed than the J-pole type, or I might opt to make Moxon directional antennas for a new band. These are easy to make, and can be made with 1/2 copper pipe. These have modest amount of gain, but are direct fed, has a super wide bandwidth, and an outstanding front to back ratio.)
Introduction to the Moxon antenna.
I’ve used scrap 14 ga wire on a PVC frame, and 3/8’s aluminum tubing for a broader band with for VHF and UHF moxon antennas. The easiest to make are the ones using PVC as a frame. There are several styles. These are much easier to make than yagis, and have a very low front to back ratio, a notch that can be used for DF work to get at least a rough bearing. A high gain yagi, or a yagi not assembled correctly, can have a high front to back ratio, so high that it is actually a bi- directional antenna, somewhat defeating some of the reasons for having a directional antenna. There are several way to make moxons. Choose the one most appealing to yourself, so you’ll get into the project. My next one will be made of 1/2″ copper and be super wide banded. These are good for 70cm to 20 meter. Here is a good introductory video.
https://youtu.be/jUiKZ3EIiIc
The Tape Measure Yagi for 2 Meter.
These are very easy to build and also have a very low front to back ratio.
This yagi is designed for for DF work,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmHoQrDfw-0
This fellow is in the business of selling these, and is very helpful:
Sightmark Photon RT Digital Night Vision Riflescope Full Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BogBslYtF3k&t=815s
I would prefer the Photon RT with the 940 infra red illuminator. It is compact and good for 200 yards and can not be see inside of 50 yards. This would fit nicely on an AR15, AR10, and any rifle with 30mm rings including any Mauser with such. This is light weight and proven reliable by thousands of hog hunters over the years. It is also good for day time use. There are many scopes out there like this, but my research and experience led me to this one. Of course of you own gold, I believe it would be good to turn an ounce or two into PVS-14, and Eotech sights with IR sights. The Photon is only for the common man. You can do better and should.